1st WEBINAR

28-05-2020 | 12:00

LEPABE: The Present and the Future challenges

Maria Arminda Alves

LEPABE Coordinator

Maria Arminda Alves, Full Professor at FEUP, is the Coordinator of LEPABE and responsible of the Research Group Environmental Sciences and Technologies. Her main research topics include: (i) development and validation of high resolution chromatographic methods; (ii) environmental monitoring of trace organic compounds; (iii) emergent compounds exposure and risk assessment; (iv) processes of degradation of contaminated environmental matrices; and (v) food safety.

Talk summary

In this 1st LEPABE Talks, I will share some ideas about the present and the future challenges of LEPABE and complement with a video of our activities. Increasing our critical mass from 20 in 1998 to more than 200 in 2020, the strengths of our research unit are: (i) people and skills; (ii) collaborative research in emergent themes relevant for society; (iii) capacity of attracting funds and (iii) internationally recognized specific groups. Present conditions and future challenges will be briefly discussed.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

2nd WEBINAR

04-06-2020 | 12:00

Laser nerds at LEPABE: a successful transition

from research to industry!

Ali Emami

PhD Student at LEPABE/PPE

Ali Emami received his BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from Azad University of Tehran - Iran and University of Porto - Portugal, respectively. Currently, he is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at LEPABE under the supervision of Prof. Mendes and Dr. Ivanou, focusing on encapsulation and commercialization of perovskite solar cells. His research interests include laser-processing, up-scaling, and industrialization solutions for photovoltaic applications. He has published 5 articles and 2 patents.

Talk summary

In 2008, Prof. Adélio Mendes begun working on developing a novel laser-assisted glass-glass bonding technology. The plan was to use a laser beam to locally melt a bonding material to join two glass substrates together. Though the idea seemed straightforward, the implementation needed intense multidisciplinary research and development. The first work was published in 2012 and since then, this ongoing research line has been the backbone of 2 EU and 3 national projects. Published studies include more than 8 articles and 4 international patents. This technology has been sold for 5 M€, which is the most expensive patent sold in Portugal.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

3rd WEBINAR

18-06-2020 | 12:00

Exploring Life Cycle Assessment: a tool to quantify

environmental impacts

Belmira Neto

Senior Researcher at LEPABE/ENV

Belmira Neto holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Wageningen, The Netherlands. She is Assistant Professor at FEUP and Senior Researcher at LEPABE, working in the Research Group Environmental Sciences and Technologies. Her major research topics include: (i) Life Cycle Assessment; (ii) environmental impact assessment; (iii) environmental system analysis; and (iv) sustainable procurement.

Talk summary

Life Cycle Assessment is a tool which allows to assess the environmental impacts of products, processes, technologies by taking a life cycle perspective. By performing the analysis of the full range of impacts occurring throughout the life cycle, a complete picture on the critical environmental spots are provided. This LEPABE talk will go inside the method and will show results obtained from several case studies.

The potentials brought by the use of this tool, to assess environmental sustainability, will be highlighted by showing its wide range of applications.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

4th WEBINAR

25-06-2020 | 12:00

NAM4Covid19 – What if you could know the test results

in less than 1 hour?

Ricardo Oliveira

PhD Student at LEPABE/BIO

Ricardo Bruno da Costa Oliveira, graduated in Biochemistry from FCUP/ICBAS in 2015 and obtained a Master’s in Biotechnology from the University of Minho in 2017. Innovative diagnostic methodologies applied in microbiology have always been his main scientific interest. Since 2018 he is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at FEUP (LEPABE) in collaboration with INIAV, IP, dedicating himself to the selection of aptamers for detection of food toxins using nucleic acid mimics (NAMs).

Talk summary

NAM4Covid19 aims to develop a rapid and accurate point-of-care testing (POCT) method for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

NAM4Covid19 will allow a faster detection (<1 hour), when compared with the WHO recommended protocols (more than 6 hours). It will also avoid the need for specialized technicians and equipment (needs only a simple heat block). Hence, it will improve SNS' testing capacity to SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

5th WEBINAR

02-07-2020 | 12:00

Oscillatory Flow Reactors/Crystallizers: From Lab to Market

António Ferreira

Assistant Researcher at LEPABE/SA

António Ferreira is graduated in Industrial Chemistry by the University of Beira Interior and holds a Ph.D in Chemical and Biological Engineering from FEUP. Since 2015, Ferreira is lecturer at FEUP and Research Fellow at LEPABE being responsible for several projects and protocols established with the industry and research groups in the areas of continuous crystallization and multiphase reactors. In 2019, Ferreira co-founded the company OFRTECH.

Talk summary

In this LEPABE Talks, the methodologies adopted to transfer the knowledge obtained at lab scale to the market will be presented. The focus will be on the oscillatory flow reactors/crystallizers (OFRs or OFCs) developed and optimized during the last 12 years at LEPABE - Supramolecular Assemblies Research Group. These devices have been used, with remarkable success, in several fields such as 1) continuous crystallization of APIs, proteins, antibodies, etc.; 2) ozonation water treatment; 3) liquid-liquid extraction; and 4) bioprocess intensification.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

6th WEBINAR

16-07-2020 | 12:00

Chemometrics: From fundamentals

to practical applications

Ana Lacerda Leal

PhD Student at LEPABE/PSE

Ana Lacerda Leal holds a PhD in Refining, Petrochemical and Chemical Engineering and has been a LEPABE member since 2015. Her main research topics include: (i) spectroscopic analysis of petroleum fractions; (ii) development and validation of chemometric methods.

Talk summary

A PhD held in industry gives the students the opportunity to understand the challenges and work on solutions for both academia and industry worlds. The main objective of the project was to find and implement solutions for a faster and cheaper quality control process in the laboratory of Matosinhos refinery. This can be attained by correlating the physical-chemical parameters with spectroscopy-based data. This project encompassed different stages, including (i) database creation (ii) development of a user platform with different chemometric techniques (ii) regression models’ calibration and validation (iv) implementation.

 Webinar Platform: Zoom

7th WEBINAR

23-07-2020 | 12:00

Biomedical applications of graphene

Artur Pinto

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/PPE

Artur M. Pinto PhD work was carried out at LEPABE, supervised by Prof. Fernão Magalhães, INEB-i3S, and U. Washington. Afterwards, he has been a Post-Doc at Eindhoven U. Technology (NL), Chemical Eng. Department, where he worked on graphene for 3D printing of polymeric implants and was a teaching assistant. Currently, Artur is a Junior Researcher at LEPABE, being PI of the FCT project "NovaDerma", which targets the development of pharmaceutical formulations for the treatment of skin diseases and cancer.

Talk summary

The talk will focus on studies on graphene for mechanical reinforcement of polymers, and the improvement of their biocompatibility and antibacterial effect. Also, on the ongoing collaborations, particularly the one with University Medical Center Utrecht, for 3D printing of scaffolds for tissue regeneration. The ongoing project "NovaDerma" in which nanographene is being tested for phototherapy will be introduced. NovaDerma team has implemented a system that allowed the scale-up of water stable nanographene (<200nm) production. Finally, our most recent publications will be mentioned, as the just released chapter on Carbon Biomaterials on the book “Biomaterials Science: an introduction to materials in medicine”.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

8th WEBINAR

30-07-2020 | 12:00

Indoor air pollution in schools: Towards solving the problem

Pedro Branco

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/ENV

Pedro Branco holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from FEUP, concluded in 2019 with the European Doctorate title. Currently, he works as a Junior Researcher in SENSINAIR project. He has been doing research at LEPABE in the Environmental Sciences and Technologies group since 2012. His major research topics are: i) air quality monitoring and modelling; ii) exposure to air pollution and its health impacts; and iii) low-cost sensing technologies.

Talk summary

This talk will focus on the major results from the characterisation of children’s exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) in nursery and primary schools, at urban and rural sites in Portugal, and its impacts on children’s respiratory health. A special focus will be given to the positive social impact of this research, namely its contribution with better supported preventive and mitigation measures, raising awareness about IAP in schools, strengthening their resilience and adaptive capacity to reduce IAP and associated health burden.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

9th WEBINAR

10-09-2020 | 12:00

The “social” life and “secret language” of bacteria:

New ways to fight antibiotic resistance

Anabela Borges

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/BIO

Anabela Borges graduated in Biology and has a Master degree in Clinical Laboratory Biology, from UTAD. She obtained a PhD in Chemical and Biological Sciences (2013) at the same University, in collaboration with the Biofilm Engineering Laboratory (BEL) of LEPABE. She started a Post-Doctoral position at LEPABE in 2014 and, since January 2019, she is Junior Researcher, working in the Biotechnology Research Group. Her main research interests focus on the development of new strategies to control bacterial resistance, using phytochemicals/quorum-quenching molecules.

Talk summary

Antibiotic resistance reached now a large scale, threatening the effective prevention/treatment of an ever-increasing range of infectious diseases. The occurrence of sessile bacterial communities (biofilms) is one of the leading reasons and therapeutic options are still limited. It is undoubtable that the development of alternatives becomes crucial. In this way, new perspectives emerged by the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying bacterial pathogenesis and intercellular communication. This LEPABE talk will present a “green and sustainable” approach based on bacterial communication interruption.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

10th WEBINAR

17-09-2020 | 12:00

The world of biosensors towards early detection of  neurodegenerative diseases

Pedro Carneiro

PhD Student at LEPABE/SA

Pedro Carneiro is a PhD student in the Chemical and Biological Engineering doctoral program at LEPABE, FEUP and REQUIMTE-LAQV, ISEP under the supervision of Professor M. Carmo Pereira and Professor Simone Morais. His research interests include the field of biosensors, nanomaterials and neurodegenerative diseases. Received his MSc at the University of Porto, Faculty of Engineering and BSc at the Catholic University of Portugal, Faculty of Biotechnology.

Talk summary

In diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, a based-biomarker diagnosis may improve the possibility of an early diagnosis which can contribute to faster and more informed decisions concerning the course of treatment. Biosensors, particularly electrochemical and optical, usually integrated with nanomaterials have been the focus of a large number of studies, due to their potential to develop platforms capable of performing multiplexed, sensitive, real-time, simple and non-invasive measurements of biomarkers in biological fluids.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

11th WEBINAR

24-09-2020 | 12:00

Environmental applications of microalgae:

From bioremediation to biomass valorisation

Ana Luísa Gonçalves

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/ENV

Ana Luísa Gonçalves graduated in Bioengineering (Biological Engineering Branch) in 2012 and concluded her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2017, both at FEUP. After concluding her PhD she has worked in a microalgal biomass production company and, since 2019, she is Junior Researcher at LEPABE, working in the PIV4Algae Project. Her main research topics include: (i) microalgal cultivation; (ii) biomass harvesting; (iii) wastewater treatment; (iv) CO2 capture; and (v) biomass valorisation.

Talk summary

Microalgae are known for their ubiquitous presence in nature, diversity, and broad-spectrum applications. Among these, nutrients removal from wastewaters is an important environmental application and a powerful strategy for the reduction of biomass production costs and associated environmental impact. Moreover, the wealth composition of microalgae makes them a valuable resource for different applications, thus improving the economic viability and sustainability of the remediation process. This talk will focus on a recent project that aims at the use of microalgal cultures for the remediation of industrial wastewaters and further valorisation of the produced biomass, towards its integration in the value chain of the envisaged industries.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

12th WEBINAR

01-10-2020 | 12:00

Low toxicity and environmentally friendly

wood-based products

Jorge Santos

Postdoc Researcher at Polytechnic Institute of Viseu|LEPABE/PPE

Jorge Santos Ucha received his Advanced Studies Diploma and PhD degree in chemical engineering from the University of Santiago de Compostela - Spain. His research interests are focused on the valorization of lignocellulosic byproducts to be used in the formulation of bioadhesives for the wood industry. Nowadays he works in the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu as a postdoctoral researcher in the project INNOSURF. The main goal of this project is to find different solutions to improve the surface properties of high-pressure laminates; and within this project his research is focused on the study of the synthesis of melamine-formaldehyde resins and their interaction with additives that provide the desired surface properties.

Talk summary

Nowadays, wood-based products are manufactured mainly with thermosetting synthetic resins based on petroleum, most of them based on formaldehyde. Moreover, the monoculture of fast-growing tree species has an important impact on wildlife habitats and local people and increases the risks of fire and desertification. The talk will focus on the new advances made by the research team led by Prof. Luísa Carvalho on developing new materials with low toxicity and low environmental impact based on lignocellulosic by-products such as: Cardoon, Pinecones, Grape canes, Eucalyptus bark, chestnut bur… with bio-adhesives based on the extractable compounds obtained from pine bark, pine cone, grape canes, eucalyptus bark, cardoon leaves, chestnut shell and bur…

Webinar Platform: Zoom

13th WEBINAR

08-10-2020 | 12:00

Using Proteomics to unravel biofilm’s resistance

Idalina Machado

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/BIO

Idalina Machado completed the PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2011. In 2014, she joined BEL group as a Post-Doctoral fellow at LEPABE. Since January 2019 she works as Junior Researcher in the project Biocides for Biofilms. Her main research interests focus on Biofilms, Antimicrobials Antimicrobial resistance, Proteomics; Disinfection; Biofilm control.

Talk summary

Biofilms are the preferred mode of growth of microorganisms in nature, being the cause of 65% of all human infections. The most notable and clinically relevant property of biofilms is their greater resistance to antimicrobials compared with their planktonic counterparts. Advances in proteomic techniques have facilitated in-depth analysis of the possible mechanisms underpinning increased drug resistance in biofilms. In this talk strategic uses of novel proteomics technologies to study drug resistance mechanisms of microbial biofilms will be presented.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

14th WEBINAR

15-10-2020 | 12:00

Microencapsulation: chemical engineering applied to the microscale

Berta Estevinho

Junior Researcher at LEPABE/SA

Berta Estevinho graduated in Chemical Engineering (2003), with a Master in Environmental Engineering (2005) and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering (2010), all from FEUP.

Since 2004, she is working in LEPABE (LEPAE). In 2016, she was visiting researcher at IATA - CSIC, Valencia (3 months).

B. Estevinho is researcher in the field of microencapsulation of active and natural compounds, working with spray-drying and electrospinning techniques. .

Talk summary

This presentation will cover the application of chemical engineering concepts to the microscale. In the microencapsulation processes several chemical phenomena are involved. Two of the most relevant microencapsulation processes will be presented: Spray drying and electrospinning.

Microencapsulation is a promising alternative to improve the stability, controlled release and bioavailability of bioactive ingredients, enabling their incorporation in food products, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, therapeutic formulations and medicines, among others.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

15th WEBINAR

22-10-2020 | 12:00

Shipping emissions modelling - revealing a

black secret of the sea

Rafael Nunes

PhD Student at LEPABE/PSE-ENV

Rafael Nunes is a PhD student currently enrolled in Environmental Engineering doctoral program, at LEPABE FEUP. He has a MSc in Environmental Engineering, concluded in 2014. His main research activities are related to air quality monitoring and modelling, exposure to air pollution, and its health impacts as well as related economic burden. He has been doing research at LEPABE in the Process Systems Engineering and Environmental Sciences and Technologies groups since 2014.

Talk summary

This talk will focus on shipping emissions and their impacts on human health in the Iberian Peninsula. Major results from the air quality and health impacts as well as, their economic valuation will be presented for the Iberian Peninsula for 2015. A special focus will be given to the relevance of the study of shipping emissions and the use of the modelling processes to understand the impacts of the emissions from this sector.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

16th WEBINAR

5-11-2020 | 12:00

Perovskite Solar Cells:the new age of photovoltaics?

Cristina Teixeira

PhD Student at LEPABE/PPE

Cristina Teixeira received his BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from FEUP. Currently, she is a 2nd year PhD student in Chemical Engineering at LEPABE under the supervision of Prof. Luísa Andrade and Prof. Adélio Mendes, focusing on the industrialization challenges of perovskite solar cells, namely stability enhancement and fabrication cost reduction. She has published 2 articles and won 1st price for oral presentation in a European Student Research Conference.

Talk summary

The production of energy through fossil fuels is responsible for the release of green-house and other toxic gases to the atmosphere, which is harmful to the environment and for human health. It is of utmost importance to develop cleaner and safer ways of producing energy. Perovskite Solar cells are a very young photovoltaic technology that has already demonstrated a big potential. In this presentation, an overview of this technology will be made, along with a presentation of the current status of the research work in our group.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

17th WEBINAR

12-11-2020 | 12:00

Defining strategies to enhance microalgae production

Mariana Carneiro

PhD Student at LEPABE/BIO

Mariana Carneiro began her academic career with a degree in Environmental Sciences and Technology (2010) in FCUP and an MSc degree in Marine Biology (2012) in ICBAS.

After working as a researcher in CIIMAR (2013), she started a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering in LEPABE’s facilities in FEUP, focusing on the assessment and improvement of microalgal biomass productivity from laboratory to pilot scale.

Talk summary

Industrial production of microalgal biomass is dependent on several biotic and abiotic factors that significantly impact the performance of the photosynthetic apparatus of target strains. In turn, this reflects on biomass productivity and the overall efficiency of the process. Therefore, the determination of the critical limiting factors toward algal growth and the prevention of the bioenergetic shifts of cells from photosynthesis to respiration-only stages is of the utmost importance. To this end, different approaches, including the use of chlorophyll fluorescence and LEDs at lab and pilot scale, were evaluated.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

18th WEBINAR

19-11-2020 | 12:00

Olive Mill Wastewater Valorization through Steam Reforming Reaction in a Sorption-Enhanced Membrane Reactor

Cláudio da Silva Rocha

PhD Student at LEPABE/ENV

Cláudio Rocha (MSc in Chemical Engineering at FEUP) is a PhD student in the Chemical and Biological Engineering doctoral program at LEPABE, FEUP - under the supervision of Professor Miguel Madeira and Doctor Miguel A. Soria - in the Research Group of Environmental Sciences and Technologies. His research is focused on the valorization of the Olive Oil Mill Wastewater (OMW) through the Steam Reforming Reaction in hybrid multifunctional reactors.

Talk summary

The talk will focus on the exhibition of the main topics of the project, as on the major results obtained in this work. For instance, it will be highlighted the several advantages of the utilization of hybrid multifunctional reactors (sorption-enhanced, membrane and sorption-enhanced membrane reactors) in the OMW steam reforming process. Besides that, it will be also shown the characterization and performance of sorbents/catalysts/membranes that will be applied in these hybrid reactors. Finally, the future work will be briefly discussed.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

19th WEBINAR

26-11-2020 | 12:00

Tailoring the crystal size distribution of an active pharmaceutical ingredient

Patrícia Cruz

PhD Student at LEPABE/SA

Patrícia Cruz received her master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from FEUP in 2015. Currently, she is a PhD student from the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering at LEPABE, where she has been developing her research on the continuous crystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredients in oscillatory flow crystallizers, in collaboration with Hovione.

Talk summary

An active pharmaceutical ingredient is currently produced by Hovione in a traditional batch crystallization process. Although well-established, this process lacks flexibility to control the crystal size distribution. In this work, a new process was developed to enable the control of the crystal size distribution according to specific formulation requirements. This new process was transferred from the traditional batch process in a stirred tank crystallizer to a continuous process in a planar oscillatory flow crystallizer.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

20th WEBINAR

03-12-2020 | 12:00

Solar Redox Flow Cells:

the future of solar energy storage

Telmo Lopes

PhD Student at LEPABE/PPE

Telmo Lopes received his MSc degree in Chemical Engineering from FEUP in 2018. He is currently a PhD student in Environmental Engineering at LEPABE under the supervision of Prof. Adélio Mendes and Dr. Paula Dias. His research is focused on the development of solutions to bring closer to commercialization photoelectrochemical technologies for solar energy conversion and storage. Special emphasis is given to photoelectrode development and upscale, as well as device modelling and design.

Talk summary

Harvesting solar energy has been proven to be the best approach to meet our energy demands in a carbon-neutral way. However, its intermittent nature calls for the development of solutions that allow its harvest, storage and conversion according to demand. Solar redox flow cells are an emerging technology that stores solar energy in fast-kinetics redox couples photocharged by semiconductor-based photoelectrodes. In this presentation, an overview of the potential and status of this technology will be discussed, as well as the goals currently being chased by our group.

Webinar Platform: Zoom

21st WEBINAR

10-12-2020 | 12:00

Sewage Sludge as a Potential Sustainable Agricultural Fertilizer

Vera Homem

Assistant Researcher at LEPABE/ENV

Vera Homem graduated in Chemical Engineering at FEUP in 2007. In 2011, she completed her PhD in Environmental Engineering at LEPABE, with the work entitled “Alternative Technologies for the Removal of Antibiotics from Contaminated Waters”. Then, from 2011-2018 she was Post-Doctoral Researcher with a project entitled “Environmental Risk Assessment of PPCPs in Oporto metropolitan area”. Currently, she is Assistant Researcher and leader of the competitive national research project “AGRONAUT - Agronomic impact of sludge amendment using a comprehensive exposure viewpoint”.

Talk summary

The reuse of sewage sludge in agricultural fields as fertilizers has raised a growing concern, particularly with the possible migration of organic contaminants present in sludge to soil and crops. There are still insufficient studies to prove that there are no real environmental and human health risks. Therefore, the AGRONAUT project intends to contribute to improve the knowledge on the safety use of sewage sludge on cropland. Vera Homem will present the main goals and results of the this project.

Webinar Platform: Zoom