Antonio Morán

• University of Leon

La educación superior necesita adaptarse constantemente a un entorno cambiante y dinámico que demanda una constante evolución en la forma de entender el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, y es en este contexto que surge la innovación docente como un elemento clave para asegurar la calidad y el progreso de la educación superior y, por lo tanto, el éx...

PBL+ is the acronym of Problem Based Learning Plus, which is a teaching-learning technique developed by the Teaching Innovation Group INGENIAQ from the University of León (Spain). PBL+ gathers different teaching-learning techniques including the PBL classical methodology, flipped classroom, evaluation through the use of rubrics and service-learning...

The role of oxygen in anodic biofilms is still a matter of debate. In this study, we tried to elucidate the structure and performance of an electrogenic biofilm that develops on air-exposed, carbon felt electrodes, commonly used in bioelectrochemical systems. By simultaneously recording the current density produced by the bioanode and dissolved oxy...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the integration of microbial electrochemical technologies (MET) with anaerobic digestion (AD) to overcome AD limitations caused by propionate accumulation. The study focuses on understanding to what extent the inoculum impacts on the behaviour of the integrated systems (AD-MET) from the perspective of propionate...

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is a term that encompasses a group of novel technologies able to interconvert electrical energy and chemical energy by means of a bioelectroactive biofilm. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) systems, which branch off from BESs, are able to convert CO2 into valuable organic chemicals and fuels. This study demonstrates...

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) encompass a group of biobased technologies capable of directly converting organic matter into electricity. In these systems, which are derived from conventional electrochemical systems, the ion exchange membrane represents a key element because of its influence on the economic feasibility and on the performance of B...

First large-scale experiences of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are underway. However, there is still little knowledge on how the different elements that integrate a BES behave in near real-life conditions. This paper aims at assessing the impact of long-term operation on the cation exchange membrane and on the anodic biofilm of two 16 L Microbia...

This study was aimed at understanding the effect of applied voltage, catholyte and reactor scale on nitrogen recovery from two different organic wastes (digestate and pig slurry) by means of microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) technology. For this purpose, MEC sizes of 100, 500 and 1000 mL were tested at applied voltages of 0.6, 1 and 1.4 V using eit...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) valorization for the production of different commodity chemicals is a highly desired approach to moderate CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The versatility of microbial electrochemical technologies makes it possible to use them for carbon capture and utilization. This is mainly achieved through two novel processes, namely: mic...

Selecting an anodophilic consortium capable of efficient propionate degradation. • Studying the mechanisms of propionate degradation through electrochemical analysis. • Geobacter and Clostridium proved to be the key genera in successfully acclimated bioanodes. • These observations lead us to hypothesize that the electron transfer mechanism is commo...

This study aims to characterize the performance of a 150 L bioelectrochemical system-based plant, during the simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal from several waste streams of wastewater treatment plants. The bioelectrochemical system (BES) contained five electrode pairs (operated hydraulically and electrically in parallel) and was fed with eit...

In this study, the effects on process performance and changes in microbial populations with the addition of biochar to the anaerobic digestion of sludge and orange peels were evaluated. Biochar had a positive influence in batch digestions, leading to a decrease in the lag phase and an increase in methane yields; this was even more evident for citru...

This study investigates the potential opportunities of hydrogen evolution treating landfill leachate in a set of two microbial electrolysis cells (MEC-1 and 2) under 30 °C and 17±3 °C temperatures, respectively. The system achieved a projected current density of 10001200 mA m–2 (MEC-1) and 530755 mA m–2 (MEC-2) coupled with low cost hydrogen prod...

Background The European Commission Implementing Decision EU 2015/495 included three steroidal estrogens, namely 17α-ethinyl estradiol, 17β-estradiol, and estrone, in the so-called “watch list” of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The monitoring of these compounds is difficult because the detection limits of the majority of the available anal...

This study seeks to understand how the bacterial communities that develop on biocathodes are influenced by inocula diversity and electrode potential during start-up. Two different inocula are used: one from a highly diverse environment (river mud) and the other from a low diverse milieu (anaerobic digestion). In addition, both inocula were subjecte...

It can hardly be overemphasized the importance of understanding biofilm formation when aiming at developing bioelectrochemical systems. One of the main challenges comes when trying to develop controlled electrogenic cultures, especially when using environmental inocula containing a high microbial diversity and richness. This study aims at investiga...

This work presents an innovative education experience for engineering students, with the objective of connecting students to labor market, in the context of the regular subject practices, with the analysis of real cases of companies, and using as tools the ICTs and the flipped learning methodology. The assessment of the impact of this innovation...

The development and practical implementation of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) requires an in-depth characterisation of their components. The electrodes, which are critical elements, are usually built from carbon-based materials due to their high specific surface area, biocompatibility and chemical stability. In this study, a simple methodology t...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have great potential as a technology for wastewater treatment in parallel to energy production. In this study we explore the feasibility of using a low-cost, membraneless MEC for domestic wastewater treatment and methane production in both batch and continuous modes. Low-strength wastewater can be successfully tr...

Development of a bioelectrochemical system that provides an approach for efficient copper recovery from metallurgy industry wastewater

Dairy industry is characterized by high generation of cheese whey, a byproduct from cheese factories with a high organic matter content in the form of lactose, proteins and other compounds coming from processed milk. If it is not properly disposed it might favour serious environmental pollution problems. However, it is possible the application of r...

The effect of microwave pre-treatment (MwP) on anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge was studied by means of thermal analysis and evolved gas analysis. The effect of the pre-treatment at low energy input (<1000 kJ L−1) on sludge solubilisation was studied with the aid of response surface methodology. The pre-treatment process was subsequently studie...

The aim of this work was to study the effect of ultrasonic pretreatment on sludge digestion, particle size distribution (PSD), and dewaterability of digestates (measured by capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistance to filtration (SRF)). Sludge was pretreated with ultrasound (24 kHz) at an energy dosage of 4300 kJ/kg TS. Digestibility of...

The biological production of H2 by dark fermentation is being extensively investigated due to the great potential of the two-phase hydrogen/methane fermentation process for recovering energy from carbohydrate-rich wastes. However, the purification of the bio-hydrogen and biogas obtained is needed to produce high-purity H2 and CH4 streams appropriat...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have the potential to become a sustainable domestic wastewater (dWW) treatment system. However, new scale-up experiences are required to gain knowledge of critical issues in MEC designs. In this study we assess the ability of two twin membraneless MEC units (that are part of a modular pilot-scale MEC) to treat dW...

The addition of lipid wastes to the digestion of swine manure was studied as a means of increasing biogas production. Lipid waste was obtained from a biodiesel plant where used cooking oil is the feedstock. Digestion of this co-substrate was proposed as a way of valorising residual streams from the process of biodiesel production and to integrate t...

Globally, large amounts of electrical energy are spent every year for domestic wastewater (dWW) treatment. In the future, energy prices are expected to rise as the demand for energy resources increases and fossil fuel reserves become depleted. By using appropriate technologies, the potential chemical energy contained in the organic compounds presen...

The present work was focused on the developmentof a management alternative for residues from the winery industry in Spain. It was performed under the INNPACTO project IPT-2011-1684-440000 funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain. Every year vast amounts of vineyards residues are generated. Old vines are pulle...

El primer objetivo de este proyecto era desarrollar una planta piloto de pirólisis lenta, autotérmica y portátil, que sirviera para la carbonización de los restos de biomasa proveniente de viñedos arrancados por llegar al final de su ciclo (30 - 40 años). Durante este tiempo, las cepas acumulan 25-35 tn CO2/ha, que pueden ser devueltas a la atmosfe...

The production of hydrogen from food wastes was studied in a two‐stage (dark fermentation‐digestion) process under mesophilic conditions. The effect of a recycling stream, from the methanogenic phase to the fermentation phase, over H 2 production and alkali consumption was evaluated in a semicontinuous fermentation process. The cases of no‐recyclin...

The production of H2 was studied using a packed bed reactor with polyurethane foam acting as support material. Experiments were performed using mixed microflora under non sterile conditions. The system was initially operated with synthetic wastewater as the sole substrate. Subsequently, cheese whey permeate was added to the system at varying organi...

Numerous studies have evaluated compost teas' capacity to suppress plant disease, but no study has been made of possible compost tea phytotoxicity. In this study, 24 assays were carried out on compost tea produced from three different composts: one produced from bovine manure (M) and two others made from municipal solid waste but differing in the d...

The influence of the applied voltage (Vapp) and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) on hydrogen and methane production and the removal rate for chemical oxygen demand (COD) was studied in a membrane-less microbial electrolysis cell with a Ni-based cathode. When a synthetic effluent from a dark-fermentation process was fed continuously into the anodi...

One of the technologies available for coping with problems related to the rise in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide is CO2 biofixation with microalgae or cyanobacteria. The selection of native strains that grow well at the specific site where the technology is to be used will increase the success possibilities of such a technology. Thus,...

Anaerobic digestion of livestock wastes (swine manure (SM) and poultry litter (PL)) and vegetable processing wastes (VPW) mixtures was evaluated in terms of methane yield, volatile solids removal and lignocellulosic material degradation. Batch experiments were performed with 2% VS (volatile solids) to ensure complete conversion of TVFAs (total vola...

Microbial electrolysis represents a new approach for harnessing the energy contained in the organic matter of wastewater. However, before this approach can be implemented on a practical basis, a cost-effective manufacturing process for microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) must be developed. The objective of this study is to estimate an acceptable pu...

The feasibility and operation performance of the gasification of rice straw in an atmospheric fluidized-bed gasifier was studied. The gasification was carried out between 700 and 850 °C. The stoichiometric air-fuel ratio (A/F) for rice straw was 4.28 and air supplied was 7-25% of that necessary for stoichiometric combustion. Mass and power balances...

The growth rate and CO2 biofixation rate of a photosynthetic organism depend basically on the availability of light, all other factors being optimum. In dense cultures of cyanobacteria or micro-algae intended for biomass production, incident irradiance on the reactor surface is not the same as the intensity which is received by cells, as irradiance...

The effect of adding vegetable waste as a co-substrate in the anaerobic digestion of swine manure was investigated. The study was carried out at laboratory scale using semi-continuous stirred tank reactors working at 37 °C. Organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.4 and 0.6 g VS L−1 d−1 were evaluated, corresponding to hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of...

Anaerobic co-digestion involves the treatment of different substrates with the aim of improving the production of biogas and the stability of the process. In this research, co-digestion of swine manure (SM) and energy crop residues (ECRs) was studied. The mixtures evaluated contained SM combined with maize (Mz), rapeseed (Rs) or sunflower (Sf) resi...

The production of H(2) by biological means, although still far from being a commercially viable proposition, offers great promise for the future. Purification of the biogas obtained may lead to the production of highly concentrated H(2) streams appropriate for industrial application. This research work evaluates the dark fermentation of food wastes...

This study investigates the influence of anode and cathode size and arrangement on hydrogen production in a membrane-less flat-plate microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Protein measurements were used to evaluate microbial density in the carbon felt anode. The protein concentration was observed to significantly decrease with the increase in distance...

BACKGROUND: A fundamental step in assessing the viability of a CO2 biofixation system based on microalgae is to identify the maximum CO2 biofixation yield that can be achieved for this microorganism when it is cultivated under optimum operational growth conditions. Response surface methodology was applied to determine optimum culture conditions for...

The digestion of two different residues with high lipid content was investigated in the present research. The first part of the experimental work focussed on an assessment of the co-digestion of sewage sludge and fat, oil and grease (FOG) residues separated from the grease trap in the biological pre-treatments of wastewater treatment plants, as pro...

Anaerobic digestion of livestock wastes with carbon rich residues was studied. Swine manure and poultry litter were selected as livestock waste, and vegetable processing waste was selected as the rich carbon source. A Central Composite Design (CCD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were employed in designing experiments and determine individua...

The combustion of sewage sludge (SS), animal manure (AM) and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was assessed and compared with that of a semianthracite coal (SC) and of a PET waste by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Differences were found in the TG curves obtained for the combustion of these materials accordingly to their respec...

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion (34+/-1 degrees C) of pre-treated (for 20 min at 133 degrees C, >3 bar) slaughterhouse waste and its co-digestion with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) have been assessed. Semi-continuously-fed digesters worked with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 36 d and organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.2 an...

Anaerobic digestion of swine manure supplemented with residual glycerine from a biodiesel production plant was investigated as a means for increasing biogas production on livestock farms treating residues by the anaerobic digestion process. Two different manures were tested proceeding from two local facilities, being evaluated under batch digestion...

In this paper, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) along with thermogravimetric analysis together with mass spectrometry (TG-MS analysis) were employed to study the organic matter transformation attained under anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste and to establish the stability of the digestates obtained when compared with fresh wa...

Hydrogen production from glycerol was studied in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) with a 250 mL anodic chamber and a gas-phase cathode. A membraneless MEC design was employed, where a graphite felt anode and gas diffusion cathode were only separated by a 0.7 mm thick highly porous synthetic fabric (J-cloth). Glycerol (fuel) was continuously fed...

Organic matter contained in food waste was degraded by anaerobic digestion under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions at two hydraulic retention times. Evolution of the digestion process was followed by thermogravimetry analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance. All analytical methods suggested that longer retention...

Mixtures of organic and inorganic wastes were incubated to examine the changes in organic C (OC) contents. An anaerobic sludge and a CaO-treated aerobic sludge, with OC concentrations of 235 and 129 gkg(-1), were used. The inorganic wastes used - referred to as "conditioners" - were shot blasting scrap, fettling, Linz-Donawitz slag, foundry sand (F...

Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis was used to study and compare the combustion of sewage sludge (SS), animal manure (AM) and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). TG curves are in correspondence with the volatiles and carbon content of the materials studied. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric data were used to assess the kinetics of th...

The potential of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of poultry blood has been evaluated in a co-digestion process. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was employed as the co-substrate to avoid digestion inhibition by dilution of nitrogen content and improvement of biodegradability. A semi-continuous mesophilic anaerobic digeste...

This research explores the opportunities of combining energy production with a biochar soil management using a pyrolysis process. Real-world issues justify this approach: the need to provide sustainable production systems that minimize on- and off-site pollution and soil degradation; and the demand for solutions to global warming. The proposed tech...

The removal of binary mixed metal ions [Hg(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III)] from water was investigated. Two different sewage sludge-based adsorbents were produced and used for this purpose: PS, obtained by pyrolysis of sewage sludge, and AS, by ZnCl2 chemical activation of sewage sludge followed by pyrolysis. The AS products showed a better develo...

One of the main disadvantages of the dark fermentation process is the cost associated with the stages needed for obtaining H2 producing microorganisms. Using anaerobic microflora in fermentation systems directly is an alternative which is gaining special interest when considering the implementation of large-scale plants and the use of wastes as sub...

The limited reserves of fossil fuels along with the environmental concern about green-house gases have led to the search for new energy sources. Biomass offers a sustainable and renewable energy system. Sewage sludge, a residue generated in wastewater treatment plants, is one of the environmental problems in industrialized countries. Its contents o...

The degree of stability attained by livestock farm wastes (cattle and poultry manure) through anaerobic digestion was studied by means of thermal analysis and various stability assays, such as carbon mineralization, degradability bio-assays and phytotoxicity. Results from these tests coincided in assigning a greater degree of stabilization to the p...

The kinetics of the combustion of coal, two different sewage sludge and their blends (containing different dried weight percentages of sewage sludge) was studied by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis. Once the weight percentage of sludge in the blend was 10%, the effects on the combustion of coal were hardly noticeable in terms of weight loss....

Two materials were produced from sewage sludge by: (1) pyrolysis of dried sewage sludge (PS); (2) chemical activation of dried sewage sludge with ZnCl(2) followed by pyrolysis (AS). The aim was to study the application of these materials for metal purification from water and to determine the efficiency of each material. Although AS displayed higher...

The combustion of two different sewage sludges and a semianthracite coal was studied and compared by thermogravimetric analysis. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric data were used to evaluate the Arrhenius parameters (activation energy and the pre-exponential factor) of the combustion of these carbonaceous materials. The paper reports on the applicati...

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste (SHW) and its co-digestion with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) have been evaluated. These processes were carried out in a laboratory plant semi-continuously operated and two set-ups were run. The first set-up, with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 25 days and organic l...

Compost extract or "compost tea" is a liquid extract of compost obtained by mixing compost and water for a defined period of time. Compost tea contains nutrients and a range of different organisms and is applied to the soil or directly to plants with the principal aim of suppressing certain plant diseases. In addition, the application of compost te...

Charge neutralisation plays a major role in heavy metal and humic substance removal in water treatment. Humic substances have no readily identifiable structure and they consist of anionic macromolecules of low to moderate molecular weight. Humic substances are easily coagulated using cationic metals and polyelectrolytes. Different concentrations of...

A feasibility study is made with the use of adsorbents produced from sewage sludge and the solid residue of pyrolysed tyres in fixed-bed adsorption. The study was focused on dyeing pollution, and the target dyes were: Methylene blue and Sandolan brilliant red N-BG 125. First, the adsorption isotherms were determined for each adsorbate–adsorbent sys...

Combustion of urban sewage sludge together with coal in existing infrastructures may be a sustainable management option energetically interesting for these materials, usually considered wastes. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to study the combustion of a semianthracite coal and the modifications undergone when adding a small percentage (2%, 5%,...

Research was carried out with the aim of monitoring anaerobic digestion processes using thermal analysis with the aid of mass spectrometry so as to define the stability of the digestate obtained. Three different systems were investigated under varying conditions. The digestion of waste sludge from a pharmaceutical industry (PI) and the digestion of...

A thermogravimetric (TG) and mass spectrometric (MS) study was carried out of the process of devolatilization of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This involved an analysis of the heating profiles in an inert atmosphere for each of these residues separately and for a mixture made up of half...

The biological stabilization process of cattle and poultry manure was studied using thermogravimetric analysis and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance. The stabilization processes carried out were composting, anaerobic digestion and a mixed process (partly aerobic, partly anaerobic). It was observed from the analyzed samples that the biological stabil...

Various mixtures incorporating a simulated organic fraction of municipal solid wastes and blood from a poultry slaughterhouse were used as substrate in a dark fermentation process for the production of hydrogen. The individual and interactive effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT), solid content in the feed (%TS) and proportion of residues (%Blo...

A pilot-scale pyrolysis process was carried out for the treatment of a mixture of two types of waste, sewage sludge and cattle manure, comparing the results with others obtained under laboratory conditions (semi-pilot scale). The aim of this study was to obtain the energetic valorization of the products. Owing to the specific characteristics of the...

This paper describes the process of thermolysis of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in a pilot scale reactor and the results are compared with others obtained under laboratory conditions (semi-pilot scale). The aim of this study was to get the energetic valorisation of the products. Owing to the specific characteristics of the plant, t...

To combust coal together with a small percentage (<10%) of sewage sludge may be an option for the management of these wastes. Combustion of two different sewage sludge, one semianthracite coal and several sludges-coal blends (containing different dried mass% of each of the two sewage sludges) were studied by simultaneous TG/MS dynamic runs carried...

This paper presents the results obtained for the digestion of primary sludge (PS) and co-digestion of this sludge with the fruit and vegetable fraction of municipal solid wastes (FVFMSW) under mesophilic conditions. This mixture was prepared with a PS content of 22%. The anaerobic digestion process was evaluated under static conditions and with dif...

This study has two aims: to improve the biodesulphurization of a semi-anthracite by packed-column leaching by reducing the insoluble sulphate on the coal surface, and to determine whether after the combustion of treated and untreated coal, sulphate sulphur is transformed completely into sulphur dioxide or part remains in the ashes without reacting....

The aim of this study was to establish the degree of stabilization of sludge and its influence on the evolution of total aerobic micro-organisms and those of faecal origin when the sludge is applied to soil. Two different sludges were used, from a food industry (D) and from an urban treatment plant, (E). Both sludges were stabilized aerobically in...

A two-phase fermentation process for the treatment of waste, intended for the recovery of hydrogen for energy use, was investigated in its initial fermentation phase. Hydrogen production was obtained from a mixed culture based on an active mesophilic inoculum without any selective treatment being applied. The liquid stream generated by the hydrogen...

Adsorbent materials have been produced from sewage sludge and discarded tyres. Their physical structures and chemical surfaces differ according to their origin and production process. However, all the activated carbons show a good development of their mesopore structure. The adsorption equilibriums of methylene blue and sandolan brilliant red N-BG...