Our colleague Andrea Muñoz Ibáñez has just received one of the prestigious Marie Curie grants (MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship) from the European Commission to develop the GEOMIMIC project, which aims to improve the efficiency of CO2 mineralization in fractured rocks.
This technology allows for the conversion of CO2 captured directly from the atmosphere or from industrial facilities into minerals by injecting it into suitable rock formations in the subsurface, permanently and safely immobilizing it. This two-and-a-half-year project will begin in September 2023 and will be carried out at the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) and the University of A Coruña.
Andrea Muñoz’s research falls within the scope of studies aimed at fighting and mitigating climate change. Specifically, her project deals with the study of processes and the analysis of the feasibility of reducing CO2 emissions through its rapid fixation (mineralization) in rocks with suitable characteristics. It is a novel field of research, in the process of expansion and with a great impact in the international context.
The grant obtained is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program (the flagship program of the European Union in terms of doctoral and postdoctoral training and mobility), in its individual postdoctoral modality. The EU aims to increase the creative and innovative potential of researchers who have obtained a Ph.D. and wish to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral mobility. The funding is awarded, on a competitive basis, to excellent researchers to carry out cutting-edge research and innovation projects in Europe and around the world.
In the 2022 EU call, 7,044 proposals were submitted from all over Europe, of which only 142 were funded in the «Global Fellowships» modality, which includes the one awarded to Andrea Muñoz. Undoubtedly, this is a great source of pride for GEAMA.