Junkal Landaburu Aguirre

PhD in process engineering, from the Univeristy of Oulu, FInland. My PhD thesis was focused on the removal of heavy metals from phosphorous rich wastewaters using membrane technology. My work was based on a paradigm change where wastewater is viewed as a resource of valuable compounds instead of a source of pollutants. After defending my thesis, I continued working at the University of Oulu as a postdoctoral researcher, where I focused on implementing and preparing second generation membranes for wastewater treatment. More specifically, I prepared thin film composite membranes with nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide. I started working at the Membrane Technology Group of IMDEA Water institute in 2015 and currently, I am the responsible researcher for the area of development of membrane technology for water treatment. My research activity is focused on three main areas: i) the development of novel and second-generation membranes,ii) the implementation of membrane technology for wastewater treatment, desalination and preconcentration and removal of emerging compounds such as micronanoplastics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes and iii) implementing alternative end-of-life membrane management routes such as membrane recycling for water treatment.