The PROCESSES unit brings together a multidisciplinary team of physicists, mathematicians, electronic engineers, chemical engineers, and environmental science experts. It focuses on the design, optimization, and evaluation of biological and technological processes and systems. With an emphasis on automation and control of complex systems in the process industry, and through advanced modeling and simulation tools, it enhances industrial system performance, improves operational efficiency, and promotes sustainability. In bioprocesses, the unit applies modeling techniques to design new or improved metabolic capabilities of microorganisms, aiming at environmental protection and sustainability. It also evaluates techno-economic feasibility, eco-efficiency, risk management, and the resilience of industrial processes, particularly in the urban water cycle.
Design, optimization, and control of biological and technological systems.
Modeling and simulation techniques for industrial processes.
Automation of complex systems in the process industry.
Genomic-scale metabolic modeling for innovation and sustainability in bioprocesses.
Industrial computing and bioinformatics.
Techno-economic evaluation techniques for industrial processes.
Eco-efficiency analysis and risk management in industrial processes.
This project aims to develop a bacterial strain (Paracoccus denitrificans) capable of utilizing waste from a wide variety of polyesters to produce high-value chemical compounds. Using a CRISPR-based system, the strain will be engineered to redirect its metabolic fluxes toward the desired product through the introduction of a specifically designed plasmid for the target compound.
Hoyos, E.G., Rasekhi, S., Mazaeda, R., Muñoz, R. (2026) Pilot-scale optimization of a physical–chemical biogas upgrading system based on a high alkalinity absorbent at ambient pressure and temperature. Fuel. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2025.138010
del Amo-Mateos, E., Gosalvitr, P., Cuéllar-Franca, R.M., Dragone, G., Mussatto, S.I., García-Cubero, M.T., Coca, M., Lucas, S. (2026) An environmental and economic sustainability assessment of novel rhamnogalacturonan-I pectin production from agricultural residues. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.120786
Collao, J., Alonso, C., López-Serna, R., Bolado-Rodríguez, S., Fernández-González, N. (2026) Compromised performance and microbial communities of photobioreactors exposed to veterinary antibiotics during swine wastewater treatment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.120825
Ismail, M., Dahech, K., Tadeo, F., Damak, T., Chaabane, M. (2026) Adaptive Fault Diagnosis of DC-DC Boost Converters in Photovoltaic Systems Based on Sliding Mode Observers with Dynamic Thresholds. Electronics (Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15010040
Romano, F., Zarra, T., Palacio, L., García-Depraect, O., Muñoz, R. (2026) Simultaneous recovery of ammonia and volatile fatty acids from dark fermentation effluents via gas-liquid membrane contactor. Journal of Water Process Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.109388
