ICMol Leads the Highest-Rated Project in the AVI Call Under the Scientific Direction of Isabel Abánades Lázaro

The Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) of the Universitat de València has secured the top position in the 2025 call for Strategic Cooperation Projects of the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), achieving a score of 95/100, the highest in the entire resolution

This outstanding result has been achieved under the scientific leadership of Isabel Abánades Lázaro, Principal Investigator at ICMol and Group Leader of DREAM – Defect Engineering of Responsive Advanced Materials, one of the institute’s most dynamic and innovative research lines. Her expertise in advanced materials, particularly in designing multivariate modulated MOFs, has positioned ICMol as a key scientific contributor within the consortium.

LUMEN: A Project Scientifically Driven by Isabel Abánades Lázaro

The project, titled “Detection, prediction and quaternary treatment of wastewater through new combined membrane and photocatalysis technologies (LUMEN)”, has been awarded €592,802 for the 2025–2027 period, of which €142,182 corresponds directly to ICMol under Abánades Lázaro’s leadership.

The consortium includes Viromii, Amphora Process, the Sociedad de Agricultores de la Vega, AIMPLAS (coordinator), and ICMol. Within this collaboration, ICMol’s contribution focuses on the design and optimization of advanced adsorbent and photocatalytic MOF-based materials, which constitute the core of the proposed treatment technology.

A Scientific Vision Led by Isabel Abánades

Abánades Lázaro’s proposal places Valencian research at the forefront of tackling emerging contaminants in wastewater. LUMEN aims to:

• Remove PFAs, microplastics and persistent pharmaceuticals such as Diclofenac and Clarithromycin.

• Integrate, for the first time in a compact, portable system, membrane filtration, advanced adsorption, and photocatalysis.

• Develop an AI-based predictive and monitoring model to anticipate the presence and evolution of contaminants in wastewater treatment plants.
  
  

Her scientific leadership is central to developing the technological core of the system:
multivariate, modulated MOFs engineered to capture and degrade contaminants with high efficiency.

Specific Objectives of LUMEN

1. Define and characterize target contaminants, optimizing analytical methods.

2. Design, assemble and implement the quaternary treatment system in wastewater treatment plants.

3. Evaluate system performance under real operational conditions and assess ecotoxicity of the regenerated water.

4. Develop AI-based predictive and monitoring tools for PFAs, microplastics and pharmaceuticals.

5. Conduct a market analysis to assess environmental and economic feasibility.

6. Build a robust knowledge base to facilitate future deployment in other treatment plants, particularly in areas prone to extreme events such as DANA storms.