On May 1st, Maria Albarracin Ruiz, under the supervision of Prof. Hans Vrouwenvelder, successfully defended her MS dissertation  "Molecular Composition of Antiscalants Associated with Microbial Growth Potential in Seawater." This study explored the microbial growth potential of 16 commonly used antiscalants in desalination plants, where they employed various analytical methods to characterize the antiscalants chemically and found a correlation between their chemical composition and biofouling. This approach was then implemented in a large–scale desalination plant to identify the antiscalant with the lowest bacterial growth potential among five commercial options. Her research revealed that phosphonates–based antiscalants displayed variability in their impact on bacterial growth potential. This study contributes to a growing database of antiscalants, enabling their appropriate selection.

Maria Camila Albarracin Ruiz obtained her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia.