Carla Brazinha

Assistant professor

D-8068-2013

iBB Group: berg

carla.brazinha@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Expertise: Membrane processing; Preparation of deep eutectic solvents antiviral bio-compounds; hydrophobic green solvents; essential oils; hydrophobic natural deep eutectic solvents NADES;

Short Bio:

Carla Brazinha is a recent Auxiliary Professor at IST/iBB/i4HB. She won the FCT projects “Membrane Nano Delivery” as co-PI, and the exploratory FCT project “AntiviralNADES” PI. She participated in 2 European projects, “D-Factory” and “Multistream” on microalgae, and won the Santander NOVA Award in 2022. She also won a CEEC Principal researcher last year at NOVA. She was elected as a council member of the European Membrane Society in 2021 (4 years). Her research focus areas are Microalgae, Delivery Systems and Biopolymers. She got a degree in Chemical Engineering, specialization in Biotecnology, at IST. Between her degree and PhD, after an internship at Zeneca in Scotland, she had a technical permanent position at a chemical company. She was at FCT NOVA for 21 years.

Research Focus:

My research is focused on bioeconomy. the conviction that natural, renewable, non-toxic compounds (specifically, selected compounds extracted and purified from plant-based natural sources) can be the feedstock of green solvents, particularly Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents NADESs, and can be tacked by membrane sustainable processes, resulting in tunable, innovative solutions. My main focus are Delivery Systems Micro-/Macro- algae and Biopolymers.

D-Factory (KBBE.2013.3.2-02, ID: 613870) – “The microalgae biorefinery”.

MembraneNanoDelivery (FCT 2017 02/SAICT/2017) – “Design of tailored nanocarriers for biopeptide delivery prepared by membrane technologies”.

Bioplastics and Edible Vegan Films (Green Dot Society Portugal, 50k€)

MULTI-STR3AM (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019, ID: 887227) – ” A sustainable multi-strain, multi-method, multi-product microalgae biorefinery integrating industrial side streams to create high-value products for food, feed and fragrance”.

AntiviralNADES (FCT 2022.08919.PTDC) – “Design of tailored green nanoemulsions for delivery of hydrophobic antiviral bio-compounds prepared by membrane technologies within a biobased economy”.

Didion, Y. P., Tjalsma, T., Malankowska, M., Su, Z., Matos, M., Pinelo, M., Crespo, J., & Brazinha, C. (2025). Zero-waste extraction of polyhydroxy(butyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV) from mixed cultures using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES): Unlocking the roles of molecular interactions, polarity, and viscosity. Chemical Engineering Journal, 511, 161741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.161741

Syed, U. T., Calzada, J., Mendoza, G., Arruebo, M., Piacentini, E., Giorno, L., Crespo, J. G., Brazinha, C., & Sebastian, V. (2025). Drug Delivery Applications of Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent-in-Water Nanoemulsions: A Comparative Analysis of Ultrasound Emulsification and Membrane-Assisted Nanoemulsification. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 17(2), 4075–4086. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c13163

Mondal, S., Syed, U. T., Pinto, E., Leonardo, I. C., Romero, P., Gaspar, F. B., Crespo, M. T. B., Sebastian, V., Crespo, J. G., & Brazinha, C. (2024). Sustainable production of nanoemulsions by membrane-assisted nanoemulsification using novel aroma-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for enhanced antifungal activities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 444, 141167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141167

iBB People

Carla Brazinha