INMA seminar: Tamara Benzaquén
“Photocatalytic materials applied to advanced oxidation processes to degrade pollutants of emerging concern”
Date: Thursday 13/04/2023 – 12 h
Conference Room Ed. I+D – Río Ebro Campus
Speaker: Dr. Tamara Belén Benzaquén
Seminar summary information:
The Centre for Chemical Research and Technology (CITeQ) is a research organisation of double dependence between CONICET and the National Technological University (UTN – Regional Faculty Córdoba), which aims to carry out research lines focused on a series of thematic axes that include the design, synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials, as well as their application in various areas of chemistry such as: biomass titration reactions, reactions of industrial interest, processes for environmental remediation and other specific applications. Within the Mesopositive Materials Group, one of its main lines of work is devoted to the treatment of wastewater containing substances considered today as contaminants of emerging concern (CPEs). In this context, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), and in particular Heterogeneous Photocatalysis and Photo-Fenton reactions, have been widely studied for their application in the degradation of this type of pollutants. However, some disadvantages have limited the scale-up of these systems. This seminar will present: new mesoporous materials (MCM-41, KIT-6 and SBA-15) with renewable silicon precursors (rice, corn and/or wheat husks) modified with transition metals by means of environmentally friendly methodologies; the application of these heterogeneous catalysts in the photo-Fenton process for the degradation of CPEs present in liquid effluents derived from the plastic, pharmaceutical and/or pesticide industries; and the advances obtained in the design and synthesis of hybrid magneto-plasmonic nanostructures. In addition, some projections included in the current research line will be pointed out, where the design and synthesis of mesoporous polymeric nanofibres are planned as future materials to be evaluated. The aim is that these applications can contribute to the development of more versatile, efficient and sustainable processes, with lower operating costs.
Tamara Benzaquén is an Environmental Engineer (FICH-UNL, November 2007) and PhD in Chemical Technology (FIQ-UNL, March 2013). She completed her PhD thesis in the Photoreactor Engineering and Environmental Technologies group (INTEC, UNL-CONICET), in the area of advanced oxidation and combined biological processes for the degradation of agrochemicals, under the direction of Dr. Orlando Alfano and the co-direction of Dr. Miguel Isla. He has been awarded the Prize: “1st Provincial Mention to PhD Thesis in the Technology Area”, by the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina. In 2013, she joined the Mesostructured Materials group (CITEQ, UTN-CONICET) where she started working on advanced heterogeneous oxidation processes doing a postdoc under the direction of Dr. Griselda Eimer and the co-direction of Dr. Orlando Alfano. Since 2019 she has been working as a CONICET Associate Researcher at CITEQ. She participates in teaching activities as JTP (FRC-UTN), and is involved in the training of human resources co-directing 3 PhD Theses with CONICET grants. In 2021, she completed a postdoctoral stay at the University of Almeria, Spain, at CIESOL, under the direction of Prof. José Antonio Sánchez Pérez and the co-direction of Prof. Gianluca Li Puma, from Loughborough University, UK. Currently, she co-directs 3 CONICET doctoral fellows and is the director of two research projects (a PICT GRF submitted to the PICT 2020 SERIE A call, and a PID UTN call 2022).
Approximate duration: 40 minutes
