Researchers
Tamara León Oviedo (UPC)
Seconded from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC, Barcelona) to Radical Innovations Group (RIG, Vaasa)
1 month, Summer 2022
Tamara is a Chemical Engineer with a MSc in Energy and Resource Saving, passionate about Circular Economy. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Chemical Processes at UPC (Barcelona, Spain). At present, Tamara is researching on recovering energy and critical raw materials such as magnesium, lithium, rubidium and other trace elements, from waste brines in Mediterranean basin saltworks.
Tamara’s secondment experience:
She was seconded to Radical innovations Group (RIG) in Vaasa, Finland, for one month in August 2022, and here she shares her experience with us:
Within the SEArcularMINE project, I am working on brine valorization. Everyday tons of cubic meters of brines are produced and discharge back to water bodies treating the water ecosystem. My research takes advantage of this super-saline stream (a.k.a. brines) to produce reagents from it. Using bipolar membranes, a separation technique, I am able to produce acids and alkalis (e.g. NaOH and HCl) from brines within a circular approach.
- Why did you decide to go on a secondment?
I strongly believe a secondment is a good opportunity to see thing out of the box, meet people from different backgrounds, and learn from companies and research institutions.
- What are the main research topics that you worked on during your secondment?
I was able to perform an extent technical, financial, and regulatory analysis assessing the environmental and social impacts that comes along with sea brine mining industry under European perspective.
- Why did you decide to visit RIG?
RIG is a pioneering in “clean-and-circular" materials, energy, and economy. Moreover, Vaasa region (where RIG is located) is considered the Nordic Energy Capital. RIG was of course a good choice for enriching my understanding of Clean Energies and Circular Economy.
- What was the most valuable thing you took from your secondment?
Being in Vaasa allowed me to meet leading researchers and CEOs working on the energy field. I learned from out breaking technologies on Lithium batteries, advanced water treatment techniques, techno-economic analysis to boost an emerging technologies, just to mention a few of the things I took from this secondment.
- Why would you recommend to go on secondment?
To expand your knowledge, strength your skills, challenge yourself and enrich from partners expertise within the OpenInnoTrain project.