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José Rodríguez-Mirasol is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Málaga and has focused his research interest in the valorization of biomass and industrial waste by thermochemical processes within the framework of sustainability, contributing to the advancement of knowledge of processes related to the bio-refinery, for the production of biofuels and chemicals of industrial interest and advanced carbon materials of scientific and technical relevance in adsorption and catalytic processes for environmental and energy applications. He also conducted research on the use of electrospinning/electrospray technique with low-cost biomass by-products for the preparation of carbon-based submicron fibers (solid, hollow and hybrid) with structures and surface chemistry properties suitable for being used as adsorbents, catalysts, electrodes and electrocatalysts. Currently, he is leading research projects related to the development of sustainable advanced biomass-derived catalysts for the production and storage of hydrogen and sustainable processes for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol and light olefins by electrospun biomass-derived catalysts.

Bio
María José Valero Romero obtained her BsC&MsC in Chemical Engineering in 2008 and MsC in Advanced Chemistry: preparation and characterization of materials in 2010. She got her PhD in 2015 at the University of Málaga (UMA) on the preparation and chacarterication of Carbon-based catalysts and catalytic supports for alcohol dehydration and hydrocarbon oxidation reactions. After getting her PhD, she moved to TU Delft (The Netherlands), where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Catalysis Engineering group (2015-2018). After that first postdoctoral period, she was awarded with two Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Spain, one by UMA, and the prestigious Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral fellowhisp by the Ministry of Science. Since 2024 she is Associate Professor at the Dept. of Chemical Engineering at UMA and is member of the TERMA research group. Her research has been focused on both Heterogeneous Catalysis and Materials Science, including the development of advanced carbon-based materials and composites (activated carbons, carbon fibers, MOFs and carbon/HZSM-5 hybrid materials). Applications include dehydration-dehydrogenation of alcohols, partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, hydroformylation of alkenes, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, dehydroaromatization of methane and photocatalysis. Currently she is a Principal researcher with a grant to work in the preparation of biomass-derived carbon-based catalytic systems to produce high value added chemicals from the valorization of syngas.

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Formic Acid Dehydrogenation Boosted by Highly Stable Biomass Waste-Derived Catalysts

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Miriam Navlani García obtained her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Alicante in 2008 and her PhD in Material Science from the same university in 2014. After getting her PhD, she moved to the University of Osaka, where she worked as a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor in the Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering (2015-2017). After that first postdoctoral period, she was awarded a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard), awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Then, she was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship for researchers with international experience (Plan GenT, Generalitat Valenciana, 2019-2022) and she resumed her research career at the University of Alicante, where she is currently a Ramón y Cajal researcher (2023-2027). Her research interests are focused on the design and development of nanomaterials for environmental and catalytic applications, such as the purification and production of hydrogen and CO2 valorization. As a result of her research, Dr Navlani García is an author/co-author of more than 50 papers in international scientific journals (h-index 25), two patents and several book chapters. She is involved in several research projects related to environmental catalysts and photocatalysis, as well as biomass upgrading.

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Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon Catalysts for Biofuel Production: The Role of Surface Chemistry

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Jose Palomo Jimenez is a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Malaga, Spain, in 2019. His PhD studies, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education in the call for University Faculty Training (FPU) grants (FPU13/02413), were devoted to the development of alternative catalysts for the direct DME synthesis from syngas. In 2021, he was awarded with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (Grant agreement No. 101023416), in the MSCA2 IF-2020 calls, that allowed him to continue his research career at TU Delft. His research at Delft University of Technology is devoted to the development of a methodological approach based on the application of operando spatial reactor analysis techniques for the study of methane activation reactions both in conventional furnace heated and microwave-assisted reactors, and the assessment of reaction kinetics under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Additionally, he is working on the development of structured core@shell catalysts in the nanometric for their application in microwave-assisted reactors.

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Preparation of Sustainable Electrochemical Catalysts by Electrospinning of Lignin

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BsC&MsC Chemical Engineering (2006). MsC Advanced Chemistry: preparation and characterization of materials (2008). PhD on Preparation of carbon and inorganic submicrofibers for Chemical Engineering Applications (2012). Research stays at PennState, Universidade Nova de Lisboa & Tohoku University. Postdoc at Materials Institute of University of Alicante. Since 2021 he is Associate Professor in the Chemical Engineering department of the University of Malaga and member of the TERMA research group. His research is devoted to the development of sustainable advanced carbon materials from lignocellulosic wastes. These materials have been used as catalysts, electrocatalysts, adsorbents and electrodes in applications related to sustainable energy conversion and storage (ORR electrocatalysts, CO2 hydrogenation, thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic wastes into sustainable chemicals, 2nd generation biofuels) and environmental protection (adsorption and abatement of pollutants in liquid and gas phase). He is also working on the development of kinetic models that allows the description of the performance of adsorbent, catalysts and electrocatalysts under steady state and dynamic operation conditions, including the effect of heat, mass, and diffusional constraints. He loves computers, progamming and setting up new equipment and devices in the lab.

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Carbon-Based Catalysts and Polymeric Membrane Composites for Converting Biomass-Derived Molecules

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Carbon-based catalysts and polymeric membrane composites for converting biomass-derived molecules. Ph.D. in chemical engineering and catalysis from the IST - University of Lisbon- Portugal. Since 2008, she has been an integrated researcher at the LAQV/REQUIMTE associate laboratory for green chemistry in NOVA school of science and technology (FCT/NOVA) – Nova University in Lisbon, Portugal; focusing on environmental catalysis and green chemistry, particularly in the synthesis and characterization of carbon materials and catalysts for added-value compound synthesis and for water treatment. Currently she is a Principal researcher with a grant to work in the development of composite hybrid materials for catalytic membrane process in biomass valorisation.