Angel Berenguer-Murcia

• PhD
• PostDoc Position at University of Alicante

To commercialize metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), it is vital they are made easier to handle. There have been many attempts to synthesize them as pellets, tablets, or granules, though they come with innate drawbacks. Only recently have these been overcome, through the advent of self‐shaping densified or monolithic MOFs (monoMOFs), which require min...

Citation: Sousa, R.R.d.; dos Santos, M.M.; Medeiros, M.W.R.; Manoel, E.A.; Berenguer-Murcia, Á.; Freire, D.M.G.; Fernandez-Lafuente, R.; Ferreira-Leitão, V.S. Immobilized Lipases in the Synthesis of Short-Chain Esters: An Overview of Constraints and Perspectives. Catalysts 2025, 15, 375. Abstract: Biocatalysis-specifically the use of immobilized li...

This work focuses on the production of methane through the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide using Pt-doped CdS/TiO2 heterostructures. The photocatalysts were prepared using P25 commercial titania and CdS synthesized through a solvothermal methodology, followed by the impregnation of Pt onto the surface to enhance the physicochemical prope...

Hydrogen storage by cryoadsorption on porous materials has the advantages of low material cost, safety, fast kinetics, and high cyclic stability. The further development of this technology requires reliable data on the H2 uptake of the adsorbents, however, even for activated carbons the values between different laboratories show sometimes large dis...

Bromelains are cysteine peptidases with endopeptidase action (a subfamily of papains), obtained from different parts of vegetable belonging to the Bromeliaceae family. They have some intrinsic medical activity, but this review is focused on their application (individually or mixed with other proteases) to produce bioactive peptides. When compared t...

The increasing worries by the inadequate use of energy and the preservation of nature are promoting an increasing interest in the production of biolubricants. After discussing the necessity of producing biolubricants, this review focuses on the production of these interesting molecules through the use of lipases, discussing the different possibilit...

A review of the literature covering research on the immobilization of lipases on hydrophobic supports was performed using systematic mapping (SM) concepts. This approach consists of a rigorous review methodology...

Photocatalysis represents a promising technology that might alleviate the current environmental crisis. One of the most representative photocatalysts is graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) due to its stability, cost-effectiveness, facile synthesis procedure, and absorption properties in visible light. Nevertheless, pristine g-C3N4 still exhibits low...

Formic acid has been postulated as one of the most promising liquid organic hydrogen carriers. Numerous studies dealing with the development of efficient catalysts able to boost the dehydrogenation of formic acid can be found in recent literature. However, most of them lack in stability, so that finding stable catalysts is highly desirable yet chal...

The fishing industry generates tons of waste of great intrinsic value due to its high content of biomolecules such as proteins. The processing of proteins can result in products with high nutritional, pharmacological, and technological interest due to the peptides that can be derived from them. This review work compiles the investigations that have...

Pepsin is a protease used in many different applications, and in many instances, it is utilized in an immobilized form to prevent contamination of the reaction product. This enzyme has two peculiarities that make its immobilization complex. The first one is related to the poor presence of primary amino groups on its surface (just one Lys and the te...

Mangifera indica fruit (mango) is one of the most commercialized fruits around the world occupying the 2nd position as a tropical crop, due to the great variety of existing cultivars from which different food products such as drinks, juices, concentrates, and jams are prepared. The wastes generated during the processing of this fruit (20 million to...

Different photocatalysts based on the combination of TiO2 and CuxO have been prepared by simple and reproducible procedures. The synthesized systems have been applied in the photoreduction of CO2 to yield CH4 inside a 2-dimensional flow reactor in which the gas stream was passed over a thin layer of the catalyst under UV irradiation. Analysis of th...

Papain is a cysteine protease from papaya, with many applications due to its broad specificity. This paper reviews for first time the immobilization of papain on different supports (organic, inorganic or hybrid supports) presenting some of the features of the utilized immobilization strategies (e.g., epoxide, glutaraldehyde, genipin, glyoxyl for co...

Poisoning tolerance of Pt-based catalyst is an important parameter for the designing of direct electrochemical fuel cells (EFCs) based on electrooxidation of alcohols (i.e. methanol, ethanol). Applicability of direct ethanol EFCs is still challenging taking into account the lack of effective electrocatalysts which are able to produce high faradic c...

The use of enzymes in industrial processes requires the improvement of their features in many instances. Enzyme immobilization, a requirement to facilitate the recovery and reuse of these water-soluble catalysts, is one of the tools that researchers may utilize to improve many of their properties. This review is focused on how enzyme immobilization...

Papain is a cysteine endopeptidase of vegetal origin (papaya (Carica papaya L.) with diverse applications in food technology. In this review we have focused our attention on its application in the production of bio-peptides by hydrolysis of proteins from fish residues. This way, a residual material, that can become a contaminant if dumped without c...

There are growing demands by the biodiesel companies to get cheap lipase formulation, preferably in liquid forms, which can give an answer to their needs. Thus, many commercial or home-produced enzymes are being used in this process in free form. Among these enzymes, Eversa is a liquid lipase formulation derived from the lipase from Thermomyces lan...

We have performed the synthesis of TiO2-MWCNT composites focusing on the distribution of the photoactive phase on the carbon active sites existing in the MWCNTs, and its effect on the properties of the composites for the abatement of propene. We have used different approaches for the dispersion of MWCNTs during the synthesis; 1) an ultrasound bath...

In this work, we reported the preparation of composites based on titania (TiO2) and Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5) nanozeolite, following two approaches (i.e., incorporating the presynthesized zeolite in the synthesis medium of TiO2 and incorporating presynthesized TiO2 in the synthesis medium of ZSM-5). The materials synthesized were characterized...

This review aims to cover the uses of the commercially available protease Alcalase in the production of biologically active peptides since 2010. Immobilization of Alcalase has also been reviewed, as immobilization of the enzyme may improve the final reaction design enabling the use of more drastic conditions and the reuse of the biocatalyst. That w...

This review is focused on the use of glucose oxidase, mainly in the production of D-gluconic acid, a reactive of undoubtable interest in different industrial areas. The enzyme has been used in many instances as a model reaction to study the problems of oxygen supply in bioreactors. One of the main topics in this review is the problem of the generat...

The increasing relevance of cascade reactions in biocatalysis has sparked a great interest for enzyme co-immobilization. Enzyme co-immobilization allows access to some kinetic advantages that in some instances are necessary to get the desired product, avoiding side-reactions. However, the kinetic effect is very relevant mainly at the initial reacti...

We have investigated the gas phase (P = 1 atm; T = 373 K) hydrogenation of (tertiary alkynol) 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) and (secondary) 3-butyn-2-ol (BY) over a series of carbon (C), non-reducible (Al2O3 and MgO) and reducible (CeO2 and ZnO) supported mono- (Pd (0.6-1.2% wt.) and Zn (1% wt.)) and bi-metallic Pd-Zn (Pd:Zn mol ratio = 95:5, 70:30 a...

Lipases are among the most utilized enzymes in biocatalysis. In many instances, the main reason for their use is their high specificity or selectivity. However, when full modification of a multifunctional and heterogeneous substrate is pursued, enzyme selectivity and specificity become a problem. This is the case of hydrolysis of oils and fats to p...

In this study, we assessed the effect of the incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on a TiO2 support containing different active metals to obtain Metal/TiO2-MWCNT photocatalytic systems. The materials prepared in this work were characterized by ICP-OES, TEM, EDX, XRD, PL, UV-Vis, and nitrogen physisorption techniques. Among those i...

An efficient gas-phase production of propylene oxide (PO) with noble metal-free catalysts could modify the industrial output of this valuable compound. We present a novel catalyst based on well-dispersed Ni nanoparticles loaded on a Ti-SiO2 support for the propylene epoxidation reaction using H2/O2 mixtures. XPS, High Resolution Transmission Electr...

This review intends to present some of the latest studies on the lipase A from Candida antarctica (CALA). This lipase is among the most stable ones and has some capability to attack the sn-2 position of triglycerides. This makes it a very interesting lipase, especially considering that it is commercially available. The cloning and production of the...

Genipin is a reagent isolated from the Gardenia jasminoides fruit extract, and whose low toxicity and good crosslinking properties have converted it into a reactive whose popularity is increasing by the day. These properties have made it widely used in many medical applications, mainly in the production of chitosan materials (crosslinked by this re...

La Red AGEQI ha realizado la adaptación de materiales docentes para asignaturas de química. El principal objetivo del trabajo es aplicar los Principios del Diseño Universal (Connell et al., 1997) a la Instrucción (DUI) (Palmer, & Caputo, 2002-03) y al Aprendizaje (DUA) (Wakefield, 2008) para obtener materiales docentes de asignaturas con créditos p...

Biographene was successfully produced in water from graphite flakes by a simple, rapid, and efficient methodology based on a bioexfoliation technology. The methodology consisted in the application of a lipase, with a unique mechanism of interaction with hydrophobic surfaces, combined with a previous mechanical sonication, to selectively generate li...

In this study, we present a photo-microreactor illuminated with a low power LED light as a highly efficient system to achieve the total oxidation of propene using a TiO2 photocatalyst. This abatement system (photo-microreactor) consists in an immobilized benchmark photocatalyst (TiO2, P25) inside a commercial glass microchannel chip (UV transparent...

Dextran aldehyde (dexOx), resulting from the periodate oxidative cleavage of 1,2-diol moiety inside dextran, is a polymer that is very useful in many areas, including as a macromolecular carrier for drug delivery and other biomedical applications. In particular, it has been widely used for chemical engineering of enzymes, with the aim of designing...

p>A new simple, rapid, and efficient methodology to produce undamaged graphene sheets from graphite flakes in water by a bio-exfoliation technology is described. The methodology consists in the application of a lipase, with a very exclusive mechanism of interaction with hydrophobic surfaces, combined with a previous mechanical sonication, to select...

Lecitase Ultra is a chimera produced by the fusion of the genes of the lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus and the phospholipase A1 from Fusarium oxysporum. The enzyme was first designed for the enzymatic degumming of oils, as that problem was not fully resolved before. It is commercialized only as an enzyme solution by Novo Nordisk A/S. This revie...

Schwarzites have a three-dimensional sp2 carbon structure with negative Gaussian curvatures. They can be synthesized through the deposition of carbon by chemical vapor deposition on a zeolite template and may be formed by increasing the amount of carbon. In this research, the amount of carbon deposition was increased by shortening the length of the...

Novozym 435 (N435) is a commercially available immobilized lipase produced by Novozymes. It is based on the immobilization via interfacial activation of the lipase B from Candida antarctica on a resin, Lewatit VP OC 1600. This resin is a macroporous support formed by poly(methyl methacrylate) crosslinked with divinylbenzene. N435 is perhaps the mos...

The Institute of Materials of the University of Alicante has developed a noble metal-free catalytic system for its use in the selective oxidation reaction from propylene to propylene oxide (PO), mainly using gas-phase H2/O2 mixtures. This system presents catalytic properties (in terms of propylene conversion, selectivity to PO and H2 efficiency), s...

Lipases are the most widely used enzymes in biocatalysis, and the most utilized method for enzyme immobilization is using hydrophobic supports at low ionic strength. This method allows the one step immobilization, purification, stabilization, and hyperactivation of lipases, and that is the main cause of their popularity. This review focuses on thes...

Different functionalized Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized as biosensor electrodes. These materials have been applied to the detection of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). The synthesis of AuNPs was carried out using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as protecting agent. The PVP/Au molar ratio (0.5 and 50) contr...

Different ferrosilicate samples have been prepared with varying degrees of crystallinity, porous texture, and speciation of the Fe sites by both hydrothermal and sol–gel procedures: Fe-silicalite-1 with microcrystals (2–10 µm) and nanocrystals (180 nm), Fe-containing composite material consisting of silicalite-1 and amorphous silica, and two sample...

The elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at low concentration is a subject of great interest because these compounds are very harmful for the environment and human health. In this work, we have developed an easy methodology to immobilize a benchmark photocatalyst (P25) inside a capillary microreactor (Fused silica capillary with UV tran...

In this work, we have performed the encapsulation of a reference TiO2 material (P25) in spherical silica with hierarchical porosity using a sol-gel methodology. The same P25 material has been encapsulated within a “classical” MCM-41 mesoporous silica and a precipitated silica. The materials synthesized in this work were characterized by ICP-OES, SE...

This review presents some of the hottest topics in biotechnological applications: proteases in biocatalysis. Obviously, one of the most relevant areas of application is in the hydrolysis of proteins in food technology, and that has led to a massive use on proteomics. The aim is to identify via peptide maps the different proteins obtained after a sp...

In this account the most relevant advancements in hydrogen storage in porous materials are presented. These include the current state-of-the-art, the challenges which have been overcome, and the hurdles which still remain. The most important milestones which will be discussed in this work will be the development of new apparatuses capable of delive...

The elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at low concentration is a subject of great interest because these compounds are very harmful for the environment and human health. In this work, we have developed a synthesis methodology of TiO2 that allows obtaining meso-macroporous materials with hierarchical porosity and with high thermal stab...

En la Red GEQIA (Química Inorgánica verde y accesible) se plantea abordar, en varias etapas, la adaptación de materiales que se utilizan en la docencia de créditos prácticos de asignaturas de Química Inorgánica de acuerdo con el “Plan de Actuación para la Igualdad de Oportunidades para Estudiantes con Discapacidad” de la Universidad de Alicante (20...

En la Red GEQIA (Química Inorgánica verde y accesible) se plantea abordar, en varias etapas, la adaptación de materiales que se utilizan en la docencia de créditos prácticos de asignaturas de Química Inorgánica de acuerdo con el “Plan de Actuación para la Igualdad de Oportunidades para Estudiantes con Discapacidad” de la Universidad de Alicante (20...

The new ZIF named UZAR-S13 is formed by Zn²⁺ and 4(5)-(hydroxymethyl)imidazolate. UZAR-S13 has two distinct phases according to SEM and XRD: amorphous spheres and sheet crystals. UZAR-S13 and byproducts, with no N2 adsorption, rendered a notable CO2 uptake (up to 3.8 mmol g⁻¹ at 30 bar and 0 °C), approaching values of known ZIFs. The most promising...

This review discusses the possible roles of polyethylenimine (PEI) in the design of improved immobilized biocatalysts from diverse perspectives. This includes their use to activate supports and immobilize enzymes via ion exchange, as well as to improve immobilized enzymes by coating with PEI. PEI is a polymer containing primary, secondary and terti...

En esta comunicación se presentan los resultados de la utilización por el alumnado -una parte del cual presenta diversidad funcional- de distintos materiales docentes, entre ellos modelos 3D, que han sido adaptados previamente a los Principios del Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA). La adaptación del material docente se llevó a cabo, previa...

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) decorated with cobalt oxide (CoOx) nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared in various synthesis conditions to investigate their capability as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for fuel cells in alkaline media. The synthesis conditions include the use of protecting, reducing or complexing agents and heat treatment....

Simple, cost-effective, and reproducible devices have been prepared for the detection of H2 at room temperature. Pd, Cu and bimetallic Cu-Pd nanoparticles (prepared by the reduction-by-solvent method) have been loaded on a MWCNT deposit avoiding the use of surfactants or complicated techniques. The devices based on pure Pd nanoparticles have shown...

Many catalytic applications use conventional heating to increase the temperature to produce the desired reaction. A novel methodology is presented for the preparation of magnetic zeolite-based catalysts, allowing a more efficient radiofrequency heating. These nanoreactors are tested in the isomerisation of citronellal with successful results and wi...

In the propylene epoxidation reaction with Fe-SiO2 catalysts the presence of iron oxide particles has a detrimental effect due to the total combustion of propylene on these iron species. Thus, the complete elimination of the iron oxide particles is presented as a preliminary strategy in order to increase the selectivity towards propylene oxide in i...

This work describes the modification of zeolite Na-LTA membranes supported on macroporous carbon materials, prepared by a combination of secondary hydrothermal treatment followed by different alternative post-synthesis procedures, which aim at improving the permeance properties of the as-synthesized Na-LTA membranes with a simulated reformer mixtur...

An electrochemical sensor based on graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles has been prepared for the simultaneous quantification of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) in urine samples. The gold interdigitated microelectrodes array (Au-IDA) has been modified using graphene oxide doped with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-GO/Au-IDA), which was...

This paper focuses on the synthesis of nanocomposite materials, TiO2/SAPO-34, using the sol–gel method, which involves preparing a mixture between as-synthesized or calcined SAPO-34 zeolite and TiO2 gel under hydrothermal crystallization and then calcining it at 400 �C for the formation of the TiO2 anatase phase. The structural and textural feature...

En las prácticas experimentales de algunas asignaturas impartidas por el Dpto. de Química Inorgánica, en cursos anteriores, se han utilizado procedimientos de micro-escala para reducir el impacto de sus residuos. En esta Red GEQI se analizan las posibilidades adicionales para que una asignatura totalmente práctica del Grado en Química alcance un ni...

Se rediseñó una asignatura práctica del Grado en Química para fomentar la adquisición de competencias transferibles, demandadas por las empresas en el s. XXI para la profesión química. Se seleccionaron actividades que trabajan estas competencias, adicionalmente a las cognitivas y procedimentales. La Red GEQI elaboró la Guía de la asignatura, incluy...

Palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were synthesised by the reduction-by-solvent method using polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP) as capping agent. The non-static interaction between PVP and the metallic surface may change the properties of the NPs due to the different possible interactions, either through the O or N atoms of the PVP. In order to analyse these...

Pd and CoxPd1-x nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized using the reduction by solvent method, were loaded on SiO2 and Ti-SiO2 supports. The resulting catalysts were tested in the ammonia-borane decomposition reaction under dark and UV-vis conditions. The synergistic promotion by Co (in the NPs) and Ti (in the support), combined with the UV-vis light irra...

Well dispersed iron catalysts were synthesized in silica (Fe0.0XSiO2) by a one-step synthesis procedure. These materials were tested in the propylene epoxidation reaction with gaseous O2. The influence of the iron metal loading on the iron incorporation and distribution in the support (both influenced by the synthetic procedure) were thoroughly stu...

Chemical modification of enzymes and immobilization used to be considered as separate ways to improve enzyme properties. This review shows how the coupled use of both tools may greatly improve the final biocatalyst performance. Chemical modification of a previously immobilized enzyme is far simpler and easier to control than the modification of the...

A screening of Pd/zeolite-based catalysts in the PrOx-CO reaction in H2-rich streams was performed using zeolites with different cations (H+, Na+ and Cs+) prepared by ion-exchange and framework type (MFI and FAU). The assessment of the catalytic performance displayed by these zeolite-based samples revealed that both parameters play an important rol...

Immobilization and purification of enzymes are usual requirements for their industrial use. Both purification and immobilization have a common factor: they use a solid activated support. Using a support for enzyme purification means having mild conditions for enzyme release and a selective enzyme–support interaction is interesting. When using a sup...

Se plantea al alumnado el análisis de la huella de carbono que tiene, en la actualidad, la asignatura práctica Experimentación en Química Inorgánica, con el objetivo de que busquen las posibilidades de sustitución y/o reducción de reactivos tóxicos y peligrosos en las prácticas de laboratorio que se imparten.

A 3D mesoporous TiO2 material with well-developed mesostructure is prepared in the form of a binder-free thin (100 nm) film and studied as potential candidate for the negative electrode in lithium microbatteries. By appropriate thermal treatments, the selected crystal structure (anatase, rutile, or amorphous), and micro-/mesostructure of the materi...

Palladium and bimetallic Pd–Ni nanoparticles (NPs) protected by polyvinylpyrrolidone were prepared by the reduction-by-solvent method and deposited on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The catalytic activity of these NPs to carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions was studied by using 0.1 mol % Pd loading, at 120 °C for 1 h and water as a solvent...

Supports based on poly-styrene-divinylbenzene (PSD) are commercially available since a long time ago. However, they are not commonly used as enzyme immobilization matrices. The main reason for this lies in the negative effect of the very hydrophobic surface on enzyme stability that produces the instantaneous enzyme inactivation in many instances. H...

In this review, we detail the efforts performed to couple the purification and the immobilization of industrial enzymes in a single step. The use of antibodies, the development of specific domains with affinity for some specific supports will be revised. Moreover, we will discuss the use of domains that increase the affinity for standard matrices (...

The synthesis of nano-sized ZIF-11 with an average size of 36±6 nm is reported. This material has been named nano zeolitic imidazolate framework-11 (nZIF-11). It has the same chemical composition and thermal stability properties and analogous H2 and CO2 adsorption properties as the conventional microcrystalline ZIF-11 (i.e. 1.9±0.9 µm). nZIF-11 has...

The inner surface of fused-silica capillaries has been coated with a dense/homogeneous coating of commercial multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using a stable ink as deposit precursor. Solubilization of the MWCNTs was achieved in water/ethanol/dimethylformamide by the action of a surfactant, which can switch between a neutral or an ionic form dep...

A synthetic procedure to prepare novel materials (Surface Mediated Fillings) based on robust hierarchical monoliths is reported. The methodology includes the deposition of a (micro- or mesoporous) silica thin film on the support followed by growth of a porous monolithic SiO2 structure. It has been demonstrated that this synthesis is viable for supp...

Improvement of the features of an enzyme is in many instances a pre-requisite for the industrial implementation of these exceedingly interesting biocatalysts. To reach this goal, the researcher may utilize different tools. For example, amination of the enzyme surface produces an alteration of the isoelectric point of the protein along with its chem...

The use of hydrogen as an energy vector leads to the development of materials with high hydrogen adsorption capacity. In this work, a new layered stannosilicate, UZAR-S3, is synthesized and delaminated, producing UZAR-S4. UZAR-S3, with the empirical formula Na4SnSi5O14 3.5H2Oand lamellar morphology, is a layered stannosilicate built from SnO6 and S...

Glutaraldehyde is one of the most widely used reagents in the design of biocatalysts. It is a powerful crosslinker, able to react with itself, with the advantages that this may bring forth. In this review, we intend to give a general vision of its potential and the precautions that must be taken when using this effective reagent. First, the chemist...

Groundwork results showing the possibility of applying supported graphene materials prepared from natural resources in the use of clean energy are introduced here. These nanomaterials were generated in an eco-friendly approach from caramel adsorbed on the fibrous and porous clay mineral sepiolite, which was thermally treated at relatively moderate...