Enrique Rodriguez-Castellon

University of Malaga | UMA · Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Crystallography and Mineralogy

The substantial sludge, composed of organic compounds, was detected in sediments samples of Anzali wetland. Photocatalysts have a great potential for decomposing organic compounds. In the present research, an attempt was made to decompose the sludge of Anzali wetland using titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). For this purpose, Luzchem’s CCP-4...

Mesoporous Cu(Fe)/SBA-15 catalysts were prepared with distinct metal loadings of ca. 2–10 wt.%. A detailed set of characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-...

Removing hazardous metals and recovering valuable strategic metals from wastewater has become an important challenge for the industry. Herein, brown algal biomass residue (AR, after bio‐stimulant extraction, currently poorly valorized) is tested for the removal of Ni(II), Cd(II), and La(III) from aqueous solutions. This valorization of industrial w...

The depletion of oil reserves and concerns about the environmental impact of the use and incorrect disposal of mineral lubricants have been promoting the development of bio-based lubricants. In this study, biolubricants obtained from fatty acids of castor oil were synthesized by esterification (>wt.%93), epoxidation (>wt.%92), and oxirane ring open...

In most current processes aimed at producing biodiesel glycerol is still a co-product, and its valorisation is essential for the biorefinery. This work relies on previous results showing the dependence of the selective dehydration of glycerol to acetol (hydroxyacetone) on achieving a moderate acidity and the redox functionality of copper to complet...

Novel coordination compounds, mono‐ (1) and binuclear copper complexes (2) and a zinc complex (3) were synthesized and studied through single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography, solid‐state NMR and EPR techniques to determine the chemical functionalization of the carbonyl group in N‐methyl‐2‐imidazolecarboxaldehyde ligand. Particularly, molecules contai...

A series of catalysts based on non-noble metal nanoparticles supported on chitin-derived N-doped carbons was prepared through a one-step protocol in the presence of EDTA as a ligand. Both the...

It is known that the world scenario is one of constant search for sustainable technologies that can reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere. This is because CO 2 is seen as the main responsible for the increase in the generation of greenhouse gases, which leads to global warming and climate change. The development of efficie...

A facile strategy for the design of porous supports was obtained by modifying the sol-gel method followed by the wet impregnation technique. In this respect, herein, the acidity of the γ-Al2O3 phase was modulated by adding basic MgO, La2O3 or ZnO promoters to form binary supported catalysts. The Ni and Co dispersion on the supports associated with...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) membrane is a biopolymer whose excellent properties allow several applications (especially in the biomedical field, due to its high purity). Chemically, BC presents a structure susceptible to being modified to direct new functionalities according to the desired application. The microwave-assisted chemical modification (via...

Three chitosans with different morphologies have been used (commercial chitosan powder, chitosan in film form and chitosan in globular form synthesized by the freeze-dried method) for the synthesis of biochars. The pyrolytic treatment has revealed that the biochar synthesized from the chitosan formed by the freeze-dried method reaches the highest C...

The adsorption of greenhouse gases (GHG) as a method to reduce their emissions into the atmosphere is an alternative that is easier to implement industrially and cheaper than other existing technologies, such as chemical capture, cryogenic separation, or membrane separation. The vast majority of works found in the literature have focused their effo...

Metal-containing vanadium oxide bronzes (MxV2O5; M= Cu, Ag and Ca) have been prepared, characterized (before and after reaction) by various physicochemical techniques, and tested in the partial oxidation of H2S. The catalysts were prepared hydrothermally at 175 °C (from gels containing M/V molar ratios of 0.17 or 0.33) and heat-treated at 500 °C/2...

In this work we have analyzed the synthesis of microporous materials using sucrose as carbon source and porous clay heterostructures as template to promote a hierarchical organization of pores, which is a novelty in the synthesis of carbonaceous materials. The study comprises the evaluation of the synthesis conditions such as the addition of a base...

High anthropogenic CO2 emissions are among the main causes of climate change. Herein, we investigate the use of CO2 for the synthesis of organic cyclic carbonates on metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts obtained from chitosan, chitin, and shrimp shell wastes, both in batch and in continuous flow (CF). The catalysts were characterized by N2 ph...

A series of the Cr-containing erbium substituted yttrium iron garnet ferrites (ECYIG) was synthesized with distinct Cr amounts, herein referred to as Y3(Er0.02Fe5Cr1−x)O12, where x refers to Cr amounts from 0 to 0.05. The catalytic performance of the solids was investigated in ethylbenzene oxidation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to assess th...

Three new single-crystal structures were isolated for picolinic acid (2), the trifluoroacetate salt of picolinic acid (1), and pyridoxal hydrochloride (3). These compounds displayed unconventional crystallographic features that must be considered when structural refinements are carried out. Thus, the generated Fourier differences map obtained with...

The CO2 selectivity in CO2:CH4 and CO2:N2 mixtures has been studied in carbon materials; carbon microspheres (CMSs) and carbon microfibers (CMFs). These materials have different morphologies and textural properties but with similar chemical composition, which was demonstrated by SEM, nitrogen adsorption, and XPS techniques. The isosteric enthalpy o...

Designed synthesis of nanostructured ZrO2 as support for glycerol valorization reaction was investigated. The nanocasting route was used to obtain the ZrO2 support possessing well dispersed Cu and Zn nanoparticles. The solids were fully characterized by High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)...

A tailored nanostructured CuO–ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst was obtained from nanocomposites via sonochemical route through core/shell assisted by reverse micelle synthesis. The as-synthesized nanocomposites consisted of Cu, Zn and Al domains coated by a lauric acid shell structure with controlled physicochemical properties. Combining these features, a porous...

In light of the urgent need of reducing the atmospheric CO2 emissions, the use of low-cost adsorbents, that exhibit a high affinity and CO2 adsorption capacity, is a promising method from the economic and environmental point of view to separate CO2 from the flue gas emitted from large sources of emissions like power-fueled plants. Clay minerals are...

Growing concern about climate change has been driving the search for solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies have been proposed and developed as a way of giving CO 2 a sustainable and economically viable destination. An interesting approach is the conversion of CO 2 into val...

In this work we describe the synthesis of 4‐(4‐AcPy) and 3‐acetylpyridine (3‐AcPy) copper soluble complexes for the activation of hydrogen peroxide and the concomitant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Given the paramagnetic effects of copper ions in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) lines, we aimed at demonstrating that the combinati...

The photocatalytic degradation of ethylene is an efficient technology applied to the fruit ripening control. When photocatalytic reactions remove ethylene from the storage and transportation environment of fruits and vegetables, the respiration rate decreases, and the quality of food is preserved for a long time. It is well known that photocatalysi...

The aim of this study is to investigate the thermal behavior of Pinus wood pellets during torrefaction under different operational conditions, as well as to evaluate the potential application of the torrefied product in metallurgical processes. Torrefaction tests were carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere (245 °C) and in an inert atmosphere (270 a...

In this work, Ni-doped ordered nanoporous carbon was prepared by a simple and green one-pot solvent evaporation induced self-assembly process, where chestnut wood tannins were used as a precursor, Pluronic® F-127 as a soft template, and Ni2+ as a crosslinking agent and catalytic component. The prepared carbon exhibited a 2D hexagonally ordered nano...

The transport sector is in all probability the one that emits the greatest amounts of CO2 and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. Therefore, the emission of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels must be significantly reduced to mitigate their harmful effects on the environment. In this sense, bio‐fuels obtained from lignocellulo...

KIT-6 mesoporous silica has been synthesized using the sol-gel method and functionalized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane by grafting route to obtain KIT-6/NH2. These samples were used as carriers in the loading and controlled release of cephalexin (CFX). The effect of temperature and gastric and intestinal pH on the stability of pure CFX and loa...

At present, the trend towards partial replacement of petroleum-derived fuels by those from the revaluation of biomass has become of great importance. An effective strategy for processing complex biomass feedstocks involves prior conversion to simpler compounds (platform molecules) that are more easily transformed in subsequent reactions. This study...

Glycerol reactions, such as esterification, combined with its purification process, have been largely studied in recent years. Catalytic esterification of glycerol with oleic acid (OA) can generate different products of high commercial value such as glycerol mono-, di- and tri-oleate with a range of food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial ap...

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An experimental procedure was developed to obtain an oxide layer formed mainly by spinel on maraging steels. It consists of different stages with specific conditions, such as atmospheres rich in nitrogen and water vapor, and different steps of temperatures and times. Tests were performed on grade 300 and 350 maraging steels. Oxide layer characteriz...

Surface characterization of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) using the polymers cellulose triacetate and polyvinyl chloride, containing different ionic liquids (ILs) as carriers, has been performed. Three different ILs have been tested: commercial trioctyl methylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336–AlqCl−) and two derivatives bearing the counter anion...

In this study, the impact of rehydration on the catalytic properties of Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (LDH) for glycerol oligomerization was assesed. Although previous works have employed other LDH derived materials in this reaction, little information on recyclability is published. After observing the initial results on how basicity and surface...

KxMnO2 materials with birnessite-type structure are synthetized by two different methods which make it possible to obtain manganese oxides with different degrees of crystallinity. The XPS results indicate that the sample obtained at high temperature (KMn8) exhibits a lower oxidation state for manganese ions as well as a denser morphology. Both char...

This work describes the use of Pd-Nb catalysts supported on commercial silica in the dry reforming of methane. The effect of Pd/Nb ratio was evaluated and it determined the catalytic response of the prepared catalysts. Thus, it was observed that the catalytic activity increased with the Pd/Nb ratio and bimetallic samples were more active than the m...

Two immobilized biocatalysts were prepared by the adsorption of the lipases from Yarrowia lipolytica (YLL) and Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) on mesoporous support (SBA-15 type). High immobilization yields for both biocatalysts (> 90%) were obtained. CALB-SBA-15 presented a significant recovered activity (about 38% of its theoretical hydrolysis...

The effects of the metal incorporation into hydroxyapatites on the deactivation behavior of the solids were examined in the esterification of glycerol (EG) reaction. The introduction of Cu, Co, or Ni ions by ion exchange in calcium-deficient hydroxyapatites resulted in active catalysts for the EG reaction. The metal contents were varied from 2.0 to...

The effect of adding iron, cobalt or nickel to a prepared niobium-supported catalyst using mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a support was evaluated in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction of anisole, chosen as a model compound in lignocellulosic biomass derived bio-oil. HDO activity as well as selectivity toward O-free products were highly dependent on...

The massive use of petroleum and its possible exhaustion are driving the current research trend to study alternative raw materials from biomass for organic reactions. In this context, the present article presents a study of the catalytic esterification of levulinic acid, a platform molecule, with ethanol. Metal-organic framework (MOF) type compound...

Several biochars and activated carbons are prepared from cellulose fraction of some agricultural wastes (linen, cotton and wheat). The obtained carbons are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR), CO2 adsorption-desorption at 0 °C, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray phot...

Recycling mine tailings present a good alternative to manage the waste generated from mining and mineral processing industries. The geopolymer technology provides a green solution to the utilization of mining tailings, avoiding its negative environmental impacts. In this study, we used phosphate mine tailings to produce a novel geopolymeric membran...

One of the products that can be obtained from biomass by thermal dehydration of sugars is furfural which has great potential as a renewable chemical platform for obtaining bioproducts. Through hydrogenation of furfural, it is possible to obtain furfuryl alcohol which is a chemical intermediate for other high-value products. Furthermore, hydrogenati...

Hollow microspheres of silica were synthesized with different ethanol/water ratios (0.4, 1.0, 2.0 and 6.0) to assess the influence of this parameter on the morphology/porosity of the samples and thus on their water adsorption capacity. The samples were characterized by N2 at 77 K and CO2 at 273 K adsorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy,...

Zeolites are well known crystalline aluminosilicates, which may be used in processes that take advantage of their molecular sieving effect, such as natural gas drying. They are often used in cyclic processes that swing pressure and/or temperature to perform adsorption and desorption steps. It is recognized that thermal stress may decrease process p...

The synthesis of PCH from natural bentonite produces a porous heterostructure material effective for the adsorption of glyphosate from water. The adsorption process takes place through an interaction between the silanol group of montmorillonite and/or the PCH adsorbent with the functional groups of glyphosate. The glyphosate adsorption isotherms, r...

The (1‐x)BiFeO3‐xPbTiO3 (BFO‐PTO) perovskite solid solution has a great potential for being used in practical devices, as it exhibits very large ferroelectric response at its Morphotropic Phase Boundary (MPB). However, the significant conduction, particularly high electrical leakage currents that BFO‐PTO films show at room temperature, deteriorates...

La creciente tendencia al reemplazo parcial de los combustibles derivados del petróleo por aquellos provenientes de la revalorización de biomasa ha tomado gran importancia en el último tiempo. Es por ello que el presente trabajo propone la obtención de ésteres levulínicos mediante una reacción catalítica de esterificación del ácido levulínico, molé...

The activity of heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts based on iron and supported on commercial alumina was studied for the degradation of rhodamine B, methyl orange and methylene blue under UV irradiation. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation, drying, and calcination or omitting this last step and referred to as dried or calcined samples. Al...

Bio-oil derived from the pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass residues cannot be used directly as biofuel due to the high content of oxygenated compounds. As an alternative, bio-oil must undergo a deoxygenation process, such as catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). In this sense, this work studied the effect of different concentrations of Ce³⁺ and Ce...

Typical porous silica (SBA-15) has been modified with pore expander agent (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) and fluoride-species to diminish the length of the channels to obtain materials with different textural properties, varying the Si/Zr molar ratio between 20 and 5. These porous materials were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption/des...

This research aims to study the possible improvement of methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution by hybrid adsorbent-catalysts (AdsCats) prepared through the incorporation of activated carbon derived from Luffa cylindrica fibers (LAC) to TiO2 photocatalysts. LAC with a specific surface area of 1170 m2/g was prepared by chemical activation...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) membrane is a biopolymer whose excellent properties allow several applications (especially in the biomedical field, due to its high purity). Chemically, BC presents a structure susceptible to be modified to direct new functionalities according to the desired application. The microwave-assisted chemical modification (via NaI...