Asaec Research Group

The research activity of ASAEC is focused in four main objectives:(i) Development of sensors and sensor arrays based on several transducers, namely electrochemical, mass and optical, for the determination of pollutants, toxins, markers for specific diseases, evaluation of food authenticity and quality control;(ii) Application of hyperspectral imaging data to environmental studies such as microalgae Optimization of analytical techniques for the quantification and identification of micro-organic contaminants and their degradation products in natural water matrices, namely HPLC-MS/MS, capillary electrophoresis and immunochemical techniques, coupled with appropriate sample preparation methodologies; and (iv) Sustainable removal of micro-organic contaminants, namely pharmaceuticals, from aquatic environments, using two main strategies: adsorption onto alternative waste-based materials and photodegradation using inexpensive light sources (ex: solar light). These strategies are addressed through the development and characterization of carbon-based adsorbent materials using agro-industrial wastes as precursors, promoting circular economy principles, and through the preparation and evaluation of different types of nanocomposite photo-catalysts, tuned to be activated by solar or visible artificial light.