24th WEBINAR

28-01-2021 | 12:00

Electrochemical reduction of CO2:

a clean process for carbon recycling

Cátia Azenha

PhD Student at LEPABE/PPE

Cátia Azenha received her BSc and MSc degrees in Biotechnology from the University of Aveiro. She is currently a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at LEPABE under the supervision of Prof. Adélio Mendes. Her research is focused on the development of Cu-based catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO2. She has published 9 articles.

Talk summary

The high atmospheric CO2 concentration is recognized as one of the major causes of global warming. Thus, reducing CO2 emissions, mainly associated with fossil fuel combustion, while meeting global energy demands, is one of the greatest challenges facing our society. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (ERCO2) is considered a promising approach to produce value-added chemicals, while allowing energy storage and carbon recycling. In this presentation, an overview of this technology will be presented and the current status of our group's research work.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

23rd WEBINAR

21-01-2021 | 12:00

Nucleic acid mimics delivery into bacteria:

fighting antibiotic resistance

Nuno Guimarães

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/BIO

Nuno Guimarães obtained his degree in Biochemistry in 2004, at the Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon. In 2011, he completed his PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at University of Minho. He was a Pos-Doctoral Researcher at LEPABE from January of 2012 until December 2017. Currently, he is a Doctoral Researcher at LEPABE since June of 2018.

Talk summary

The emergence of pathogenic bacteria resistant to most currently available antimicrobial agents has become a critical problem in modern medicine, and the development of alternative antibacterial therapies is of utmost importance. The development of a new generation of nucleic acid mimics (NAMs) with promising antisense characteristics has put the antisense technology in the spotlight. The very selective bacterial envelopes constitute an efficient permeability barrier for NAMs, which have hindered their application against bacteria. Our work is based on the development and characterization of different delivery vectors that could transport NAMs into different bacteria.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

22nd WEBINAR

17-12-2020 | 12:00

APQuímica and the chemical sector: challenges for the next decade and the role of R&D and innovation

Carla Pedro

Director General at APQuímica

Carla Pedro graduated in Business Administration at ISCTE-IUL in 1999. Director General of APQuímica, the Portuguese association for the chemical, petrochemical and refining sector and coordinator of its Competitiveness Cluster. Worked several years for the European Investment Bank and the European Commission. Member of the team responsible for the negotiation of PT 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds. Worked for 7 years in early-stage innovation at Cisco Systems International. Started her career at Deloitte (management consulting).

Talk summary

In the context of the EU Green Deal and post-COVID19 Recovery Plans, the chemical sector is changing at a fast pace and so is the role of its Cluster. Energy transition and decarbonisation, circular economy / industrial symbiosis, new materials and bio-based products are putting the chemical sector value chains at the centre stage of economic transformation, fuelled by R&D and innovation. Carla Pedro will present the current initiatives of APQuímica and how it is expecting to further support the connection between enterprises and universities to meet those challenges.

Webinar Platform: Zoom