María Sonia Freire Leira. I am an associate professor at the Chemical Engineering Department of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, USC (Spain). I obtained my degree in Chemistry (Industrial Chemistry specialty) in 1992 and, subsequently, I earned my PhD in Chemistry from the same university in 1997. My research focuses on the valorization of biomass materials for the production of natural antioxidants and the development of wood adhesives based on tannins and lignin. I have an extensive experience in adsorption processes employing adsorbents such as activated carbons derived from natural precursors or synthetized from alternative materials like polymers. These adsorbents are used for the removal of metal cations, phenolic compounds, and dyes from aqueous solutions and, more recently, for CO2 separation from gaseous streams. Additionally, I work on leaching processes aimed at recovering metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) or similar electronic resources, treating them as urban mines.