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University of Minho – Department of Earth Sciences

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Fátima Patrícia S.S. Gomes

Fátima Patrícia S.S. Gomes

Summary

Fátima Patrícia Gomes is an Assistant Researcher and an integrated member of the Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT) at its University of Minho branch. She graduated in Biology-Geology from the University of Minho (2009) and completed an MSc in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (2011), with a dissertation on the natural rehabilitation of waste dumps from abandoned mines. She received her PhD in Sciences (Environmental Geology) from the University of Minho (2021), with a thesis on the impact of acid mine drainage on reservoirs in the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

From 2011 to 2016 she taught Biology and Geology in secondary schools. Her research covers mining contamination, mine waters, environmental geochemistry, phytoremediation and ecological solutions for water treatment and reuse within a circular economy. In 2015 she founded PhytoClean, a company dedicated to the ecological remediation of water and soil.

She teaches Pedology and Soil Conservation, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Geology and Geological Materials at the Department, and co-coordinates the ICT research line «Environmental Challenges and Solutions».

Compiled from: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID

Research interests

  • Mining contamination
  • Mine waters
  • Environmental geochemistry
  • Phytoremediation
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Water reuse and circular economy

Education

  • 2021
    PhD in Sciences (Environmental Geology)
    University of Minho
    Thesis: «Impact of acid mine drainage on the environmental quality and potential accumulation of strategic metals in water dams located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt»
  • 2011
    MSc in Biology
    University of Porto
    Thesis: «Natural processes of rehabilitation in waste-dumps from abandoned mines - case studies»
  • 2009
    BSc in Biology-Geology
    University of Minho

Current position

  • 2021 –
    Assistant Researcher
    Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT)
  • 2015 –
    Founder and scientific director
    PhytoClean

Recent publications

  1. Mine waste as a dual threat and opportunity: Linking mineralogy to environmental impact and critical element recovery. The Science of The Total Environment, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.181272
  2. Acid mine drainage and waste dispersion in legacy mining sites: An integrated approach using UAV photogrammetry and geospatial analysis. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138827
  3. Rare earth elements - Source and evolution in an aquatic system dominated by mine-Influenced waters. Journal of Environmental Management, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116125
  4. Seasonal impact of acid mine drainage on water quality and potential ecological risk in an old sulfide exploitation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2024. doi:10.1007/s11356-024-32367-1
  5. Circular economy: water quality assessment for irrigation purposes in a constructed-wetland scenario. Scientific Reports, 2026. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-34161-6
  6. Environmental remediation of acid mine drainage: an overview of potential phytoremediation with Phragmites australis. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2025. doi:10.1007/s10653-025-02880-4

Publications since 2021 (ORCID and OpenAlex), ordered by the impact of the journal or series (two-year mean citedness in OpenAlex).

Information compiled from public sources: CIÊNCIAVITAE, OpenAlex, Instituto de Ciências da Terra (photograph), accessed on 20-10-2026. To correct or complete this profile, use the website’s content manager or contact the Department’s Director.