UNA4CAREER
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement Nยบ 847635.
921544. Group of Intensification of Chemical and Environmental Processes (INPROQUIMA)
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
INPROQUIMA focuses its activities on sustainable development research. The research lines are related to industrial and environmental processes, to improve the quality of products, the energy balance, process safety and environmental concerns. The group’s evolution is strongly linked to the demand for knowledge in processes of industrial or environmental interest. Currently, the group collaborates with different companies (EMGRISA, SARGA, DISEPROSA, EthicalChem, etc), public organizations (Gov. Aragon, Gov. Madrid) and research groups, with a wide network of international contacts. INPROQUIMA has published more than 100 articles (chem. eng., env.eng., biotechnol., aq. resources and env. sciences) and has participated in 10 competitive national projects one European project and 8 projects with private companies, some of them of great importance in the chemical and environmental sector.
Dr. ARTURO ROMERO, Full Professor. Scopus 56210133200
Dra. AURORA SANTOS, Full Professor. Scopus ID: 7402214017
Dr. SERGIO RODRIGUEZ, Lecture (PCD), Scopus ID: 55955160400
Dra. CARMEN M DOMINGUEZ, Assistant Professor (PAD), Scopus ID: 56733088200
Dr. DAVID LORENZO, Assistant Professor (PAD), Scopus ID: 55253619400
Dr. LEANDRO CONTE, MSCA postdoctoral researcher, Scopus ID: 54787361300
Dr. SALVADOR COTILLAS, Assistant Professor (PAD), Scopus ID: 42261192200
Dra. PATRICIA SÁEZ, Researcher, Scopus ID: 57204135851
RAÚL GARCÍA-CERVILLA, ALICIA CHECA-FERNÁNDEZ, ANDRÉS SÁNCHEZ, Predoc. Students
The research group has a lab for the chemical treatment of soil and groundwater remediation at batch and column scale and the software, commercial and developed by INPROQUIMA, for modelling and optimizing chemical and environmental processes
Equipment
• 2 GC with mass detectors, GC-MS, and CTC PAL automated sample injectors
• GC with FID and ECD detectors
• Ionic Chromatograph
• HPLC with a UV-VIS-DAD
• micro GC with a TCD detector
• 2 UV-VIS spectrophotometer
• Rotatory and orbital agitators
• TOC analyzer for liquid and solid samples
• TN analyzer for liquid samples
• Microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer for metals measurement
• Microwave digester
• COD analyzer
• Microtox®.
• Titration equipment
• Tensiometer
• Small equipment (pH meters, OPR, conductivity, centrifuge, ultrasound baths, stirrers….)
Other analytical techniques available at UCM as central services https://www.ucm.es/cais
Group members can make short researcher stays in the INPROQUIMA network.
The current research lines are focused on Advanced Chemical Processes applied to the remediation of soil and water polluted with organic compounds. Catalyst and/or reagents are used in homogeneous or heterogeneous media.
The candidate will work on the remediation of sites highly polluted with wastes coming from the manufacture of obsolete pesticides, spills/leaks of chlorinated solvents or hydrocarbons. Different treatments can be applied depending on the type and location of the contamination:
– in situ (injecting the reagents in the subsurface)
– on-site (treatment of the extracted groundwater or excavated soils)
The treatments currently studied are:
ISCO (In situ chemical oxidation): injection of the oxidants/activators in the subsurface. The oxidants used are the Fenton´s reagent and Persulfate activated by alkali/ metals/ temperature, etc.
S-ISCO, ISCO enhanced by the addition of surfactants. The surfactants increase the solubility of the organic compounds in the aqueous phase, enhancing their oxidation rate and removal.
SEAR (Surfactant Enhancement Aquifer Remediation). Injection of biodegradable surfactants to extract residual DNAPLs and further treatment of the fluids recovered.
Chemical reduction, using zero valent iron (doped or not with metallic catalysts). It can be applied in situ by injecting micro or nanoparticles or building PRBs, or on site, to polluted groundwater or soils.
Advanced oxidation treatments (on site) applied to polluted water (electrooxidation, Fenton, electro-Fenton, catalytic wet peroxide oxidation, photocatalysis, etc.) or to excavated soils and sediments (Fenton Like, Persulfate, etc.).
Adsorption of pollutants onto AC (with or without previous stripping of pollutants to the gas phase) and regeneration of spent adsorbents.
