Ana Ferreira

• PhD
• Researcher at Technical University of Lisbon

Grape pomace can be used to produce several products, such as, biofuels, fertilizers, or catalysts. This work focuses on the carbonization of grape pomace assessing the impact of the carbonization temperature and temperature rate on the properties of the resulting biochars. The potential use of the produced biochars were analyzed by a multiple crit...

Pinewood biomass in Portugal can be considered a major source of biochar for soil physical, chemical, and biological edaphic amendment. This work intended to evaluate the aptitude of lab produced biochar for upgrading soil moisture dynamics’ relationships considering mixtures of biochar with silica-based sand. The methodology used focused on the ca...

Green hydrogen production is expected to have a major contribution in addressing the global challenge of energy transition and economy decarbonization. In such a transition, wind energy is considered as one of the principal electricity sources for H2 production, both because it is a sustainable source and owing to the intermittency of the wind reso...

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft transport is crucial to achieving climate goals. In this sense, the present study looks into the suitability of e-fuels such as e-kerosene in reducing CO 2 emissions. The Fleet System Dynamic Model is employed to examine data and predict future trends in line with the Committee on Aviation Environment...

The need to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels due to their negative impact on the quality of the air and on the greenhouse effect is causing major changes in the energy sector, with a progressively greater contribution of renewable energy sources to satisfy the global energy demand. Fuel cell technology is emerging as a key player in the energ...

Efficient management of renewable energy sources is crucial for sustainable economic development and reducing carbon footprint. The use of biomass agricultural residues through thermochemical conversion processes, such as gasification, offers a promising solution by producing eco-friendly fuels and chemicals. Biomass properties, type of gasifier an...

The present study aimed to investigate the thermochemical treatment of olive pomace carbonization to improve its value and use. For this purpose, experimental procedures were carried out at different temperatures, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 °C, and heating rates, 10 and 20 °C/min, with a residence time of 1 h. The resulting biochar was characteriz...

The discussion about the environmental impact caused by aviation has gained greater prominence due to the increased demand for this sector and, consequently, the increase in the number of flights. Environmental concerns have stimulated the development of novel approaches to reduce pollutants and CO2 emissions. This study aims to assess the impact o...

The aviation industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its overall carbon footprint. However, it is expected that commercial air traffic will continue to expand at the same steady rate as it did before to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternative fuels are therefore crucial for achieving future emission goals and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. T...

The present work aims at (a) carbonizing agriculture biomass residue; (b) characterizing the obtained biochar; and (c) exploring its potential use for energy/resource recovery purposes. Six types of biomass were carbonized. The biochar was investigated through scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detector, thermogr...

As climate change is exacerbated and existing resources are depleted, the need for sustainable industries becomes ever so important. Aviation is not an exception. Despite the overall carbon dioxide emissions related to the aviation sector accounts for 2%–4% currently, forecasts for air travel indicate an annual growth of 3%–5% and other industries...

In this work, a valorisation of olive and wine industry co-products (olive pomace and grape marc, respectively) through different thermochemical processes is studied. The characterization of olive pomace and grape marc is made to evaluate which thermochemical process is more suitable for each type of biomass and a specific application. Then, a life...

Biogas has received an increasing attention in the past decade as a renewable and sustainable energy vector that can be used for the generation of household heat, steam, and electricity in industries or as a natural gas substitute after upgrading. The raw biogas has multiple impurities at varying concentrations that limit the widespread use of this...

Nowadays, concerns about rising emissions and climate change have raised the issue of decarbonization. Several approaches have been promoted in the aeronautical sector to reduce CO2 emissions. The present work provides quantitative data to support decision-making for the first pillar of International Air Transport Association (IATA) strategy to mit...

Urban Air Mobility (UAM), recently envisioned as faster and flexible mean of transportation in large urban centers, faces considerable challenges inherent in its operation in densely populated cities and related environmental issues such as pollutant and noise emissions. To address the environmental challenges, the proposed concepts are either hybr...

The main purpose of the present work was to evaluate the efficiency of the gasification process of three different types of agro-forest biomass residue (rapeseed, softwood, and sunflower husks) along with the characterization of size-segregated particulates’ emissions. The experiments were carried out in a drop tube furnace (DTF), using two differe...

The potential of Scenedesmus obliquus biomass, after treating several wastewaters (WWs) (urban, dairy and brewery industries, cattle and poultry breeding), was evaluated for the production of bio-char, bio-oil and bio-gas, through a pyrolysis process. The experiments were carried out in a fixed bed reactor at a temperature of 748 K during 15 min. T...

Microalgae are seen as potential biomass to be used in a biorefinery concept. Several technologies can be used to convert microalgal biomass, but pyrolysis is viewed as a unique pathway to obtain valuable chemicals distributed in three phases: liquid (bio‐oil), gas (bio‐gas) and solid (bio‐char). The liquid phase, bio‐oil, usually presents higher h...

In the present study, the sustainability of the simultaneously upgrading of biogas and high-value algal biomass production was evaluated in terms of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and environmental impacts. Two pilot-scale biogas upgrading units and a simulated real scale plant were considered. The study included the creation of an inventory of...

The circular bioeconomy concept relies on the exploitation of wastes as a feedstock of different biotechnological processes to obtain, as much as possible, a huge spectrum of biochemical components through a biorefinery platform. This work deals with the treatment of brewery effluent through the cultivation of Scenedesmus obliquus microalga and the...

The present study aims to endow decision-makers with an evaluation of the different ways to produce electricity from biomass considering their life cycle impact and energy efficiency, in order to highlight the most sustainable options. A model was developed based on a life cycle approach complemented by a sensitivity analysis, and supported by a po...

It has been shown that microalga S. obliquus presented bioactive compounds which had an enhancing effect on seed germination and plant growth (number, length and leaves). Moreover, there was an increase of 40% on germination of watercress (Lepidium sativum) using the biomass at 0.1 g/L, without any pre-treatment steps.

Microalgae can be used for wastewater bioremediation with simultaneous CO2 biofixation producing valuable biomass. Wastewater from a brewery was treated using the Scenedesmus obliquus microalga in bubble-column photobioreactors (PBRs). The PBRs were fed with ambient air and the effect of a 10% (v/v) brewery CO2 supplement was studied. The PBRs were...

Biomass valorization is an important issue which could be significant in the reduction of the global dependence on fossil fuels . This chapter will focus on the overview of pathways for conventional and alternative biomass valorization, including transformation to valuable materials and energy . The efficient and flexible use of biomass and the inn...

This work is part of a LIFE project to treat urban wastewater from Águas da Figueira (AdF, Figueira da Foz, PT) using a vertical tubular photobioreactor (PBR) prototype (150 L), to be scaled up and integrated in a waste water treatment plant (WWTP). The PBR was inoculated with three different microalgae: Chlorella vulgaris (Cv), Scenedesmus obliquu...

Abstract In this study, the effect of low frequency ultrasound assisted solvent extraction was assessed for three species of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oculata and Scenedesmus obliquus). The microalgae contain a wide range of compounds (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and pigments), which after extraction, can have several bene...

Bio-oils are typically produced by pyrolysis processes. Bio-oils can be used directly in a generator to produce electricity or upgraded to produce transportation fuels. Nowadays the interest is that they come out in a biorefinery context. This paper compares bio-oil production within three possible procedures. Targeting the bio-oil product, in virt...

In order to achieve stringent environmental and safety requirements, refineries are in search of “green” and cost-effective methods for crude oil desulphurization. Combined desulphurization technologies are being studied, including bioprocessing to upgrade fossil fuels. Using biodesulphurization (BDS), which is a biochemical process mediated by spe...

Abstract The thermochemical behavior of three raw and respective solvent extracted (ultrasound assisted) microalgae species – CV (Chlorella vulgaris), SC (Scenedesmus obliquus) and NOc (Nannochloropsis oculata) – was studied in order to evaluate their potential as fuels. Thermograms were obtained for four heating rates (5–25 °C/min). The results re...

In order to achieve stringent environmental and safety requirements, refineries are in search of "green" and cost-effective methods for crude oil desulphurization. Combined desulphurization technologies are being studied, including bioprocessing to upgrade fossil fuels. Using the biodesulphurization (BDS), which is a biochemical process mediated by...

In order to achieve stringent environmental and safety requirements, refineries are in search of “green” and cost-effective methods for crude oil desulphurization. Combined desulphurization technologies are being studied, including bioprocessing to upgrade fossil fuels. Using biodesulphurization (BDS), which is a biochemical process mediated by spe...

Fossil fuel dependency in Portugal is represented in around 76% of the total primary energy use, from which almost half is associated to the road transport sector. The reduction of imported fossil energy, pollutants and CO2 emissions is seen as a solution to a more sustainable energy system. This paper analyzes the market penetration of battery...

We analyse the potential economic-wide energy and CO2 emissions implications of hydrogen vehicle penetration into the Portuguese road transport over the time-horizon 2010-2050. The energy and emissions implications are obtained using PATTS (Projections for Alternative Transportation Technologies Simulation). PATTS is an excel spreadsheet model base...

This paper presents a life cycle inventory of biohydrogen production by Clostridium butyricum through the fermentation of the whole Scenedesmus obliquus biomass. The main purpose of this work was to determine the energy consumption and CO2 emissions during the production of hydrogen. This was accomplished through the fermentation of the microalgal...

This paper presents the life cycle inventory (LCI) of hydrogen production by Clostridium butyricum fermentation of Scenedesmus obliquus hydrolysate. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential of H2 production from microalgal biomass and the respective energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the bioconversion process considering the...

The 2003/30/EC European Directive aims to promote the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels instead of oil derivatives for transport purposes. In long term this is expected to contribute to the fulfillment of European climate change agreements. Therefore, hydrogen appears as a promising alternative fuel and “energy carrier”. Hydrogen can be pro...

This paper presents laboratory results of biological production of hydrogen by photoautrotophic cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Additional hydrogen production from residual Cyanobacteria fermentation was achieved by Enterobacter aerogenes bacteria. The authors evaluated the yield of H2 production, the energy consumption and CO2 emissions and the techno...

This paper analyses the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of biological hydrogen production from sugarcane and potato peels using life cycle assessment methodology for the Portuguese scenario. Potato peels are assumed to be produced locally from Portuguese potato cultivation. Sugarcane is assumed to be imported from Brazil and fermented in Portu...

Biomass obtained from microalgae is a potential source of renewable energy, as they can be converted into energy such as biofuel oil and gas [1]. Biofuels are gaining attention worldwide as a way to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrogen appears as an alternative fuel and “energy carrier”. Hydrogen can be produced by biological technologie...