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Mercedes Maroto-Valer

Head of Energy and Sustainability Research Division, Director of CICCS, Faculty of Engineering

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Expertise Summary

Professor Maroto-Valer has established an international research reputation at the interface between energy and the environment. Her team is developing novel chemical and engineering solutions to meet the worldwide strive for cost-effective and environmentally-friendly energy, with particular emphasis on carbon dioxide capture, transport, storage and utilization.

Her outstanding contributions, publication record and service to the chemical sciences and engineering have been recognised with numerous international prizes and awards, including 2011 Royal Society of Chemistry Environment, Sustainability and Energy Award, 2009 Philip Leverhulme Prize, 2005 US Department of Energy Award for Innovative Development, 1997 Ritchie Prize, 1996 Glenn Award- Fuel Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society and the 1993 ICI Chemical & Polymers Group Andersonian Centenary Prize.

She has over 250 publications, including editor of 3 books, and 2 patents and holds leading positions in professional societies and editorial boards, including FRSC, Chair of the RSC Energy Sector, Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the RCUK Energy Programme and of the UKERC Research Committee and Editor-in-Chief of Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology.

She is the Chief Scientific Officer of the NCCCS (Nottingham Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage), a joint partnership between the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey. At the University of Nottingham, she is Director of the Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CICCS) and Head of the Energy and Sustainability Research Division at the Faculty of Engineering.

Research Summary

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer's research interests are widespread and encompass several fields related to the multidisciplinary areas of the environment and energy, with particular emphasis on… read more

Recent Publications

Current Research

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer's research interests are widespread and encompass several fields related to the multidisciplinary areas of the environment and energy, with particular emphasis on carbon management, including CO2 capture, storage and utilization; mercury control technologies; recovery and utilization of combustion by-products; and clean fossil fuels for power technologies. Prof Maroto-Valer is also interested in materials, including carbon based materials and smart polymers.

  • LIOU, PY, CHEN, SC, WU, JCS, LIU, D, MACKINTOSH, S, MAROTO-VALER, M and LINFORTH, R, 2011. Photocatalytic Co2 Reduction Using An Internally Illuminated Monolith Photoreactor Energy & Environmental Science. 4(4), 1487-1494
  • WANG, XL and MAROTO-VALER, MM, 2011. Integration Of Co2 Capture And Mineral Carbonation By Using Recyclable Ammonium Salts Chemsuschem. 4(9), 1291-1300
  • LOPEZ-ANTON, MA, PERRY, R, ABAD-VALLE, P, DIAZ-SOMOANO, M, MARTINEZ-TARAZONA, MR and MAROTO-VALER, MM, 2011. Speciation Of Mercury In Fly Ashes By Temperature Programmed Decomposition Fuel Processing Technology. 92(3), 707-711
  • OLIVARES-MARIN, M, DRAGE, TC and MAROTO-VALER, MM, 2010. Novel Lithium-Based Sorbents From Fly Ashes For Co2 Capture At High Temperatures International Journal Of Greenhouse Gas Control. 4(4), 623-629
  • RALLO, M, LOPEZ-ANTON, MA, MEIJ, R, PERRY, R and MAROTO-VALER, MM, 2010. Study Of Mercury In By-Products From A Dutch Co-Combustion Power Station Journal Of Hazardous Materials. 174(1-3), 28-33
  • LU, Z, MAROTO-VALER, MM and SCHOBERT, HH, 2008. Role Of Active Sites In The Steam Activation Of High Unburned Carbon Fly Ashes Fuel. 87(12), 2598-2605
  • MAROTO-VALER, M. M., DRANCA, I., CLIFFORD, D., LUPASCU, T., NASTAS, R. and LEON Y LEON, C. A., 2006. Thermal regeneration of activated carbons saturated with ortho- and meta-chlorophenols Thermochimica Acta. VOL 444(NUMBER 2), 148-156
  • DRUCKENMILLER, M.L., MAROTO-VALER, M.M. and HILL, M., 2006. Investigation of carbon sequestration via induced calcite formation in natural gas well brine Energy and Fuels. 20(1), 172-179
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., FAUTH, D.J., KUCHTA, M.E., ZHANG, Y. and ANDRÉSEN, J.M., 2005. Activation of magnesium rich minerals as carbonation feedstock materials for CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration Fuel Processing Technology. 86(14-15), 1627-1645
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ZHANG, Y., GRANITE, E.J., TANG, Z. and PENNLINE, H.W., 2005. Effect of porous structure and surface functionality on the mercury capacity of a fly ash carbon and its activated sample Fuel. 84(1), 105-108
  • DRUCKENMILLER, M.L. and MAROTO-VALER, M.M., 2005. Carbon sequestration using brine of adjusted pH to form mineral carbonates Fuel Processing Technology. 86(14-15), 1599-1614
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., TANG, Z. and ZHANG, Y., 2005. CO<sub>2</sub> capture by activated and impregnated anthracites Fuel Processing Technology. 86(14-15), 1487-1502
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., KUCHTA, M.E., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M. and FAUTH, D.J., 2004. Optimization of the mineral activation process to sequester CO<sub>2</sub> at low pressures and temperatures (Paper 0527.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Third Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., KUCHTA, M.E., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M. and FAUTH, D.J., 2004. Comparison of physical and chemical activation of serpentine for enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 373-375
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., DRANCA, I., LUPASCU, T. and NASTAS, R., 2004. Effect of adsorbate polarity on thermodesorption profiles from oxidized and metal-impregnated activated carbons Carbon. 42(12-13), 2655-2659
  • ZHANG, Y., LU, Z., MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ANDRÉSEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2003. Comparison of high-unburned-carbon fly ashes from different combustor types and their steam activated products Energy and Fuels. 17(2), 369-377
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., LU, Z., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M. and TANG, Z., 2003. Green chemistry applications in the energy and materials industries In: 1st International Worldwide Universities Network Meeting 'Excellence in Green Chemistry'. 25-26
  • ZHANG, Y., TANG, Z., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2003. Development of microporous activated carbons from unburned carbon in fly ash In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 65-66
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., DRUCKENMILLER, M.L. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2003. In-situ study of carbon dioxide sequestration in saline brine formations (Paper 2B6.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Second Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., LU, Z., ZHANG, Y. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2003. Using unburned carbon derived sorbents for CO<sub>2</sub> capture (Paper 91 - CD-ROM publication) In: International Ash Utilization Symposium.
  • MIRZA, U. K., MAROTO-VALER, M. M. and AHMAD, N., 2003. Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. VOL 7(NUMBER 6), 501-514
  • GRAY, M.L., CHAMPAGNE, K.J., SOONG, Y., KILLMEYER, R.P., MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ANDRÉSEN, J.M., CIOCCO, M.V. and ZANDHUIS, P.H., 2002. Physical cleaning of high carbon fly ash Fuel Processing Technology. 76(1), 11-21
  • TANG, Z., MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ANDRÉSEN, J.M., MILLER, J.W., LISTEMANN, M.L., MCDANIEL, P.L., MORITA, D.K. and FURLAN, W.R., 2002. Thermal degradation behavior of rigid polyurethane foams prepared with different fire retardant concentrations and blowing agents Polymer. 43(24), 6471-6479
  • ZHANG, Y., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2002. Reduced pyrolytic emissions from coal tar pitch using environmentally benign additives (Paper 228.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: 19th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
  • GRAY, M.L., CHAMPAGNE, K.J., SOON, Y., KILLMEYER, R.P., BALTRUS, J., MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ANDRESEN, J.M., CIOCCO, M.V and ZANDHUIS, P.H., 2002. Separation of fly ash carbons by various cleaning processes. In: , ed., Environmental challenges and greenhouse gas control for fossil fuel utilization in the 21st century Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. 403-416
  • FAUTH, D.J., BALTRUS, J.P., SOONG, Y., KNOER, J.P., HOWARD, B.H., GRAHAM, W.J., MAROTO-VALER, M.M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2002. Carbon storage and sequestration as mineral carbonates. In: , ed., Environmental challenges and greenhouse gas control for fossil fuel utilization in the 21st century Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. 101-118
  • ANDRESEN, J.M., ZHANG, Y. and MAROTO-VALER, M.M., 2002. Reducing emissions of polyaromatic hydrocarbons from coal tar pitches. In: MAROTO-VALER, M.M, SONG, C. and SOONG, Y., eds., Environmental challenges and greenhouse gas control for fossil fuel utilization in the 21st century Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. 59-72
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., KUCHTA, M.E., ZHANG, Y. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2002. Integrated carbonation: a novel concept to develop a CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration module for power plants (Paper ZEP1.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Sixth International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., SHAFFER, B.N. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2002. Pyrolysis yields of coal tar pitches: effect of polymerization additives In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 185-186
  • ZHANG, Y., LU, Z., SHAFFER, B.N., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2002. Comparison of activated fly ash carbons with conventional commercial adsorbent carbons In: 2002 Conference on Unburned Carbon on Utility Fly Ash. 39-40
  • ZHANG,Y., TANG,Z., MAROTO-VALER,M. and ANDRESEN,J.M., 2002. Tailoring fly ash carbons into commercial activated carbons (Paper 126.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: 19th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ANDRESEN, J.M. and ZHANG, Y., 2002. Toward a green chemistry and engineering solution for the US energy industry: reducing emissions and converting waste streams into value-added products. In: , ed., Advancing sustainability through green chemistry and engineering 823. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. 225-241
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., KUCHTA, M.E. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2002. Activation of serpentine minerals for enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration (Paper 127.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: 19th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
  • KUCHTA, M.E., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M. and ZHANG, Y., 2002. Active carbonation: A novel concept to develop an integrated CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration module for Vision 21 plants In: University Coal Research Contractor Review Meeting. 65-66
  • TANG, Z., MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., KUCHA, M.E., ANDRESEN, J.M. and BAIR, S.A., 2002. Simultaneous coal gasification and CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration using a fluidized bed of activated serpentine In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 169-170
  • ANDRESEN, J.M., DRUCKENMILLER, M.L. and MAROTO-VALER, M., 2002. Carbon dioxide sequestration in saline brine formations (Paper SGEXP7.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Sixth International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M.M., ZHANG, Y., LU, Z., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2002. Development of value-added products from fly ash carbons. In: , ed., Environmental challenges and greenhouse gas control for fossil fuel utilization in the 21st century New York, USA: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. 431-444
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M., JONES, A. and MORRISON, J.L., 2001. Routes for the development of value added products from high carbon fly ashes In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 316-317
  • ZHANG, Y., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2001. Environmentally benign additives for pitch polymerization In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 586-587
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., LU, Z., ZHANG, Y., JONES, A., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Environmental benefits of producing adsorbent materials from unburned carbon (Paper 82Maroto.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: International Ash Utilization Symposium.
  • FAUTH, D.J., SOONG, Y., KNOER, J.P., HOWARD, B.H., GRAHAM, W.J., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2001. Conversion of silicate minerals with carbon dioxide producing environmentally benign and stable carbonates In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 278-279
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M. and MORRISON, J.L., 2001. Preparation and characterization of carbon bodies prepared with cokes derived from coal combustion (Paper Maroto-Valer34.3.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Carbon 01.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M., LU, Z., ZHANG, Y., JONES, A., MORRISON, J.L. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Assessment of the commercial utilization of activated carbons produced from high carbon fly ashes In: 2001 Conference on Unburned Carbon on Utility Fly Ash. 9-11
  • GRAY,M.L., CHAMPAGNE,K.J., SOONG,Y., KILLMEYER,R.P., MAROTO-VALER,M., ANDRESEN,J.M., CIOCCO,M.V. and ZANDHUIS,P.H., 2001. Study of the effect of different cleanability processes on the properties of fly ash carbons In: 221st American Chemical Society National Meeting.
  • JONES, A., GLASS, C., REDDY, T.K., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Assessment of the environmental impact and utilization of brines from oil and gas wells In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Fuel Chem.. 321-322
  • ZHANG, Y., MAROTO-VALER, M., LU, Z., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Potential non-fuel uses of unburned carbon from fly ash for value added carbon products (Paper 52-01.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: 18th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., ZHANG, Y., LU, Z., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. One step activation of coal combustion waste (Paper Zhang7.1.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Carbon'01.
  • ANDRESEN, J.M., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ZHANG, Y., 2001. Utilization of unburned carbon as a low sulfur alternative to petroleum coke (Paper 81Andres.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: International Ash Utilization Symposium.
  • MAROTO-VALER, M., FAUTH, D.J., KUCHTA, M.E., ZHANG, Y., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SOONG, Y., 2001. Study of magnesium rich minerals as carbonation feedstock materials for CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration (Paper 23-01.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: 18th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
  • ZHANG, Y., MAROTO-VALER, M. and ANDRESEN, J.M., 2001. Tailoring pitch pyrolysis through the use of environmentally benign additives (Paper Zhang16.2.pdf - CD-ROM publication) In: Carbon '01.
  • TANG, Z., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M., MILLER, J.W., LISTEMANN, M.L., FURLAN, W.R. and MORITA, D., 2001. Effect of fire retardant concentration on the thermal degradation of rigid polyurethane foams prepared with different blowing agents In: Prepr. Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Polymer. 687-688
  • JONES, A., GLASS, C., REDDY, T.K., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Assessment of brine from oil and gas wells: from an environmental challenge to a valuable resource In: National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
  • LU, Z., ZHANG, Y., JONES, A., MAROTO-VALER, M., ANDRESEN, J.M., MORRISON, J.L. and SCHOBERT, H.H., 2001. Utilization of coal combustion waste for the production of activated carbons (Paper ICCS-PAPER375 - CD-ROM publication) In: The Eleventh International Conference on Coal Science (submitted - conference cancelled due to September 11).
  • MAROTO-VALER, M. M., TAULBEE, D. N. and HOWER, J. C., 2001. Characterization of differing forms of unburned carbon present in fly ash separated by density gradient centrifugation Fuel. VOL 80(NUMBER 6), 795-800

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