València (EFE).- The Castellón scientist Avelino Corma will receive the European Inventor Award for the Entire Professional Career from the European Patent Office (EPO) on July 4 for his work on synthetic catalysts to improve chemical reactions.
This was announced by the EPO in a statement in which they highlighted that Avelino Corma (Moncofa, Castellón, 1951) has dedicated his entire life to developing more sustainable chemical processes and catalysts.
In this sense, Corma will be awarded the 2023 European Inventor Award for All Professional Career for his “extraordinary career in the world of chemistry, which has lasted for more than three decades.”
The ceremony will be held on July 4 in Valencia
The OEP will pay tribute to their work during the awards ceremony that will be broadcast live from Valencia on July 4 at 12 noon.
Catalysts are used in chemical processes for a variety of purposes, including improving the efficiency and environmental cleanliness of chemical reactions in all industries.
Most of Corma’s achievements have been achieved thanks, in part, to the development of synthesized zeolites, crystalline materials composed of silicon, aluminum and oxygen that act like a sponge with very small holes that trap small molecules for a chemical reaction to take place. specific.
Development of synthesized zeolites
In this way, although some zeolites occur naturally, selective catalysts for molecules of a certain size can be created.
Although it is theoretically possible to synthesize millions of zeolite structures, only about 300 have been developed to date, and approximately one fifth of these have been developed by Corma and his team, which “positions this research group based in Valencia as an international authority on the matter”.
Specifically, Corma’s first synthetic zeolite was developed in 1989, and thanks to it, it was possible to produce fuels with better mileage, lower carbon emissions in hotter climates, and greater ability to withstand compression in an engine.
Power generation from biomass
On the other hand, the work of Avelino Corma and his team have been used, for example, in the generation of energy from biomass or in the elimination of nitrogen oxides (NOx) to alleviate atmospheric pollution.
In addition, they have had a positive impact on a wide range of industries, such as refining and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics, among others.
To date, Corma has led almost 200 European patent applications and more than 50 of its patents have been licensed to international companies.
Researcher at CSIC
Avelino Corma began his studies in chemistry in 1967 and continued them for more than a decade, including a post-doctorate at the Queen’s University of Canada after which, in 1979, he began working as a researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), and in 1987 he became a research professor.
Since then, Corma has conducted research on Heterogeneous Catalysis and has developed a series of catalysts that are currently being used in various industrial processes, such as the reduction of polluting emissions from vehicles and factories, the improvement of food, the purification of water or the petroleum refining processes.
The first Corma zeolite was commercialized by the Spanish oil company CEPSA (Compañía Española de Petróleos, SAU) and has since been adopted in more than 20 refineries around the world.
The researcher co-founded the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ) of Valencia in 1990 to expand studies in scientific chemical research, focused on four main areas: energy, sustainability, health and water.