After the PhD degree in Inorganic Chemistry and a Postdoctoral work in Material Science and Catalytic Processes, shared between Univ. Aveiro (CICECO), Emory Univ (USA) and York Univ (UK), a new line of research has been created and developed in oxometallic Materials and Sustainable Catalysis for Energy and Environment.
The main areas of activity are:
i) Preparation and characterization of materials with high potential as Heterogeneous Catalysts and Electrocatalysts based on Polyoxometalates and metallic nanoparticles.
ii) Design of robust composites based on functionalized Porous Materials, including silica, MOFs and pyrolyzed bioresources carbon materials.
iii) Development of Mixed-Matrix Membranes incorporating active centres (metallic and/or organic compounds) and powdered porous materials.
iv) Denitrogenation and Desulfurization of (Bio)fuels using sustainable catalytic technology based in green solvents and recycling processes (straight collaboration with industry: Galp, IBEROL and GREEN FUELS, UK).
v) Valorization of Crude Glycerol (from biodiesel industry), using sustainable, catalytic chemical processes to produce fuel additives, pharmacological and cosmetic products.
vi) Catalytic Conversion of CO2 into add-valuable products for chemical industry, based in cycloaddition reaction with epoxides, following 100% atom economical technical route, using advanced heterogeneous catalysts based in MOFs and oxometallic composites.
Relevant scientific achievements are: the publication of more than 140 publications in international scientific journals, most of these in collaboration with international research groups and with the industry; the participation as PI and as team member of more than 8 financed research projects; supervision of 5 postdoctoral researchers, 8 PhD and more than 10 MSc students; guest editor in more than ten special issues in various journals (Catalysts, Energies, Sustainability, Molecules, Materials, Nanomaterials, Frontiers Chemistry, among others); associate editor of some scientific journals, such as Frontiers in Catalysis, Catalysts, and Journal of Composite Science.
F. Mirante, P. Leo, C. Palomino, C. M. Granadeiro, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula,
“Metal-organic frameworks as effective catalysts for glycerol acetalization: morphology and functionality”
RSC Advances, 2026, 16 (9), 8125-8135
DOI:10.1039/D5RA07900D
C. N. Dias, S. M. Bruno, F. Mirante, S. S. Balula,
“Catalytic HPA@PVA membranes for clean fuel additive production”
Molecular Catalysis, 2026, 589, 115569
DOI: 10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115569
R. G. Faria, L. A. Neves, I. Santos-Vieira, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula,
“One-step fabrication of mixed matrix metal-organic framework membranes for sustainable catalytic processes”
RSC Sustainability, 2025, 3 (11), 5123-5127
DOI: 10.1039/d5su00231a
R. G. Faria, A. Viana, C. M. Granadeiro, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula
“Heterogeneous catalytic desulfurization of liquid fuels: the present and the future”
Book Title: Catalysis for Sustainable Environment: Reactions, Processes and Applied Technologies, Wiley, 2024, Volume 1-3, 757–782
DOI: 10.1002/9781119870647.ch35
S. C. Fernandes, P. Leo, I. Santos-Vieira, B. de Castro, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula
Improving Oxidative Catalytic Efficiency for Fuels Desulfurization Using Hybrid Materials Based in MOF-808@SBA-15
ChemCatChem 2024, 16(16), e202400355
DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202400355
C. N. Dias, I. C. M. S. Santos-Vieira, C. R. Gomes, F. Mirante, S. S. Balula
“Heteropolyacids@Silica heterogeneous catalysts to produce solketal from glycerol acetalization”
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(9), 733;
DOI: 10.3390/nano14090733
Y. Gao, S. Zhao, J. Huang, J. Zhao, S. S. Balula
“Peroxo-polyoxometalate encapsulated within zirconium-based metal organic frameworks for extractive and oxidative desulfurization of fuels”
Chemical Engineering Science, 2024, 284, 119524.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2023.119524.
C.M. Granadeiro, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula
“Clever strategies to broaden polyoxometalates functionalities: from molecular units to hybrid composites”
Book Collection: Series on Chemistry, Energy and the Environment Synthesis and Applications in Chemistry and Materials, American Chemical Society, USA, 2024, pp. 403-440
DOI:10.1142/9789811283239_0042
C. M. Granadeiro, D. Julião, S. O. Ribeiro, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula
“Recent advances in lanthanide-coordinated polyoxometalates: from
structural overview to functional materials”
Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 2023, 476, 214914
DOI:10.1016/j.ccr.2022.214914
F. Mirante, M. Salimian, P. A. A. P. Marques, C. M. Granadeiro, S. S. Balula
“Polyoxometalate-doped electrospun nanofiber mats as active catalysts for the production of clean fuels under solvent-free systems”
Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2022, 6(20), 4681-4691
DOI: 10.1039/D2SE00723A
M. Lara-Serrano, S. Morales-delaRosa, J. M. Campos-Martin, L. Cunha-Silva, S. S. Balula
Advanced Sustainable SystemsOpen source preview, 2022, 6(5), 2100444
DOI: 10.1002/adsu.202100444
S. C. Fernandes; A. M. Viana; B. de Castro; L. Cunha-Silva; S. S. Balula
“Synergistic combination of the nanoporous system of MOF-808 with a polyoxomolybdate to design an effective catalyst: simultaneous oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation processes”
Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2021, 5(16), 4032–4040
DOI: 10.1039/D1SE00522G
D. Julião, A. C. Gomes, M. Pillinger, A. D. Lopes, R. Valença, J. C. Ribeiro, I. S. Gonçalves, S. S. Balula
“Desulfurization of diesel by extraction coupled with Mo-catalyzed sulfoxidation in polyethylene glycol-based deep eutectic solvents”
Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2020, 309, 113093
DOI:10.1016/j.molliq.2020.113093
D. Julião, A. C. Gomes, M. Pillinger, R. Valença, J. C. Ribeiro, I. S. Gonçalves, S. S. Balula
“Desulfurization of liquid fuels by extraction and sulfoxidation using H2O2 and [CpMo(CO)(3)R] as catalysts”,
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018, 230, 177-183.
DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.02.036
Websites :
Scopus Author ID: 16232273400
Ciência ID: E71B-9980-14F5
https://publons.com/researcher/2751175/salete-s-balula/
https://laqv.requimte.pt/people/1540-maria_de_la_salete_da_silva_balula