More talented and high-achieving members of the University of Cauca community continue to knock it out of the park with their research! Today, we celebrate the accomplishments of Luisa Damaris Ramos Riascos, a Chemistry graduate of The Alma Mater of Cauca, who co-authored two scientific articles published in accredited journals.

The first article, entitled Sulfonated Reduced Graphene Oxide: An Acid Catalyst that Efficiently Promotes the Esterification of Glycerol, published in 2022 in the journal Topics in Catalysis, presents the effectiveness of a graphite-derived catalyst in the glycerol acetylation reaction. Building on this result, Luisa and her four co-authors sought to obtain similar materials, but derived from biomass, thereby reducing the use of harmful reagents and generating valuable materials from waste. This led to the second article, Acidic Eco-Catalysts Derived from Coffee Husks in the Acetylation of Glycerol, published this year, 2025, in Tetrahedron Green Chemistry, which describes the feasibility of using coffee processing residues to obtain active, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly catalysts.

The co-authors of these outstanding publications include, for the first article, Alfonso Enrique Ramírez Sanabria and Cristian David Miranda Muñoz, professors in the Chemistry Program at the Universidad del Cauca (University of Cauca); Gerardo Andrés Torres Rodríguez, professor in the Biology Program at The Alma Mater of Cauca; and Alexander Sachse. In the second article, Professors Ramírez and Miranda again participated as co-authors.

“It was an enriching and very rewarding experience. Each stage, from research, to writing, to the review process, was truly valuable. Discussing and defending the work with expert peers of international stature, and ultimately having it accepted, demonstrates that at the University of Cauca we also conduct meaningful research. The learning that comes from a publication process is definitely immense,” affirmed Luisa Ramos.