Edouardos Loukopoulos is an inorganic chemist working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. His current research focuses on the development and application of chemically tailored porous materials for the optimal capture of persistent anthropogenic water pollutants.
Host University: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Host research group or department: Department of Inorganic Chemistry - Local-Matter
Co-host University: Stockholm University, Sweden, BMM
Secondment institution: Captoplastic SL, Spain (Captoplastic)
Advisor: Dr. Ana E. Platero-Prats
Co-advisor: Prof. Belén Martín-Matute
Secondment mentor: Dr. Raquel Parra
My research
AQUASORB - Smart Capture of Emerging Water Pollutants Using Chemically Tailored Porous Materials
PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and nanoplastics (NPs) are key groups of anthropogenic chemicals with extensive use in commercial and industrial applications. Due to their bioaccumulation and persistence in the environment they have recently emerged as water pollutants of significant concern at European and global level. Conventional treatment of such waters relies mostly on adsorption-based technologies, however existing methods and materials display notable limitations in performance.
With this in mind, the main aim of AQUASORB is the development of smart, targeted porous materials as advanced sorbents of PFAS and NPs of EU interest. Particularly, the project will employ carefully selected porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with suitable features, which will be then chemically tailored to specifically enhance capture performance. Finally, optimal sorption protocols will be developed for pollutants of higher environmental concern.
Up to now, the use of MOFs as sorbents of PFAS or NPs has been largely underexplored and with limited scope. AQUASORB will introduce a series of more systematic, target-based studies to fully explore and improve this potential, making this the first occasion in which MOFs are optimized precisely for this purpose. The proposed research is highly intersectoral and interdisciplinary, involves a non-academic partner and employs advanced concepts and techniques from several science fields. Notably, a novel characterization strategy based on advanced synchrotron tools will be employed in order to probe the MOF-pollutant interactions for the very first time and develop optimal sorbents.
Making significant steps beyond the current state-of-the-art, AQUASORB aspires to make novel and notable contributions in materials chemistry, towards the global challenge of improving water quality.
Date started – Date End
16.12.2023 - 15.12.2025
