Biotechnology
sustainable chemistry
RESEARCH AREAS
Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry
Description
The Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry Area (BQS) combines in an integrated way various areas of knowledge and tools based on biotechnology and green chemistry for the improvement and sustainability of industrial processes, environment and quality of life.
It is a transversal and multi-sectorial area, with a clear vocation for research and implementation of applied solutions, both to the industrial sector (food, chemical, materials) and to the protection and improvement of the environment, carried out from the point of view of the development of products and processes more efficient, sustainable and integrated in the life cycle.
Research lines
- Research in processes with chemical-catalytic reaction processes, heterogeneous catalysts and (bio)adsorbent materials.
- Research in thermochemical processes and intensification of pressure processes for the transformation of plastics, biomasses and recalcitrant waste into value-added products.
- Development of biobased materials with applications in polymers, adhesives and coatings with special properties.
- Development of advance fermentation process (with sustrate in liquid phase and/or gas).
- Application of advanced chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis processes for waste and lignocellulosic biomass treatment.
- Development of new applications and microbiological tools.
- Extraction and purification of active ingredients and proteins by biocatalysis and/or GRAS solvents.
Publications
- Hidalgo, D., Corona, F., Martín-Marroquín, J.M., Piñero, R., Antolín, G., Decentralized biomethane production using a combination of chemical scrubbing and low-pressure membrane technologies. Conference Progress in Biogas IV (2017).
- Hidalgo, D., Piñero, R., Martín-Marroquín, J.M., Corona, F., Acebes, P., Antolín, G. From biogas to biomethane: integrated process for the production of natural gas substitute. ATHENS 2017: 5th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management (2017).
- Sanz-Martín JM, Pacheco-Arjona JR, Bello-Rico V, Vargas WA, Monod M, Díaz-Mínguez JM, Thon MR, Sukno SA. (2016). A highly conserved metalloprotease effector enhances virulence in the maize anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum graminicola. Molecular Plant Pathology. doi: 10.1111/mpp.12347.
- Vargas WA, Sanz-Martín JM, Rech GE, Armijos-Jaramillo VD, Rivera LP, Echeverria MM, Díaz-Mínguez JM, Thon MR, Sukno SA. (2016). A fungal effector with host nuclear localization and DNA-binding properties is required for maize anthracnose development. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 29: 83–95.
- Conesa J. A., Urueña Juan A. Díez D., (2014). Corn stover thermal decomposition in pyrolytic andoxidant atmosphere. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 106 132–137.
- Piñero-Hernanz, R., García-Serna J., Dodds C., Hyde J.R., Poliakoff M., Cocero M.J., Kingman S., Pickering S., Lester E., (2008) Chemical recycling of carbon fibre composites using alcohols under subcritical and supercritical conditions. Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 46, 83-92.
- Piñero-Hernanz, R., García-Serna J., Cocero M.J., (2006). Nonstationary model of the semicontinuous depolymerization of polycarbonate. AIChe Journal, vol 52, 12, 4186-4199.
- Piñero-Hernanz, R., García-Serna J., Cocero M.J., (2005). Chemical recycling of polycarbonate in a semi-continuous lab-plant. A green route with methanol and methanol-water mixture. Green Chemistry, 7, 380-387
Reference clients:
Team
Alberto Moral Quiza
Head of Agrifood & Processes Division
Raúl Piñero Hernanz
Head of Biotechnology Area
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