Luis Novo

Luis Novo is a SRUC Challenge Research Fellow at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), based in Edinburgh. His research focuses on phytotechnologies, including phytoremediation and phytomining, plant metal bioindication, and contamination in roadside environments. He explores the potential of plants to address pollutants, recover valuable elements, and mitigate climate change, alongside organic soil amendments like biochar and technosols.

Education: PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Vigo, Spain.

Research Interests:

• Phytoremediation of contaminated soils and water
• Phytomining for metal recovery
• Plant-soil interactions in polluted environments
• Environmental fate of trace metals
• Development of sustainable bioremediation strategies

Recent work emphasizes integrating plant-based solutions with advanced materials (e.g., biochar) and microbial systems. His projects include phytomanagement of mine tailings and urban hedge contamination studies.

Awards:

• ECIU Mobility Fund Award (2018)
• Top Peer Reviewer (Cross-Field & Environment/Ecology) - Web of Science/Publons (2019)

Grants/Projects: PI of multiple initiatives, including PHYTO4METAL (BBSRC-funded phytomining system) and Edinburgh urban hedge pollution surveys. Collaborations span institutions in Brazil, Portugal, France, and the U.S.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre at SRUC, focusing on circular economy applications and sustainable technologies.