Contribution to the 2nd European Meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (EU-ISMET 2014)

Contribution to the 2nd European Meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (EU-ISMET 2014)

The second edition of the european meeting of the international society for microbial electrochemistry and technology (EU-ISMET 2014) took place from 3 to 5 of September of 2014. This year the conference was in Alcalá de Henares (Spain).

The conference has provided an open forum for researchers and professionals in the field of microbial electrochemistry and technologies (METs) to discuss and present their research. This congres allowed the discussion of different and exciting topics as extracellular electron transfer in bacteria or as applied as bioremediation of wastewater, soil or sediments, electrosynthesis or energy generation.

Our group contributed to this conference with four oral presentations and three posters:

- A realistic approach for electromethanogenesis: coupling carbon capture to biogas upgrading. Oral. communication. Pau Batlle-Vilanova.

- Engineering reactor microbiomes of denitrifying Bioelectrochemical Systems. Oral communication. Narcís Pous.

- Hydrodynamic modelling for anode design on Microbial Fuel Cells. Pitch communication and poster. Albert Vilà.

- Best Poster Award: Effect of Hydrodynamics on MFC Microbial Community. Poster. Anna Vilajeliu-Pons.

.

- Scaled-up Microbial Fuel Cell for swine manure treatment and bioenergy production. Poster. Anna Vilajeliu-Pons

- Maximum Power Point Tracking strategy applied to Microbial Fuel Cells to reduce start-up time and minimize overpotentials. Oral presentation. Daniele Molognoni (former visiting researcher).

EcoSTP 2014 International conference from IWA

This week many LEQUIA team members attended to the EcoSTP International conference (http://www.ecostp.org/) that was held in Verona (Italy).

Within the scope of the BEST-Energy project, Pau Batlle-Vilanova gave an Oral presentation entitled:

Conversion Of Carbon Dioxide From WWTP Into Valuable Products Through Microbial Electrosynthesis

Other researchers from LEQUIA research group also presented their work:

Lessons learnt from N2O production during extremely high nitrogen streams treatment. Keynote presentation by Jordi Gabarró.
N and COD removal of leachate enhancing the COD biodegradability combining Panammox and PhotoFenton. Oral presentation by Alba Anfruns.
A knowledge-based decision support tool for selecting Eco-Wastewater treatment technologies. Oral presentation by Jose Porro.
Water footprint assessment in wastewater treatment plants. Oral presentation by Serni Morera and Joaquim Comas.
Comprehensive life cycle inventories for the construction of sewer systems and wastewater treatment. Poster by Serni Morera and Joaquim Comas.

10th Renewable Resources and Biorefineries (RRB) International conference

This week LEQUIA team members Dr. Jesús Colprim, Ms. Sara Ramió-Pujol, and Mr. Pau Batlle-Vilanova are going to Valladolid (Spain) to attend to the 10th International conference on Renewable Resources and Biorefineries (http://www.rrbconference.com/)

Pau Batlle-Vilanova will give his speech in the frame of Best-Energy project:
Electrochemical enrichment of homoacetogenic mixed cultures for CO2 transformation into valuable products.

And Sara Ramió-Pujol will give her speech about alcohol bioproduction:
Formate addition enhances alcohol production in carboxidotrophic clostridia.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2014

Our recent publication about hydrogen production using MECs

Hydrogen (H2) is a promising clean fuel, in the future it could replace fossil fuels in many applications. Nowadays energy intensive technologies are used to produce large amounts of H2 for industrial application. Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) could be used to produce hydrogen in a more sustainable way. Microorganisms can enhance hydrogen production reaction as they act as a biocatalyst. Our recent study on the field of hydrogen production through MECs is entitled "Assessment of biotic and abiotic graphite cathodes for hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells" and it had been recently accepted for publication in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

If you are interested on it here you have the information that you need to find it:

• Batlle-Vilanova, P.; Puig, S.; Gonzalez-Olmos, R.; Vilajeliu-Pons, A.; Bañeras, L.; Balaguer, M.D.; Colprim, J. 2014. Assessment of biotic and abiotic graphite cathodes for hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 39, 1297-1305.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.11.017

Bioelectrochemical systems course

Last week Dr. Puig went to León (Spain) from the first course of Biolectrochemical Systems (Seminario Básico sobre Reactores Bioelectroquímicos; November 14th, 2013). That day Dr. Puig gave a presentation about our work on biocathodes treating wastewater and polluted groundwater. The course was organized by Instituto de Recursos Naturales of the University of León. 
 

Contribution to the 4th international Microbial Fuel Cell Conference (MFC4)

The fourth edition of the international microbial fuel cell conference (MFC-4) took place from 1st to 4th of September of 2013. This year the conference held in Cairns (Australia).

The field that the MFC4 conference covered includes all microbial electrochemical technologies (METs). In an era of limited resources, the METs represent a potential to provide unique and innovative solutions to these emerging challenges.

Our group contributed to this conference with three oral presentations and one poster:

- Are BES able to perform groundwater bioremediation? (Pous, N., Puig, S., Coma, M., Balaguer, M.D. and Colprim, J.). Poster and oral presentation

- A biocatalysed cathode for hydrogen production in a microbial electrolysis cell: effect of cathode potential, energy consumption and biofilm identification (Batlle-Vilanova, P., Puig, S., Gonzalez-Olmos, R., Vilajeliu-Pons, A., Bañeras, L., Balaguer, M.D., Colprim, J.). Oral presentation

- MFC design influences microbial community treating swine manure (Vilajeliu-Pons, A., Puig, S., Pous, N., Salcedo-Dávila, I., Bañeras, L., Balaguer, M.D. and Colprim, J.). Oral presentation