En esta jornada ITQ Talks contaremos con Prof. Renata Braga, profesora titular de Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil, e investigadora de CNPq. 

La Prof. Renata Braga impartirá la charla « Biomass Conversion with CO₂ Capture: Advances from Brazilian Research Towards Net-Zero Energy ». 

• 15 de junio de 2026 (12:00h) 

• Salón de Actos del ITQ (CSIC-UPV) 

 Biomass Conversion with CO₂ Capture: Advances from Brazilian Research Towards Net-Zero Energy 

The LABTAM RD&I Group from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil) will be presented, highlighting its main research lines, strategic focus, and experimental infrastructure supporting advanced studies in bioenergy and sustainable processes. The talk will address recent advances in biomass conversion pathways integrated with CO₂ capture strategies, with particular emphasis on the thermochemical conversion of biomass and the cultivation and conversion of microalgae as a platform for carbon utilization. These approaches are aimed at improving carbon efficiency while enabling the production of sustainable fuels and value-added materials. By combining expertise in materials, LABTAM contributes to the development of innovative solutions aligned with global efforts toward net-zero energy systems. The presentation will also foster discussion on opportunities for international collaboration in the context of low-carbon and resource-efficient technologies 

 

Prof. Renata Braga 

Renata Martins Braga is an associate professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil, and a researcher at CNPq. She holds a PhD in Petroleum Science and Engineering from UFRN and has extensive experience in renewable energy, bioenergy, and environmental catalysis. Professor Renata Braga coordinates research and innovation projects in collaboration with international companies operating in the energy, oil, and gas sector in Brazil, with a strong focus on sustainability, CO₂ mitigation, and the development of advanced low-carbon technologies. Her scientific contributions include thermochemical conversion of biomass, catalytic pyrolysis, and bioenergy production integrated with carbon capture (BECCS), as well as the recovery of agro-industrial waste and microalgae for sustainable fuels and hydrogen. She advises graduate students in the Chemical Engineering and Forestry Sciences programs at UFRN, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. In 2025, Dr. Braga received the Ciências Delas Award, promoted by Repsol Sinopec Brasil, ACEBRA, and the Spanish Embassy, in recognition of her leadership and impactful research in sustainability and energy transition. 

María Inmaculada Valls Esteve defenderá su tesis doctoral “Intensification of Non-Oxidative Propane Dehydrogenation Process on Catalytic Membrane Reactor”. 

• 09 de junio de 2026 (12:00 h.) 
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (CSIC-UPV) 

 

Más información 

Dirección: José Manuel Serra Alfaro y Daniel Curulla Ferré 

Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Química Sostenible 

En esta jornada ITQ Talks contaremos con el Prof. Fei Wei, Director de Beijing Key Lab of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, China.
El Prof. Fei Wei impartirá la charla «Nano Bifunctional Catalysts as Miniaturized Chemical Processes for CO2‑to-Aromatics Conversion»

• 17 de abril de 2026 (12:15h)
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (CSIC-UPV)

 

Nano Bifunctional Catalysts as Miniaturized Chemical Processes for CO2‑to-Aromatics Conversion

Modern catalysis has traditionally focused on the optimization of isolated active sites; however, industrial-scale chemical manufacturing relies on the integration of reaction, transfer, separation, and feedback operations. The disconnection between these two disciplines catalysis and process engineering creates a fundamental gap between molecular precision and process efficiency. Bridging this gap requires reimagining the catalyst not as a static reactive surface, but as a nano miniaturized chemical process, where sequential unit operations are spatially and kinetically coordinated within a single material framework.

Consequently, achieving such process intensification at the catalytic scale represents one of the frontier challenges in sustainable chemistry and materials design. Bifunctional and multifunctional catalysts provide an effective platform for this translation of process logic into nanoscale architectures. By assigning different catalytic domains to distinct elementary operations activation, transfer, and transformation these systems can emulate the functional synergy of macroscopic chemical plants within confined spatial dimensions. Conceptually, this strategy parallels reaction−transfer−separation−rereaction in chemical-engineering, compressing these steps into a single composite catalyst. The resulting complexity, however, introduces new scientific questions: how can multiple reaction domains communicate, balance kinetics, and sustain cooperative efficiency while preserving thermodynamic directionality?

This talk summarizes our efforts to address these challenges through the rational design of process-coordinated CO2 conversion catalysts. Three representative strategies are highlighted: (i) engineering the activation−hydrogenation unit through atomic-level dispersion and Fe−Fe bond-length tuning to optimize upstream reactivity; (ii) regulating intermediate transfer using a bioinspired catalytic shunt mechanism that controls adsorption strength and pathway branching; and (iii) achieving kinetic synchronization between domains via valence-state modulation to match intermediate formation and transformation rates. Together, these strategies define an integrated framework for nanoscale process intensification, transforming the catalyst into a self-regulating microreactor that mimics the logic of chemical process units. Looking forward, the concept can be extended to hierarchically coupled, dynamically adaptive systems where artificial intelligence and machine-learning-assisted design enable data-driven discovery, real-time feedback, and autonomous optimization ushering in intelligent catalysts that unify reaction and process engineering at the molecular scale.

 

Prof. Fei Wei

Director of Beijing key lab of green chemical reaction engineering and technology, Fei Wei obtained his PhD in chemical engineering from China University of Petroleum in 1990. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Tsinghua University (China), he was appointed an associate professor in 1992 and professor of chemical engineering of Tsinghua University (China) in 1996. His scientific interests are technological applications of chemical reaction engineering, catalysis, multiphase flow, carbon nano materials, and sustainable energy. He has designed and successfully running over 30 industrial fluidized bed reactors, and authored four books and over 600 refereed publications including 4 papers in Science and Nature, with more than 70000 citations with H index 116.

Jornada “El valor de las aguas subterráneas. Motivos para cuidarlas: sequías y cambio climático” – Bruno José Ballesteros Navarro, departamento de Aguas y Cambio Global del Instituto Geológico y Minero.

• 31/03/2026 (12:30h)
• Salón de Grados I de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial UPV (edificio 5F, segundo piso).

La charla se realizará antes de la entrega de galardones de la XVII edición de los Premios Aula CIMSA SOSTENIBILIDAD, que reconocen los mejores TFG y TFM sobre sostenibilidad y medio ambiente realizados en el curso académico 2024/2025 en la UPV.

 

Bruno J. Ballesteros

Bruno J. Ballesteros es una autoridad en el campo de la hidrogeología en España. Con más de 35 años en el Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), donde empezó a trabajar en 1989, y una licenciatura en Geología por la Universidad de Granada (1978), Ballesteros ha dedicado su vida a estudiar el comportamiento del agua y de fenómenos naturales.

Os invitamos a la jornada Mujeres y Ciencia, enmarcada en el 8M. día Internacional de las Mujeres y que ha sido organizada desde el Comité de Igualdad del ITQ (CSIC-UPV).

La jornada se realizará en el Auditorio del Cubo Azul de la CPI de la UPV el martes 31 de marzo, de 9h a 14h.

La jornada se estructurará en mesas redondas organizadas por etapas y perfiles profesionales:

• Doctorandas
• Personal técnico y de apoyo
• Investigadoras postdoctorales
• Investigadoras senior

Cada mesa estará formada por cuatro compañeras del ITQ (CSIC-UPV) que, en un formato cercano y distendido, debatirán a partir de preguntas que previamente se lanzarán al público mediante una herramienta interactiva. Las respuestas anónimas servirán como punto de partida para abordar cuestiones que rara vez se verbalizan en espacios institucionales: reconocimiento, conciliación, maternidad, liderazgo, micromachismos, expectativas desiguales, silencios y responsabilidades compartidas, entre otros temas.

Además, contaremos con Dña. Eloísa del Pino, presidenta del CSIC, quien impartirá una charla.

Con esta jornada se pretende crear un espacio seguro, honesto y respetuoso en el que puedan compartirse experiencias reales, dificultades cotidianas y también propuestas concretas que nos ayuden a avanzar hacia un sistema científico e investigador más igualitario y libre de comportamientos machistas, tanto explícitos como sutiles.

Esta jornada será provechosa si es representativa y si la construimos entre todas y todos. La igualdad es una cuestión de calidad institucional, de convivencia y de futuro. Por ello, esperamos contar vuestra asistencia a este evento.

• Registro: Jornada Mujeres y Ciencia 2026 – ITQ (UPV-CSIC)

 

Programa del acto

09:00-09:30  Registro

09:30-09:45  Bienvenida y presentación de la jornada

09:45-10:30  Mesa redonda: personal técnico y de apoyo

Ponentes: Mª José Lázaro, Chelo Hernández, Aroa Alós y Carla Vidaurre.

Modera: Maria Barber y Esther Domínguez.

10:30-11:15  Mesa redonda: estudiantes predoctorales

Ponentes: Patricia de la Iglesia, Lourdes Romero, Ilaria Ceteroni y Beatriz Moreno.

Modera: Maria Barber y Jose Luis del Río.

11:15-11:45  Pausa para el café

11:45-12:45  Ponencia a cargo de Dña. Eloísa del Pino, presidenta del CSIC

12:45-13:30  Mesa redonda: investigadoras postdoctorales

Ponentes: Candela Segarra, Silvia Gutiérrez, Alejandra Rendón, Belén Lerma.

Modera: Maria Barber, Sara Goberna.

13:30-14:15  Mesa redonda: investigadoras senior

Ponentes: Judith Oliver, María José Diaz, Maria Luisa Marín, María Balaguer.

Modera: Maria Barber y Ana Primo.

14:15-14:30  Conclusiones y clausura de la jornada