This outstanding result has been achieved under the scientific direction of Isabel Abánades Lázaro, Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), located in the scientific-academic area of the University of Valencia Science Park (PCUV) and Group Director of DREAM - Advanced Materials Defects Engineering, one of the most dynamic and innovative lines of research of the institute. Her expertise in advanced materials, especially in the design of multivariate modulated MOFs, has positioned ICMol as a key scientific contributor within the consortium.
The project, entitled "Detection, prediction and quaternary treatment of waste water using new technologies combining membrane and photocatalysis (LUMEN)", has received € 592,802 for the period 2025-2027, of which € 142,182 corresponds directly to ICMol under the leadership of Abánades Lázaro.
The consortium includes Viromii, Amphora Process, Farmers' Society of the Vega, AIMPLAS (coordinator) and ICMol. Within this collaboration, ICMol’s contribution focuses on the design and optimization of advanced materials based on ADSORBENTS and MOF photocatalysts, which constitute the core of the proposed treatment technology.
Lázaro’s proposal places Valencian research at the forefront of combating emerging pollutants in waste water. LUMEN aims to eliminate PFAs, microplastics and persistent drugs such as diclofenac and clarithromycin and integrate, for the first time in a compact and portable system, membrane filtration, advanced adsorption and photocatalysis. It also seeks to develop an AI-based predictive and monitoring model to anticipate the presence and evolution of contaminants in wastewater treatment plants.
Its scientific leadership is fundamental to develop the technological core of the system: multivariate and modulated MOFs, designed to capture and degrade pollutants with high efficiency. Abánades recently received the L'Oréal-Unesco "For Women in Science" Research Award for its project on nanotechnology of porous multifungal materials for anticancer treatments and to improve water quality.
Source: ICMol
Do not miss the interview with Isabel Abanades in our section Nosaltres eSTEM