Name:
INSTITUTE OF SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES – UNIVERSITY OF VALLADOLID
Address:
PLAZA DE SANTA CRUZ, 8, 47002, VALLADOLID, SPAIN
e-Mail address:
elisamaria.rodriguez@uva.es
Website:
www.uva.es; www.isp.uva.es
Brief description of the organization’s activities:
The University of Valladolid (UVa) (www.uva.es) is one of the oldest and most important centres of Higher Education in Spain. UVa counts on four campuses -Valladolid, Palencia, Segovia and Soria. The institute of sustainable processes of UVa conducts research in four priority areas, “green energy”, “clean environment”, “resource recovery” and “optimal and efficient industry”.Within these global areas, several research lines are developed.
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: 1) Impact of emerging pollutants and its transport in natural environments. 2) Quantification and removal of antibiotic resistance genes, 3) Development of membrane materials for environmental applications which imply the separation of complex fluids and gases, 4) Biotechnologies for odor & gas treatment, 5) Monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions.
GREEN ENERGY: 1) Biological production of H2 through dark fermentation, 2) Biogas upgrading by photosynthetic & power-to-CH4 technologies, 3) Microaerobic processes for biogas purification, 4) Advanced fermentation processes for biofuels produsction (biobutanol) from agri-food waste, 5) Microbial oil production in anaerobic fermenters.
RESOURCE RECOVERY: 1) Wastewater valorization via photosynthetic processes into fertilizers and bioproducts, 2) Extraction & purification ways for valorizing agri-food waste into bioactive compounds, 3) Biotechnologies for odor & gas conversion into marketable products (ej: ectoine, PHA), 4) Carboxylates production in anaerobic waste fermentation, 5) Genetic and metabolic engineering of plastic-degrading microbes, 6) Metagenomic and physiological studies of halophiles and thermophiles involved in gas conversion processes.
PROCESS OPTIMIZATION FOR CIRCULARITY: 1) Process modeling, simulation and advanced control, 2) Optimal process operation and monitoring, 3) Assessing eco-efficiency, viability and resilience to natural threats in urban water cycle and other processes.
Sector(s) of involvement:
Waste valorization; Energy; Biorefinery; Circular economyYes
Role of the organization in the development and/or application of Blue Biotechnologies:
Technologies that remove waste and contaminants from aquaculture wastewaters; disinfection treatments to eliminate pathogens and contaminants in aquaculture and other industries, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, ozone, and others; desalination and wastewater treatment technologies, as well as evaluation of the economics and resilience of technologies for the circularity in the global water cycle
Skills and services provided:
The researchers of the ISP have a solid experience in designing, engineering and real-scale applying of bio-based sustainable processes that convert waste and by-products into renewable energies and commercially valuable compounds. They also specialize in developing advanced analytical methods and technologies to detect and remove chemical and biological contaminants from both liquid and solid waste streams generated by industry or present in ecosystems. On the other hand, reserachers at ISP posess knowledge in advanced computational modeling techniques and genetic engineering tools to design and modify microorganisms. Aditionally, ISP researchers specialize in the characterization and exploration of new membrane materials and porous materials for multiple applications such as water treatment, gas and liquid separation and capture, or resource and product recovery, where purification and separation processes are fundamental. Also ISP researchers especialize in the design and engineering of innovative and efficient technologies for the treatment of contaminant gaseous emissions. Finally, ISP reserachers also include physicists, mathematicians, and electronic engineers, specialized in evaluating, optimizing, controlling, and automating industrial processes.
Needs in terms of research, innovation, development, and/or application of blue biotechnologies:
Technical and scientific needs involve developing new knowledge and technologies specifically in the field of blue biotechnology. This includes researching and innovating solutions for challenges within this domain. Physical and technological requirements for research and development encompass additional laboratories, advanced equipment (e.g., for genetic sequencing, chemical or physical analysis), and infrastructure for conducting experiments at various scales. Furthermore, establishing new connections within the research community and with companies involved in blue biotechnology is essential.