Recent Submissions

Cobalt-ruthenium bimetallic catalysts for dry reforming of methane 

Armengol Profitós, Marina (Date of defense: 2024-12-03)

(English) The processes used nowadays for hydrogen and syngas production require more sustainable alternatives to advance in the necessary decarbonisation to fight against climate crisis. Currently, the main process is ...

Metal-decorated ceria-based reducible oxide catalysts for CO2 transformation 

Lu, Xuan (Date of defense: 2025-09-19)

(English) Noble metal clusters and single atoms have been considered as effective co-catalysts for the enhancement of carbon dioxide hydrogenation due to their singular geometric structures, electronic properties and unique ...

Acidic mining waters as resource recovery for sustainable supply of raw and critical materials 

Roa Torres, Alexandra (Date of defense: 2025-07-22)

(English) Over the past years, the treatment of Acidic Mine Waters (AMWs) has gained a new interest as they can be used as a secondary source for Critical and Strategic Raw Materials (CRMs and SRMs, respectively). This, ...

Bimetallic catalysts for hydrogen production and purification 

Lou, Yake (Date of defense: 2025-05-30)

(English) In Chapter 3, CeO2-supported mono- and bi-metallic Co-Rh catalysts prepared by incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) and mechanochemical method (also called ball milling, BM) were used to investigate the DRM ...

Estudio de los principales contaminantes en lavandería industrial y diseño de un sistema de reutilización de agua 

Barbero del Río, Manuel (Date of defense: 2025-06-27)

(English) This doctoral thesis has enabled the development of a technological solution for water reuse in the industrial laundry sector. In addition, the emission of microplastics and emerging pollutants associated with ...

Integrating modeling, synthesis, and knowledge management to support strategic decision-making toward the circular economy paradigm 

Pacheco López, Adrián (Date of defense: 2025-06-16)

(English) This thesis tackles some of the most urgent global issues we face today: waste accumulation, resource scarcity, and climate change. The focus is on applying sustainable practices through models like Industrial ...

Development of metal-enhanced TiO2-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production 

Agrelo Lestón, Asier (Date of defense: 2025-06-02)

(English) Human activity has led to rising greenhouse gas levels, altering climate patterns and intensifying weather events. Therefore, a transition to a decarbonized energy system is needed, with hydrogen as a promising ...

Multi-actor multi-criteria decision-making methods and tools for the implementation of industrial symbiosis and circular economy solutions in the process industry 

Lechtenberg, Fabian (Date of defense: 2024-11-26)

(English) The quest for sustainable development is both urgent and complex. Paradigms like circular economy (CE) and industrial symbiosis (IS) aim to address this challenge by promoting strategies to achieve a more efficient ...

Management strategies of Meloidogyne-resistant plant germplasm to avoid virulence selection 

Fullana Pons, Aïda Magdalena (Date of defense: 2025-02-04)

(Català) Durant el desenvolupament de la tesi doctoral es van realitzar diversos estudis a fi de conèixer el potencial de la resistència vegetal per a la gestió de Meloidogyne en cultius hortícoles sense afavorir la selecció ...

Recovery of critical raw materials from saltworks by integration of sorption processes 

Vallés Nebot, Víctor (Date of defense: 2024-07-24)

(English) Nowadays, the increasing demand for raw materials caused by population growth and industrialisation moved the European Union (EU) to improve resource efficiency and as result the Critical Raw Materials/Strategic ...

Mathematical modeling of advanced oxidation processes for the efficient wastewater treatment: integrated management of advanced oxidation processes and conventional bio-processes for the removal of recalcitrant components 

Nasr Esfahani, Kourosh (Date of defense: 2024-07-02)

(English) The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the development of mathematical modeling of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) aimed at the competent treatment of recalcitrant organic compounds in wastewater. ...

Liquid-Liquid membrane contactors for sustainable ammonia recovery and valorization: experimental insights, novel approaches and applications 

Aguilar Moreno, Miguel (Date of defense: 2024-07-05)

(English) This comprehensive research represents a significant stride in the exploration of innovative strategies aimed at enhancing ammonia recovery within diverse wastewater streams. The study is structured into distinct ...

Recovery of phenolic compounds from olive mill and winery wastes: evaluation of extraction and membrane processing technologies 

Tapia Quirós, Paulina (Date of defense: 2021-11-10)

(English) Olive oil and wine production are two major agri-food economic activities in Spain; and generate large amounts of solid and liquid wastes that represent an important environmental problem. In this context, the ...

Integration of advanced wastewater treatment and reclamation technologies for organic micropollutants removal and promote water reuse 

Echevarría Díez-Canedo, Carlos (Date of defense: 2022-07-14)

(English) Climate change and overpopulation are responsible for more frequent droughts, and the imbalance in the water resources management leads to a greater competition in the exploitation of freshwater sources. The ...

Gadolinia-doped UO2 reactivity and redox-sensitive radionuclides mobility: implications for long-term safety of deep geological repositories 

García Gómez, Sonia (Date of defense: 2024-03-08)

(English) High-level radioactive waste, such as spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants, remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years. To manage them properly and avoid harm to human health and the ...

Sustainable evaluation of Boron recovery for seawater desalination brines valorisation: integration of membrane processes and ion exchange resins 

Figueira Alves, Mariana (Date of defense: 2023-12-19)

(English) According to the European Green Deal, the European Union (EU) must become climate-neutral by 2050. However, many raw materials needed for this green transition are supplied by non-EU countries. To ensure the ...

Nitrogen recovery from wastewater treatment effluents by liquid-liquid membrane contactor for fertilizers production 

Sheikh, Mahdi (Date of defense: 2023-11-27)

(English) Changing wastewater treatment plants into wastewater and resource recovery facilities represents a paradigm shift in wastewater management. Resources such as water, energy, and nutrients are becoming scarcer, ...

Nano-enabled screen-printed electrodes for the determination of trace elements in aqueous environmental samples 

Torres Rivero Andrade, Karina Victoria Alejandra (Date of defense: 2023-07-12)

(English) Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a wastewater originated from complex oxidation processes that has become one of the most challenges facing the global mining industry due to its acidity, high content of SO42- and other ...

Preparation and characterisation of bimetallic catalysts for the steam reforming of methane 

Braga, Andrea (Date of defense: 2024-01-25)

(English) Heterogeneous catalysis is one of the most important chemical technologies available today to produce most chemicals at the basis of industrial production. The transition to a greener energy production demands ...

Evaluation of nutrient recovery from urban wastewater for sustainable fertilizer production 

Mayor Pillado, Álvaro (Date of defense: 2023-12-15)

(English) The 20th-century introduction of the Haber-Bosch nitrogen fixation process significantly disrupted the nitrogen cycle in ecosystems, contributing to environmental issues and nutrient loss. The heavy reliance on ...