Prof. Ane M. Urtiaga - Universidad de Cantabria

Prof. ANE URTIAGA
Full Professor
University of Cantabria
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Av. de los Castros s/n
39005 Santander
Cantabria
España
Telephone: +34 942 201587
Email : urtiaga@unican.es
RESEARCH TOPICS
The research is aimed to the development and integration of new separation
technologies based on selective liquid membranes, pervaporation, ultrafiltration,
reverse osmosis, membrane distillation and gas separation membranes. Applications in
the fields of metals recovery, separation of organic compounds, treatment and
purification of industrial effluents and landfill leachates, solvents dehydration, water
reuse and hydrogen recovery from gas mixtures have been developed. An important
part of the research is dedicated to the development of mathematical models that
describe the new processes, as well as the study of the factors influencing the scale-up.
The integration of advanced oxidation processes, electrooxidation, Fenton,
electrodisinfection, complement the separation capacity of membranes with the final
elimination of compounds that cannot be recovered, generating zero-discharge
processes.
PROJECTS
Summary of collaboration and Leadership of research projects:
• As responsable researcher: 1 EU Project (VII Framwork Programme), 13 national
projects and infraestructure in competitive calls (6 MCYT/MEC/MICINN, 2 MMA, 2 UC),
12 R+D contracts with industrial partners.
• Participant researcher in 23 R&D projects: 2 EU, 12 national calls, 2 regional clls, 3
contracts, etc., 3 infrastructures.
On-going projects:
1. Towards an Innovative Galvanic Industry (TIGI, 218390-2), VII EU Framework
programme. 2008-2011.
2. Optimization of innovative processes for industrial reuse of depurated water.
062/SGTB/2007/3.1, Ministry of Environment, 2007-2010.
3. Technical viability study about the development of innovative systems for the
treatment of MBRs based treatment of wastewaters in small communities wastewater
treatment, Ministry of Enviroment, 2008-2010.
4. Production Sustainability: Process Intensification and Integration in the Chemicals and
process industry. CTM2006-00317, MEC. 2006-2011.
5. Treatment and reuse of wastewaters for a sustainable management, TRAGUA.
INGENIOCONSOLIDER, MEC Ministry of Science and Education. 2006-2011.
6. Evaluation of the environmental risk of hydrocarbons storage activities, through
characterisation of the presence of contaminants and their transport to receptor
media. 276/PC08/2-01.2. Ministry of Environment, 2008-2010.

7. Procesos de separación con membranas aplicados a la valorización energética de
gases residuales de la industria de proceso: recuperación de hidrógeno y monóxido de
carbono. Ministery of Science and Innovation.
8. The application of green technologies for sustainable water purification and reuse.
Participant entities: University of Cantabria (Spain), University Autónoma de Madrid
(Spain), Oulu University (Finland), Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) (Mumbai,
India).
PUBLICATIONS
Recent Publications (2009 – present) in peer reviewed scientific journals:
N. Diban, Voinea O., Urtiaga A., Ortiz I. Vacuum membrane distillation of the main pear
aroma compound. Experimental study and mass transfer modelling, J. Membr. Sci., 326,
64–75 (2009)
Primo O., Rivero M.J., Urtiaga A.M., Ortiz I. Nitrate removal from electroxidized landfill
leachates by ion exchange, J. Hazadous Mats. , 164, 389 – 393 (2009)
Urtiaga A., Rueda A., Anglada A., Ortiz I. Integrated treatment of landfill leachates
including electrooxidation at pilot plant scale, J. Hazadous Materials , 166, 1530 – 1534
(2009)
Urtiaga, A., Gutierrez R., Ortiz, I. Phenol recovery from phenolic resin manufacturing.
Viability of the Emulsion Pertraction Technology, Desalination , 245, 445 - 450 ( 2009)
Anglada A., Urtiaga A., Ortiz, I. Pilot scale performance of the electro-Oxidation of
Landfill Leachate at Boron-Doped Diamond Anodes, Enviromental Sci. Technol. 43, 2035
– 2040 (2009)
Ortiz, A., Fernandez, I., Urtiaga, A., Ortiz, I. Modeling of Iron Removal from Spent
Passivation Baths by Ion Exchange in Fixed-Bed Operation, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 48,
7448 – 7452 (2009)
Anglada, A., Ortiz, I., Urtiaga, A. Contribution of electrochemical engineering to
wastewater treatment: fundamentals and review of applications, J. Chem. Technol. Bio.,
84, 1747 (2009)
Mediavilla, R., Ortiz, I., Urtiaga, A. Selective extraction of zinc and iron from passivating
baths, Desalination, 250, 1014-1015 (2009).
Anglada, A:, Ibáñez, R., Urtiaga, A., Ortiz, I. Electrochemical oxidation of saline industrial
wastewaters using boron-doped diamond anodes, Catalysis Today, 151, 178-184 (2010).
G. Pérez, P. Gómez, R. Ibáñez, I. Ortiz, A.M. Urtiaga, Electrochemical disinfection of
secondary wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, Wat. Sci. & Technol, 892, 2010.
G. Pérez, A. Fernández de Alba, A.M. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz , Electrooxidation of reverse
osmosis concentrates generated in tertiary water treatment, Water Research, 44, 2763-
2772 (2010).
Urtiaga, A., Bringas, E., Mediavilla, R., Ortiz, I., J. The role of liquid membranes in the
selective separation and recovery of zinc for the regeneration of Cr (III) passivation
baths, Membr. Sci., 356, 88-95 (2010).
N. Dibán, A.M. Urtiaga, M.I. Ortiz, Zinc recovery and waste sludge minimization from
chromium passivation baths, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 192 (2):801-7, (2011).

O.C. David, D. Gorri, I. Ortiz, A.M. Urtiaga, Dual-sorption model for H2/CO2 for
permeation in glassy polymeric Matrimid Membrane, Desal. and Wat. Treat. 27, 31-36,
(2011).
O. Voinea, D. Gorri, I. Ortiz, A.M. Urtiaga, Mixed gas separation study for the hydrogen
recovery from H2/CO/N2/CO2 post combustion mixtures using a Matrimid membrane,
J. of Membr. Sci., 378, 359– 368 (2011).
Anglada, A. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz, D. Mantzavinos, E. Diamadopoulos, Treatment of municipal
landfill leachate by catalytic wet air oxidation: Assessment of the role of operating
parameters by factorial design, Waste Management 31, 1833–1840 (2011).
E. Bringas, R. Mediavilla, A.M. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz, Development and validation of a dynamic
model for regeneration of passivating baths using membrane contactors, Comp. &
Chem. Engng., 35, 918–927 (2011).
V. Díaz, R. Ibañez, P. Gómez, A.M. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz, Kinetics of electro-oxidation of
ammonia-N, nitrites and COD from a recirculating aquaculture saline water system
using BDD anodes, Water Research 45, 125-134, (2011).
Anglada. A. Urtiaga, A.M, Ortiz, I., Mantzavinos, E. Diamadopoulos, Boron-doped
diamond anodic treatment of landfill leachate: Evaluation of operating variables and
formation of oxidation by-products, Wat. Res., 45, 2, 828-838 (2011)
Gutiérrez, R., Urtiaga, A., Ortiz, I., Separation of phenol and formaldehyde from industrial
wastes. Modelling of the phenol extraction equilibrium, JCTB, 85(9), 1215-1222 (2010).
Anglada, A., D. Ortiz, A.M. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz, Electrochemical oxidation of landfill
leachates at pilot scale: evaluation of energy needs, Wat. Sci. & Technol. 61, 9, 2211-
(2010).
Anglada. A., Urtiaga, A.M., I. Ortiz, Laboratory and pilot plant scale study on the
electrochemical oxidation of landfill leachate, J. of Hazard. Mater., 181, 729-735 (2010).
Diban, N., García, V., Alguacil, F., Ortiz, I., Urtiaga, A.M., Temperature enhancement of
zinc and iron separation from chromium (III) passivation baths by emulsion pertraction
technology, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 51, pp. 9867-9874, 2012
V. Díaz, R. Ibáñez, P. Gómez, A.M. Urtiaga, I. Ortiz. Kinetics of nitrogen compounds in a
commercial marine Recirculating Aquaculture System, Aquacultural Engineering, 50,
20-27 (2012).
O. Voinea, G. Zarca, D. Gorri, I. Ortiz, A.M. Urtiaga, On the improved absorption of
carbon monoxide in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazoilum chlorocuprate, Sep.
and Pur. Tech., 97, 65-72 (2012).
Pérez, G., Ibañez, R., Urtiaga, A:, Ortiz, I. Kinetic study of the simultaneous
electrochemical removal of aqueous nitrogen compounds using BDD electrodes,
Chemical Engineering Journal, 197, 475-482 (2012).
Perez, G.; Saiz, J.; Ibañez, R. ; Urtiaga, A.M.; Ortiz, I. Assessment of the formation of
inorganic oxidation by-products during the electrocatalytic treatment of ammonium
from landfill leachates; Wat. Res., 46, 2579-2590 (2012).
Pérez-González, A. Urtiaga; R. Ibáñez, I. Ortiz, State of the art and review on the
treatment technologies of water reverse osmosis concentrates, Wat. Res. 46, 267-283
(2012).
David, O.C., Gorri, D., Urtiaga, A., Ortiz, I., “Hydrogen separation from multicomponent
gas mixtures containing CO, N2 and CO2 using Matrimid asymmetric hollow fiber
membranes”, Journal of Membrane Science, 419-420, pp. 49-56, 2012.
Ibáñez, R., Pérez-González, A., Gómez, P., Urtiaga, A.M., Ortiz, I. Acid and base recovery
from softened reverse osmosis (RO) brines. Experimental assessment using model
concentrates, Desalination 309, 165-170. 2013.

Bringas, E., San Román, M.F., Urtiaga, A.M., Ortiz, I. “Integrated use of liquid membrane
contactors: enhancing the efficiency of L-L reactive separations”, Chemical
Engineering Journal and Processing 67, 120-129, 2013.
Urtiaga, A.M., Pérez, G., Ibáñez, R., Ortiz, I. Removal of pharmaceuticals from a WWTP
secondary effluent by ultrafiltration / reverse osmosis followed by electrochemical
oxidation of the RO concentrate, Desalination 331, 26-34, 2013.
Recent Publications of book chapters:
• Pervaporation and gas separation using microporous membranes, Casado, C.,
Urtiaga, A.M., Ortiz, I., in Membrane Science and Technology, Volume 13, 219 – 255
(2008), Elsevier Science.
• Liquid supported membranes for PV processes, Gorri, E.D., Urtiaga, A.M., Ortiz, I., in
Comprehensive Membrane Science and Engineering, Elservier Science, in press (2010).
OTHER RESULTS
• Supervision of 10 PhD thesis
• External recognition of the scientific activity (CNEAI) correspondent to the
periods: 1987-1992, 1993-1998, 1999-2004
• H index = 17
• Vice-Dean of the School of Engineering (ETSIIT), University of Cantabria, 1999-
2007.
• Coordinator of academic exchanges (Erasmus, Séneca, bilateral agreements)
1999-2008.
• Expertise in academic and scientific evaluation, participation in national and
International commitees: ANECA, ANEP, framework programme EU, Regional
governments, FECYT, etc.
• Member of the European Membrane Society and European Membrane House.