NEWS

Idea Contest - FRAUNHOFER PORTUGAL CHALLENGE

17 July, 2023

Applications to the 14th edition of the Idea Contest Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge are now open!

Think Technology. Design the Future. is the challenge of the contest that rewards the best technology-based ideas, aligned with the scientific areas developed at Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS (FhP-AICOS): Human-Centred Design, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber-Physical Systems.

The ideas contest has two categories:

- Master Thesis Award

Ideas based on academic theses submitted for defense in the 2021/2022 or 2022/2023 academic years.

The three best ideas will be awarded (1st place: 3.000€; 2nd place: 2.000€; 3rd place: 1.000€).

- Student Award

Awards the student with the most promising technological idea.

This category was created in 2023 to recognize students with the most innovative technology-based ideas, but above all to encourage and support them in developing and putting them into practice. In addition to the monetary prize of 3 000€, the winning student of this category will be accompanied by researchers of FhP-AICOS in a mentoring process.

Applications are open and can be submitted at www.challenge.fraunhofer.ptuntil July 31st.

On the official website, you may find the Terms&Conditions, as well as the templates that must be filled out and submitted to formalize the application.

The goal of the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge is to distinguish the best research work with practical utility developed in Portugal. This is an idea contest organized annually by Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, an applied research center, and is directed to students and researchers from all Portuguese universities. The submitted ideas must have a practical aspect, i.e., they must be market-oriented, with applicability in industry or in people's daily lives.

For more information, please visit the official website of the Challenge (www.challenge.fraunhofer.pt) or contact via email challenge@fraunhofer.pt.

Filipa Casimiro PhD thesis defense

July 11, 2023

LSRE-LCM congratulates Filipa Casimiro for her PhD thesis defense on July 11, 2023.

Filipa finished the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, with the PhD thesis entitled "Lignin from Pulp Mill Sulfite Liquors: Production of Vanillin and Syringaldehyde by an Integrated Process within the Biorefinery Concept" supervised by Professor Alírio Rodrigues and Doctor Carina Costa.

The staff and team of LSRE-LCM wish Filipa success in the new professional stage that will now begin!

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

PUBLICATIONS

J.L. Figueiredo. A Relevância da Indústria Química e o seu Contributo para a Sociedade. Princípia Editora, Lda., Cascais, 2022

APPROVED PROJECTS

ERA-ARE - A new ERA for Environmental Risk Assessment: Chirality as a tool towards environmentally safe pharmaceuticals. Reference: ERC - 101039270. Funded by: European Comission, Horizon Europe | ERC | STARTING GRANTS. Starting Date: 2023/12/31. Duration: 60 months.
F-CAT - A catalytic tool for the defluorination of PFAS in drinking water into degradable organics. Reference: 2022.03874.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 18 months.
STAR - STereoselective environmental processes in Antibiotics: role for Resistance. Reference: 2022.02842.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 36 months.
DRopH2O - Drinking water quality: early warning and removal of microcontaminants by innovative carbon-based materials. Reference: 2022.08738.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 36 months.
SuN2Fuel - Photo-assisted production of green ammonia-based fuels. Reference: 2022.04682.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 36 months.
CO2-to-CH4 - Cutting-edge solar-to-heat technology to foster photo-thermocatalytic CO2 methanation towards a climate-neutral economy. Reference: 2022.01176.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 18 months.
H2O-3DCapture - Water harvesting – sustainable solution based on a gas-adsorption process using innovative 3D-printed hybrid materials. Reference: 2022.01973.PTDC. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, . Starting Date: 2023/03/01. Duration: 18 months.

THESIS DEFENSES

André Tiago Torres Pinto
Optimised 2D Carbon Materials Activated by Artificial Light and Electrical Current for Catalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment
Larissa Oliveira Paulista
Solar-Driven Thermo-Photocatalytic CO2 Valorisation into Value-Added Fuels
Isabel Sousa Fernandes
Multiphase Flow in NETmix: mixing studies and applications
Rute Agostinha Gomes Seabra
Separation of light hydrocarbons by Simulated Moving Bed
Rafael Gomes Morais
Noble-metal free carbon-based materials for energy conversion
Pedro Henrique Presumido
Membrane Processes for Tertiary Treatment of Urban Wastewaters: Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor and Ozone Membrane Reactor