Person:
Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia

Birth Date

1979-02-18

ORCID

0000-0001-8278-5873

Scopus Author ID

57915653200

Afiliación

Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
Universidad de Cuenca, Departamento de Biociencias, Cuenca, Ecuador
Universidad de Cuenca, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Cuenca, Ecuador
Universidad de Cuenca, Departamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Cuenca, Ecuador

País

Ecuador

Organizational Units

Organizational Unit

Facultad de Ciencias Químicas

Fundada en 1955 como la Escuela de Química Industrial, la facultad ha sido un pilar fundamental en la formación de profesionales altamente capacitados, comprometidos con el desarrollo de la ciencia, la educación y el bienestar social. La Facultad de Ciencias Químicas pone a consideración su trabajo académico, investigativo y de vinculación con la sociedad, desarrollado a través de la práctica de una docencia de calidad, investigación e innovación en su área de estudio. Desde su oficio de conocimiento se permite contribuir a la sociedad con cuatro carreras: Bioquímica y Farmacia, Ingeniería Química, Ingeniería Ambiental e Ingeniería Industrial. Su carta de presentación en la Academia, la coloca como una dependencia dinámica, donde confluye la solidez de una trayectoria de más de sesenta años. Aquí se trabaja en una continua formación de pregrado y posgrado de la más alta calidad, mediante la mejora continua con la innovación y a la vanguardia de las ciencias químicas.

Job Title

Profesor (T)

Last Name

Pinos Vélez

First Name

Verónica Patricia

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 32

Modeling of the Guangarcucho municipal wastewater treatment plant using WEST, Cuenca-Ecuador
(Springer, Cham, 2022) Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Duque Sarango, Paola Jackeline
The present work applied the ASM1 simulation model for the wastewater treatment system of Guangarcucho plant (G-WWTP) in the city of Cuenca. The main objective was to generate conclusions about parameters that determine the quality of the effluent, and to have a first approximation of the operating processes in the plant. In order to achieve this, a work routine was developed with the WEST software, data on pollutant concentration and flow rates from a year of daily records (year 2018–2019) was taken at the entrance of the Ucubamba current wastewater treatment plant (U-WWTP), which were provided by ETAPA-EP, while kinetic parameters were taken from those used for designing G-WWTP plant. Steady-state simulations were performed to later analyze dynamic-state simulations. The topological configuration was structured by biological reactors, a dissolved oxygen control model, a secondary settlers model, combiners and flow dividers, among the main elements. In addition, a basic sensitivity analysis was performed on variables that can be manipulated at the macro level in the plant: dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) and internal sludge recirculation (Qlodos). It was found that internal sludge recirculation influences positively on the effluent quality, causing concentration of organic matter (BOD) and decrease of the suspended solids (TSS) to decrease, while the concentration of dissolved oxygen higher or lower than 2.5 mg/L, does not have a greater influence on the quality variation of the effluent.
Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Regulatory Authorities, Parents, and School Canteen Owners in the South of Ecuador about the Challenges and Facilities Related to Compliance with the National Regulation for School Canteens
(2023) Abril Ulloa, Sandra Victoria; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Cabrera Ledesma, María Belén
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Ecuadorian school population continues to increase. An important factor in children's nutrition is the food offered in school canteens. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of the challenges faced by and facilities of school canteens in the provinces of southern Ecuador in terms of complying with national regulations. For this qualitative descriptive study, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 with six school canteen owners, six school directors, five health experts, and seven parents of children attending school from three provinces, Cañar, Azuay, and Morona Santiago, in Ecuador. The data were transcribed and subsequently analyzed in ATLAS ti. The participants indicated several challenges to comply with the regulations of school canteens, such as the expenses generated by them, the lack of control of street food vendors in the surroundings of the schools, and the lack of trained personnel. Regarding the facilities, they highlighted that the regulation for cleaning and hygiene are more easily fulfilled. Standards and control of the food stipend in school canteens are required to ensure a supply of healthy food for the children. Multiple challenges and strategies are proposed to improve the eating habits of the school population and to improve the nutrition of schoolchildren.
Chromium(VI) reduction in aqueous medium by means of catalytic membrane reactors
(2016) Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia
A novel method for catalytic reduction of chromium(VI) to chromium(III) in model and real water is proposed in this work. Hydrogen was used as a reducer. Three different catalytic membrane reactors were prepared and employed in the studied reaction. The catalytic membrane reactors were prepared using commercial corundum hollow fiber membranes. The active phases, palladium, cerium oxide, iron oxide or combinations of them, were incorporated by incipient wetness impregnation of the corresponding water-soluble salts followed by calcination and reduction. The catalytic tests were performed in semi-batch mode at ambient conditions. A mass flow controller was used to supply hydrogen to one end of the membrane whilst the other end was kept closed. The reactors were submerged into a vessel containing the chromate solution. The concentration of the chromate was continuously monitored following a standard analytical method. The initial chromate concentration was varied between 0.5 and 18 mg L−1. In order to completely reduce the Cr(VI) to Cr(III), it was necessary to decrease the pH of the solution to 3. In the end of the tests the final solutions were neutralized to pH 8 and filtered. The content of chromium in the final solutions and in the precipitates was determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technique. It was demonstrated that for the studied reaction the presence of palladium is essential. In all experiments, with synthetic and real water adjusted to pH 3, the catalytic membrane reactors containing palladium (0.3–0.9 w/w%) effectively reduced the chromium to levels below 0.03 mg L−1 without losing activity in repetitive runs. The results from ICP analyses demonstrated that the chromium can be completely eliminated from the water after neutralization and filtration.
Remoción de plomo de un efluente sintético vía flotación iónica utilizando xantato
(2018) Mora Abril, Enmita Lucía; Baltar, Carlos; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Benachour, Mohand
Lead is a toxic metal and its removal from industrial effluents is important. This can be done in several ways including ion dissolved air flotation (DAF). The advantages of the latter are multiple, among them speed, efficiency, low cost and space requirement. Tests were carried out with an aqueous synthetic wastewater of lead nitrate simulating the effluent of a producer of batteries. Xanthate was used as collector, a widely applied approach in ore processing. The variables studied were the size of the hydrocarbon chain of xanthate, xanthate concentration, pH, contact time, and foaming concentration. Quantification of residual lead was obtained by atomic adsorption. The proposed method revealed that dissolved air flotation is an efficient technique for the removal of lead ions, like the technique at the present is successful used in ore separation. It was observed that the pH and the amount of foaming did not have an effect. However, a solution of 20 mg L-1 of Pb could be reduced to 0.65 mg L-1, corresponding to a removal of 96.8% of the initial concentration
Mini revisión: aplicación de líquidos iónicos en hidrólisis ácida dematerial lignocelulósico para la obtención de azúcares
(2021) Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana; Vele Salto, Angélica María; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Abril González, Mónica Fernanda
In recent decades, the application of ionic liquids (IL) as pretreatment of residual biomass (BM) before the hydrolysis reaction hasproven to be an efficient system to improve yields towards obtaining monosaccharides. A greater recovery of monosaccharidestranslates into a higher yield in the production of biofuels, which can make this industry profitable. In this context, this bibliographicreview analyzes the physicochemical characteristics, synthesis methods, dissolution conditions with application of variables, suchas: IL: BM weigh ratio, temperature and time. In addition, a comparative assessment of the results of traditional acid hydrolysisprocesses with respect to those obtained with the application of IL is carried out, increasing in most cases their reaction yields.Finally, some recovery and recycling techniques are mentioned, which allow to reduce the costs of the process, so that it iseconomically profitable
Occurrence of emerging contaminants in surface water bodies of a coastal province in Ecuador and possible influence of tourism decline caused by COVID-19 lockdown
(2023) Acosta López, Sofía Paola; Barrado Guezala, Miren; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Cabrera Bejarano, Marcela Victoria; Medina Villamizar, Evencio Joel; Vellosa Capparelli, Mariana; Salazar Mogollón, Noroska Gabriela; Cipriani Ávila, Eva Isabel ; Jara Negrete, Eliza
Emerging contaminants in water bodies is an issue of concern due to their impact on the ecosystem and human health. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the implementation of protective measures such as social distancing, lockdowns, and remote work, which have affected the tourism influx. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of emerging pollutants in bodies of water in Esmeraldas, a coastal province of Ecuador, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a highly touristic region. For this purpose, surface waters from 14 beaches and ten river mouths were sampled at two-time points in November 2019 and November 2020. Compounds widely consumed in Ecuador: acetaminophen, caffeine, sodium diclofenac, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole were extracted from water samples by solid phase extraction SPE and detected with a UPLC-QTOF-MS system. We found a decrease in the occurrence of caffeine from 100 % to 4.2 % of caffeine and 25 % to 0 % of diclofenac, likely related to the decline in tourist afflux due to the lockdown measures. Most of the compounds diminished in terms of frequency and/or concentration; however, as COVID-19 treatments make use of different pharmaceutical compounds such as antivirals, antibiotics, antiparasitics, or glucocorticoids, future studies should include these to assess their environmental impact
Design and development of a catalytic fixed-bed reactor for gasification of banana biomass in hydrogen production
(2022) Tacuri Sarmiento, Diego Mauricio; Andrade Herrera, Christian Javier; Álvarez Lloret, Edgar Paúl; Abril González, Mónica Fernanda; Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Jara Cobos, Lourdes Elizabeth; Montero Izquierdo, Iván Andrés
Hydrogen produced from biomass is an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. In this study, hydrogen production by gasification of the banana plant is proposed. A fixed-bed catalytic reactor was designed considering fluidization conditions and a height/diameter ratio of 3/1. Experimentation was carried out under the following conditions: 368 °C, atmospheric pressure, 11.75 g of residual mass of the banana (pseudo-stem), an average particle diameter of 1.84 mm, and superheated water vapor as a gasifying agent. Gasification reactions were performed using a catalyzed and uncatalyzed medium to compare the effectiveness of each case. The catalyst was Ni/Al2O3, synthesized by coprecipitation. The gas mixture produced from the reaction was continuously condensed to form a two-phase liquid–gas system. The synthesis gas was passed through a silica gel filter and analyzed online by gas chromatography. To conclude, the results of this study show production of 178 mg of synthesis gas for every 1 g of biomass and the selectivity of hydrogen to be 51.8 mol% when a Ni 2.5% w/w catalyst was used. The amount of CO2 was halved, and CO was reduced from 3.87% to 0% in molar percentage. Lastly, a simulation of the distribution of temperatures inside the furnace was developed; the modeled behavior is in agreement with experimental observations.
Emerging contaminants in the northeast andean foothills of Amazonia: the case of study of the city of Tena, Napo, Ecuador
(2021) Pérez González, Andrés ; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Molinero, Jon; Capparelli, Mariana V.; Cipriani Ávila, Eva Isabel; Jara Negrete, Eliza Nuit; Acosta López, Sofía Paola; Acosta, Byron
This work is a study on the occurrence of emerging pollutants in the northeast Ecuadorian Amazon. Emerging contaminants (ECs)—caffeine, triclosan, estradiol, acetaminophen, nicotine, and ibuprofen—were quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in rivers and streams of the Amazon basin near the city of Tena, Ecuador. For that, a total of 16 natural water samples were taken in 8 locations. Sampling sites included areas impacted by discharges from inefficient sewage networks in urban areas, wastes from fish farming and non-functional landfill, a stream with few threats, tap water, and treated sewage. Caffeine was found in the 38% of the samples studied while trimethoprim and acetaminophen had an occurrence of 13%. Caffeine was detected at two sites receiving untreated sewage and one site receiving treated sewage with mean concentrations that ranged between 19 and 31.5 μg L−1. Acetaminophen (50.4 μg L−1) and trimethoprim (2 μg L−1) were only detected in the river receiving treated sewage effluent. This is the first assessment of emerging contaminants in the upper Ecuadorian Amazon basin, and our observations highlight the need for better sewage treatment and water quality monitoring in Amazonian cities.
Percepciones sobre la diversidad sexual en adolescentes escolarizados de la ciudad de Cuenca
(2011) Palacios Madero, María Dolores; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Pinos Abad, Guido Marcelo
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) people are a minority group,whose recognition awakens emotional reactions, perceptions and attitudes;the majority with negative tendence. The perceptions and attitudes of rejection are due in large part to the prejudice against this group, which often leads to a stigmatizationof LGBT people. Assessment of the perceptions of adolescents towards LGBT individuals was the main purpose of the research.A survey, consisting of aseries of qualitative and quantitative questions offering the surveyed people the possibility of providing to the questions personal comments and observations, was applied to 1130 college students and 31 teachers. The students in general stated that it isincorrect mistreating LGBT people. They strongly perceive that family, school and especially the society as hostile environments for LGBT.Moreover, most of thesurveyed adolescents expressed serious concern that if they were LGBT, they would worry about the emotional reaction of family, friends, teachers and peers. In the worst case, they even expect being rejected by friends and peers, experience pressure from their family to change attitude, and likely be confronted by an indifferent attitude of their teachers as the latter usually seldom care about the personal situation of students. Given the widespread public opinion and the risk to become the target of strong negative attitudes some adolescents stated to be very reluctant to make public their sexual orientation. It is believed that for achieving social equity for LGBT people one has to work towards the liberation for the broader society from sexual oppression, requiring the initiation of a series of activities, such as the initiation of educational programs aiming de-ligitimization of the prejudice and the opening of people’s mind.
Acute toxicity of daphnia magna neonates exposed to single and composite mixtures of four emerging contaminants
(2022) Araujo, Giuliana S.; Moulatlet, Gabriel M.; Perez Gonzalez, Bolivar Andres; Cipriani Avila, Eva Isabel; Tripaldi, Piercosimo; Capparelli, Mariana V.; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia
The effects of emerging contaminants on environmental health are of high concern, especially those potentially induced by mixtures. We assessed single and composite mixtures of triclosan (T), 17β-estradiol (E2), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and nicotine (N) at various concentrations, on neonates of Daphnia magna. When used in single exposure, T and N induced high toxicity (100% immobility, each one), compared to SMX and E2 (2.5% and 10% immobility, respectively). When T, E2, SMX and N were in mixture, T had the highest contribution to the overall toxicity in mixture exposures. The N toxicity lowered when in a fourfold exposure (85% immobility in fourfold exposure). Due to the high toxicity of T and N, both alone and in the mixtures, our results can serve as a warning about the use of these substances and their release in the aquatic ecosystem. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.