September 2008
Yanet Villasana > Other Awards
Awarded by the Foundation University of Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela to oustanding students in English Diploma.
October 2011
Yanet Villasana > Other Awards
Issued by the organizers of the VII Symposium of Catalysis Colombia in 2011. Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
Full Member
Dr. Yanet Villasana
Membership since:
2016
Field of activity:
About me
As a scientist and entrepreneur, I bridge the gap between academic research and sustainable action. I currently drive the evolution of the Venezuelan tourism landscape as President of AHETE, while simultaneously leading regenerative efforts at Mirador Vuelta Canela to prove that conservation and travel can coexist. With a PhD and a background in environmental chemistry, I dedicate my work to connecting local communities with scientific innovation—fostering interdisciplinary training and gender equality to ensure that tourism serves as a powerful tool for environmental and social restoration.
Innovative scientific advisor, researcher, and entrepreneur with a proven track record in sustainable tourism, environmental research, and science-based consulting. I combine academic rigor with strategic leadership to develop transformative initiatives that bridge scientific research, nature conservation, community development, and science communication.
With a Doctorate in Science from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), I specialize in environmental chemistry, pollution, biomass valorization, and interdisciplinary scientific education.
As founder and CEO of Violeta Scientific Consulting and Mirador Vuelta Canela, I lead projects that fuse tourism, science, environmental education, and ecological restoration on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.
My leadership also extends to shaping national dialogue on regenerative tourism as a President of the board member of Ahete- Red de Turismo Sostenible de Venezuela- (Sustainable Tourism Network of Venezuela), and mentoring women and youth in science and innovation through networks like OWSD and 500CientíficasEC (as part of REMCI).
Other Memberships/Affiliations
Universidad de Carabobo
Degrees:
2015
Doctorate
Chemical Sciences
Publications resulting from Research
Research papers:
Venegas-Vásconez, D., Orejuela-Escobar, L. M., Villasana, Y., Salgado, A., Tipanluisa-Sarchi, L., Romero-Carrillo, R., & Alejandro-Martín, S. (2025). Microwave Pretreatment for Biomass Pyrolysis: A Systematic Review on Efficiency and Environmental Aspects. Processes, 13(10), 3194.
Yanet Villasana, Joaquin L. Brito, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Franklin J. Méndez. Sulfured FeMo carbides and nitrides catalysts upgrade extra heavy crude oil quality. Catalysis Today Disponible en línea desde 30 Julio 2024, 114964.
Villasana, Y., García-Macedo, J. A., Navarro-Puyuelo, A., Boujnah, M., Reyero, I., Lara-García, H. A., Muñiz, J., Bimbela, F., Gandía, L. M., Brito, J. L., Méndez, F. J. (2023). How bimetallic CoMo carbides and nitrides improve CO oxidation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 11, 111478.
Villasana, Y., Armenise, S., Ábrego, J., Atienza-Martínez, M., Hablich, K., Bimbela, F., ... & Gandía, L. M. (2023). Exploring a Low-Cost Valorization Route for Amazonian Cocoa Pod Husks through Thermochemical and Catalytic Upgrading of Pyrolysis Vapors. ACS Omega 2023, 8, 40, 37610–37621.
Zambrano, L. F., Villasana, Y., Bejarano, M. L., Luciani, C., Niebieskikwiat, D., Álvarez, W., ... & Orejuela-Escobar, L. M. (2023). Optimization of microfibrillated cellulose isolation from cocoa pod husk via mild oxalic acid hydrolysis: A response surface methodology approach. Heliyon Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2023, e17258.
Navas-Cárdenas, C.; Caetano, M.; Endara, D.; Jiménez, R.; Lozada, A.B.; Manangón, L.E.; Navarrete, A.; Reinoso, C.; Sommer-Márquez, A.E.; Villasana, Y. The Role of Oxygenated Functional Groups on Cadmium Removal using Pyrochar and Hydrochar Derived from Guadua angustifolia Residues. Water 2023,15,525. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030525
Yanet Villasana, Nooshin Moradi, Carlos Navas, Gregory Patience. "Experimental Methods in Chemical Engineering: pH". The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. Can. J. Chem. Eng. 2022, 100( 8), 1703. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.24393
Beatriz Pernía, Hector Urbina, Meralys González, Lucia Sena, Yanet Villasana, Leopoldo Naranjo-Briceño. Trametes coccinea IDEA, un hongo súper productor de lacasas aislado de un lago natural de asfalto: Tolerancia y biotransformación de hidrocarburos policíclicos aromáticos. Bionatura. No 3 Vol 6 (2021)
Franklin J. Méndez, Javier A. Alves, Yahsé Rojas-Challa, Oscar Corona, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Germán García-Colli, Osvaldo M. Martínez, Joaquín L. Brito. An egg-shell bifunctional CeO2-modified NiPd/Al2O3 catalyst for petrochemical processes involving selective hydrogenation and hydroisomerization. Journal of Rare Earths, 39 (11), 1382-1388.
Yanet Villasana, Franklin J Méndez, Miguel A Luis-Luis, Joaquin L Brito. “Pollutant reduction and catalytic upgrading of a Venezuelan extra-heavy crude oil with Al2O3-supported NiW catalysts: Effect of carburization, nitridation and sulfurization”. Fuel, Volume 235, 1 January 2019, Pages 577-588.
Méndez, Franklin; Piccolo, Laurent; Solano, Roger; Aouine, Mimoun; Villasana, Yanet; Guerra, Julia; Curbelo, Susana; Olivera-Fuentes, Claudio; Brito, Joaquin. "Promoting effect of ceria on the performance of NiPd/(CeO2-Al2O3 catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene in presence of 1-butene". New Journal of Chemistry (2018). DOI: 10.1039/C7NJ04558A.
Franklin J. Méndez, Roger Solano, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Susana Curbelo, Marcel Inojosa, Claudio Olivera-Fuentes, Joaquín L. Brito. “Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene in presence of 1-butene under liquid phase conditions with NiPd/Al2O3 catalysts”. Applied Petrochemical Research (2016) 6:379-387. DOI: 10.1007/s13203-016-0149-y.
Franklin J. Méndez, Sayidh Rivero-Prince, Yelisbeth Escalante, Yanet Villasana, Joaquín L. Brito. “Synthesis and characterization of alumina-coated aluminum sponges manufactured by sintering and dissolution process as possible structured reactors”. Materials Chemistry and Physics, (2016) 171:216-221.
Yanet Villasana, Yelisbeth Escalante, Jesús E. Rodríguez Nuñez, Franklin J. Méndez, Sergio Ramírez, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Edgar Cañizales, Jorge Ancheyta, Joaquín L. Brito. “Maya crude oil hydrotreating reaction in a batch reactor using NiMo carbide and nitride as catalysts”. Catalysis Today (2014) 220-222:318-326.
Yanet Villasana, Franca Ruscio; Carolina Pfaff, Franklin J. Méndez; Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Atomic ratio effect on catalytic performance of FeW-based carbides and nitrides on thiophene hydrodesulfurization”. Fuel (2013) 110:259-267.
Franklin José Méndez, Aura Llanos, Marcel Echeverría, Reynaldo Jáuregui, Yanet Villasana, Yraida Díaz, Gustavo Liendo-Polanco, Miguel A. Ramos-García, Tamara Zoltan, Joaquín L. Brito. “Mesoporous catalysts based on Keggin-type heteropolyacids supported on MCM-41 and their application in thiophene hydrodesulfurization”. Fuel (2013) 110:249-258.
Franklin J. Méndez, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Ángela B. Sifontes, Claudio Olivera-Fuentes, Joaquín L. Brito. “Aspectos relevantes de la hidrogenación selectiva de 1,3- butadieno con catalizadores basados en Pd/Al2O3”. Revista Catálisis. CATALISIS 1 (2013) 48-69.
F. J. Méndez, S. Rivero-Prince, A. García, A. Albornoz, J. Guerra, Y. Villasana, J. L. Brito. “Formación de alúmina superficial en esponjas de aluminio fabricadas por el proceso de sinterización-disolución: Efecto del tiempo de sinterización”. Acta Microscópica 21 (2012) (1):46-54.
Book chapters:
Davi Coelho Carvalho, Josue Mendes Filho, Odair Pastor Ferreira, Alcineia Conceição Oliveira, Elisabete Moreira Assaf, Yanet Villasana. “Synthesis of Novel Catalytic Materials: Titania nanotubes and Transition Metal Carbides, Nitrides and Sulfides”. Advanced Catalytic Materials: Current Status and Future Progress. Eds. José Manuel Domínguez-Esquivel y Manuel Antonio Ramos Murillo (2019). Springer International Publishing. eBook ISBN 978-3-030-25993-8, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25993-8.
Yanet Villasana, Franklin J. Méndez, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Upgrading and Hydrotreating of Heavy Oils and Residua”. Vol.3: Oils and Natural Gas of the Series Energy Science & Technology (in 12 Vols.) ISBN of Series 1-62699-061-1; ISBN OF Volume 1-62699-064-6, Editores del Volumen: Dr. Umesh Chandra Sharma, Dr. Shiva Kumar and Dr. Ram Prasad. Executive Editor Dr. J.N. Govil. Publisher Studium Press LLC, USA, 2015.
Yanet Villasana, Sergio Ramírez, Jorge Ancheyta, Joaquín L. Brito. “Effect of hydrotreating reaction conditions on viscosity, API gravity and specific gravity of Maya crude oil”. Computational and Experimental Fluid Mechanics with Applications to Physics, Engineering and the Environment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, (2013) ISBN-10:3319001906. Sigalotti, Leonardo Di G.; Klapp, Jaime; Sira, Eloy (Eds.)p. 423-430.
Yanet Villasana, Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Catalizadores basados en óxidos y nitruros monometálicos de Ni y Mo: estructura cristalina, textura, actividad y estabilidad en HDS de tiofeno“. Análisis de materiales diversos por técnicas de rayos X. Ed. Javier Martínez Juárez, Gabriel Juárez Díaz, David Hernández de la Luz, Ramón Peña Sierra. Diciembre de 2012. ISBN: 978-607-487-502-7, p.36.
Conferences:
Gregory Patience, Federico Galli, Yanet Villasana, Paul Patience, Daria C. Boffito. Book of Abstracts “World Forum Principles of Scientific Publications”. Polytechnique Montréal (2020)
Yanet Villasana, Andrea Navarro-Puyuelo, Sabino Armenise, Fernando Bimbela, Luis M. Gandía. “Valorización de biomasa residual amazónica a través de pirólisis catalítica” Livro de Atas Congreso Iberoamericano de Catálisis. Sociedad Portuguesa de Química. ISBN: 978-989-8124-23-4
F.J. Méndez, J. Guerra, S. Curbelo, C. Olivera, Y. Villasana, J.L. Brito. (2011) “Efecto del pH de impregnación en las propiedades superficiales de catalizadores CeO2/Al2O3”. Actas del VII Simposio Colombiano de Catálisis. Art. N° SCyFC-PC-10: 1-6. ISBN 978-958-8736-16-7.
Yanet Villasana, Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Henry Labrador, Joaquín L. Brito (2011). ”Optimización del tiempo de reacción de hidrotratamiento del crudo Furrial usando como catalizador NiMo/γ-Al2O3”. Actas del VII Simposio Colombiano de Catálisis. Art. N° CA-P0-5. ISBN 978-958-8736-16-7. Autor: Barbosa López, Aida Liliana, Colaboradores: Villa, Aida Luz (Editor Literario). Ramírez, Alfonso (Editor Literario); Del Río Amador, Eduardo (Compilador); Rueda, César (Compilador). Editorial: Universidad de Cartagena.
Editorials and perspectives:
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., Houndedoke, M. D., & Guerrero-Pérez, M. O. (2024). 10th International Symposium on Group IV, V, VI Elements. Catalysis Today, 115039.
Villasana Y., “Chemical Explorations: Adventures of Learning, Teaching and Research in the Jungle and Caribbean,” Chem. Eng. Process. - Process Intensif. (2024) 109996. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2024.109996.
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., & Blais, B. (2023). Perspectives on judging posters. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., & Boffito, D. C. (2022). Guest editorial: Biomass conversion for energy: Process intensification and economics. IET Renewable Power Generation, 16(14), 2935-2938.
Venegas-Vásconez, D., Orejuela-Escobar, L. M., Villasana, Y., Salgado, A., Tipanluisa-Sarchi, L., Romero-Carrillo, R., & Alejandro-Martín, S. (2025). Microwave Pretreatment for Biomass Pyrolysis: A Systematic Review on Efficiency and Environmental Aspects. Processes, 13(10), 3194.
Yanet Villasana, Joaquin L. Brito, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Franklin J. Méndez. Sulfured FeMo carbides and nitrides catalysts upgrade extra heavy crude oil quality. Catalysis Today Disponible en línea desde 30 Julio 2024, 114964.
Villasana, Y., García-Macedo, J. A., Navarro-Puyuelo, A., Boujnah, M., Reyero, I., Lara-García, H. A., Muñiz, J., Bimbela, F., Gandía, L. M., Brito, J. L., Méndez, F. J. (2023). How bimetallic CoMo carbides and nitrides improve CO oxidation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 11, 111478.
Villasana, Y., Armenise, S., Ábrego, J., Atienza-Martínez, M., Hablich, K., Bimbela, F., ... & Gandía, L. M. (2023). Exploring a Low-Cost Valorization Route for Amazonian Cocoa Pod Husks through Thermochemical and Catalytic Upgrading of Pyrolysis Vapors. ACS Omega 2023, 8, 40, 37610–37621.
Zambrano, L. F., Villasana, Y., Bejarano, M. L., Luciani, C., Niebieskikwiat, D., Álvarez, W., ... & Orejuela-Escobar, L. M. (2023). Optimization of microfibrillated cellulose isolation from cocoa pod husk via mild oxalic acid hydrolysis: A response surface methodology approach. Heliyon Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2023, e17258.
Navas-Cárdenas, C.; Caetano, M.; Endara, D.; Jiménez, R.; Lozada, A.B.; Manangón, L.E.; Navarrete, A.; Reinoso, C.; Sommer-Márquez, A.E.; Villasana, Y. The Role of Oxygenated Functional Groups on Cadmium Removal using Pyrochar and Hydrochar Derived from Guadua angustifolia Residues. Water 2023,15,525. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030525
Yanet Villasana, Nooshin Moradi, Carlos Navas, Gregory Patience. "Experimental Methods in Chemical Engineering: pH". The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. Can. J. Chem. Eng. 2022, 100( 8), 1703. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.24393
Beatriz Pernía, Hector Urbina, Meralys González, Lucia Sena, Yanet Villasana, Leopoldo Naranjo-Briceño. Trametes coccinea IDEA, un hongo súper productor de lacasas aislado de un lago natural de asfalto: Tolerancia y biotransformación de hidrocarburos policíclicos aromáticos. Bionatura. No 3 Vol 6 (2021)
Franklin J. Méndez, Javier A. Alves, Yahsé Rojas-Challa, Oscar Corona, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Germán García-Colli, Osvaldo M. Martínez, Joaquín L. Brito. An egg-shell bifunctional CeO2-modified NiPd/Al2O3 catalyst for petrochemical processes involving selective hydrogenation and hydroisomerization. Journal of Rare Earths, 39 (11), 1382-1388.
Yanet Villasana, Franklin J Méndez, Miguel A Luis-Luis, Joaquin L Brito. “Pollutant reduction and catalytic upgrading of a Venezuelan extra-heavy crude oil with Al2O3-supported NiW catalysts: Effect of carburization, nitridation and sulfurization”. Fuel, Volume 235, 1 January 2019, Pages 577-588.
Méndez, Franklin; Piccolo, Laurent; Solano, Roger; Aouine, Mimoun; Villasana, Yanet; Guerra, Julia; Curbelo, Susana; Olivera-Fuentes, Claudio; Brito, Joaquin. "Promoting effect of ceria on the performance of NiPd/(CeO2-Al2O3 catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene in presence of 1-butene". New Journal of Chemistry (2018). DOI: 10.1039/C7NJ04558A.
Franklin J. Méndez, Roger Solano, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Susana Curbelo, Marcel Inojosa, Claudio Olivera-Fuentes, Joaquín L. Brito. “Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene in presence of 1-butene under liquid phase conditions with NiPd/Al2O3 catalysts”. Applied Petrochemical Research (2016) 6:379-387. DOI: 10.1007/s13203-016-0149-y.
Franklin J. Méndez, Sayidh Rivero-Prince, Yelisbeth Escalante, Yanet Villasana, Joaquín L. Brito. “Synthesis and characterization of alumina-coated aluminum sponges manufactured by sintering and dissolution process as possible structured reactors”. Materials Chemistry and Physics, (2016) 171:216-221.
Yanet Villasana, Yelisbeth Escalante, Jesús E. Rodríguez Nuñez, Franklin J. Méndez, Sergio Ramírez, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Edgar Cañizales, Jorge Ancheyta, Joaquín L. Brito. “Maya crude oil hydrotreating reaction in a batch reactor using NiMo carbide and nitride as catalysts”. Catalysis Today (2014) 220-222:318-326.
Yanet Villasana, Franca Ruscio; Carolina Pfaff, Franklin J. Méndez; Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Atomic ratio effect on catalytic performance of FeW-based carbides and nitrides on thiophene hydrodesulfurization”. Fuel (2013) 110:259-267.
Franklin José Méndez, Aura Llanos, Marcel Echeverría, Reynaldo Jáuregui, Yanet Villasana, Yraida Díaz, Gustavo Liendo-Polanco, Miguel A. Ramos-García, Tamara Zoltan, Joaquín L. Brito. “Mesoporous catalysts based on Keggin-type heteropolyacids supported on MCM-41 and their application in thiophene hydrodesulfurization”. Fuel (2013) 110:249-258.
Franklin J. Méndez, Yanet Villasana, Julia Guerra, Ángela B. Sifontes, Claudio Olivera-Fuentes, Joaquín L. Brito. “Aspectos relevantes de la hidrogenación selectiva de 1,3- butadieno con catalizadores basados en Pd/Al2O3”. Revista Catálisis. CATALISIS 1 (2013) 48-69.
F. J. Méndez, S. Rivero-Prince, A. García, A. Albornoz, J. Guerra, Y. Villasana, J. L. Brito. “Formación de alúmina superficial en esponjas de aluminio fabricadas por el proceso de sinterización-disolución: Efecto del tiempo de sinterización”. Acta Microscópica 21 (2012) (1):46-54.
Book chapters:
Davi Coelho Carvalho, Josue Mendes Filho, Odair Pastor Ferreira, Alcineia Conceição Oliveira, Elisabete Moreira Assaf, Yanet Villasana. “Synthesis of Novel Catalytic Materials: Titania nanotubes and Transition Metal Carbides, Nitrides and Sulfides”. Advanced Catalytic Materials: Current Status and Future Progress. Eds. José Manuel Domínguez-Esquivel y Manuel Antonio Ramos Murillo (2019). Springer International Publishing. eBook ISBN 978-3-030-25993-8, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25993-8.
Yanet Villasana, Franklin J. Méndez, Miguel Ángel Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Upgrading and Hydrotreating of Heavy Oils and Residua”. Vol.3: Oils and Natural Gas of the Series Energy Science & Technology (in 12 Vols.) ISBN of Series 1-62699-061-1; ISBN OF Volume 1-62699-064-6, Editores del Volumen: Dr. Umesh Chandra Sharma, Dr. Shiva Kumar and Dr. Ram Prasad. Executive Editor Dr. J.N. Govil. Publisher Studium Press LLC, USA, 2015.
Yanet Villasana, Sergio Ramírez, Jorge Ancheyta, Joaquín L. Brito. “Effect of hydrotreating reaction conditions on viscosity, API gravity and specific gravity of Maya crude oil”. Computational and Experimental Fluid Mechanics with Applications to Physics, Engineering and the Environment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, (2013) ISBN-10:3319001906. Sigalotti, Leonardo Di G.; Klapp, Jaime; Sira, Eloy (Eds.)p. 423-430.
Yanet Villasana, Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Joaquín L. Brito. “Catalizadores basados en óxidos y nitruros monometálicos de Ni y Mo: estructura cristalina, textura, actividad y estabilidad en HDS de tiofeno“. Análisis de materiales diversos por técnicas de rayos X. Ed. Javier Martínez Juárez, Gabriel Juárez Díaz, David Hernández de la Luz, Ramón Peña Sierra. Diciembre de 2012. ISBN: 978-607-487-502-7, p.36.
Conferences:
Gregory Patience, Federico Galli, Yanet Villasana, Paul Patience, Daria C. Boffito. Book of Abstracts “World Forum Principles of Scientific Publications”. Polytechnique Montréal (2020)
Yanet Villasana, Andrea Navarro-Puyuelo, Sabino Armenise, Fernando Bimbela, Luis M. Gandía. “Valorización de biomasa residual amazónica a través de pirólisis catalítica” Livro de Atas Congreso Iberoamericano de Catálisis. Sociedad Portuguesa de Química. ISBN: 978-989-8124-23-4
F.J. Méndez, J. Guerra, S. Curbelo, C. Olivera, Y. Villasana, J.L. Brito. (2011) “Efecto del pH de impregnación en las propiedades superficiales de catalizadores CeO2/Al2O3”. Actas del VII Simposio Colombiano de Catálisis. Art. N° SCyFC-PC-10: 1-6. ISBN 978-958-8736-16-7.
Yanet Villasana, Miguel A. Luis-Luis, Henry Labrador, Joaquín L. Brito (2011). ”Optimización del tiempo de reacción de hidrotratamiento del crudo Furrial usando como catalizador NiMo/γ-Al2O3”. Actas del VII Simposio Colombiano de Catálisis. Art. N° CA-P0-5. ISBN 978-958-8736-16-7. Autor: Barbosa López, Aida Liliana, Colaboradores: Villa, Aida Luz (Editor Literario). Ramírez, Alfonso (Editor Literario); Del Río Amador, Eduardo (Compilador); Rueda, César (Compilador). Editorial: Universidad de Cartagena.
Editorials and perspectives:
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., Houndedoke, M. D., & Guerrero-Pérez, M. O. (2024). 10th International Symposium on Group IV, V, VI Elements. Catalysis Today, 115039.
Villasana Y., “Chemical Explorations: Adventures of Learning, Teaching and Research in the Jungle and Caribbean,” Chem. Eng. Process. - Process Intensif. (2024) 109996. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2024.109996.
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., & Blais, B. (2023). Perspectives on judging posters. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
Patience, G. S., Villasana, Y., & Boffito, D. C. (2022). Guest editorial: Biomass conversion for energy: Process intensification and economics. IET Renewable Power Generation, 16(14), 2935-2938.
XXV International Material Research Congress (IMRC 2016).
2026
Cancún, México, August 2016.
“Quality improvement of Carabobo heavy crude oil with Al2O3-supported CoW carbide and nitride nanoparticles”
International Materials Research Congress
2026
Cancun, Mexico
International Congress on Catalysis
2026
Munich, Germany
XXVI Congreso iberomericano de Catálisis 2018
2026
Coímbra, Portugal