Ana Rita C. Morais

Dr. Ana Rita C. Morais is an Assistant Professor and Deputy-Director of the Wonderful Institute for Sustainable Engineering at the University of Kansas, College of Engineering. She holds a B.S. in Biosciences (Portuguese Catholic University, 2010), M.S. in Food Engineering (Technical University of Lisbon, 2012), and Ph.D. in Sustainable Chemistry (New University of Lisbon, 2018). Her research focuses on sustainable chemical processes, including biomass valorization using supercritical CO₂, ionic liquids, and catalytic strategies for biofuel and high-value chemical production. She leads projects on CO₂-assisted biomass fractionation, refrigerant technology, and waste-to-resource innovations.

Her work emphasizes green engineering principles, such as reducing environmental footprints through CO₂ utilization and developing circular economy solutions for plastics and agricultural waste. Key projects include enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass, hydrocarbon synthesis from lignocellulose, and the development of sustainable paper and packaging materials from pistachio shells.

• Research Themes: Biomass conversion, ionic liquids, CO₂ applications, catalytic upcycling, biofuel production.
• Recent Trends: Focus on industrial scalability of biorefinery processes and functional materials from food/agricultural waste.

Dr. Morais has received prestigious awards including the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Award (2018) and Green Talents Award (2016). Her research has been highlighted as a Front Cover in Green Chemistry (2016) for breakthroughs in CO₂-catalyzed furfural production. She holds a patent for lignin extraction using imidazole (PT 108264).

In teaching, she instructs the C&PE 626 Senior Lab, emphasizing hands-on experience in chemical engineering practices. Her grants include funding for polymer recycling and protein stabilization projects.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Wonderful Institute for Sustainable Engineering, collaborating with industry partners on biorefinery and renewable materials initiatives.