Fitxa persona

Full Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Valencia (UV), I have developed my scientific career within the GI2AM group, becoming an expert on Environmental Biotechnology and Process Simulation. My research focuses on developing sustainable bioprocesses to treat industrial air emissions and valorize them and other waste streams through fermentation into bioenergy, biofuels, and bulk chemicals.

Continuously participating in R&D Projects, since 2017, and leadership of competitive projects since 2021. I led the research tasks regarding the development of novel Clostridia fermentation configurations for biobutanol production from lignocellulosic waste. I demonstrated the feasibility to extend the SSFiR configuration from bioethanol refineries to biobutanol ones, being this outcome the first literature reference on ABE fermentation (Bioresource Technol 2021). Today, I co-lead as principal investigator the GI2AM research by winning the national call Generación Conocimiento with the BioRiceFinery project (PID2021-122454OB-I00) to develop a biorefinery platform from rice straw for sustainable decarbonisation, where advanced fermentation configurations with biomass retention have been developed, increasing butanol productivity up to 10-fold compared with batch reactors (J Chem Technol Biotechnol 2025) and a hybrid gas-stripping-pervaporation system has been designed, reducing energy demand by 60% (Fuel 2024). In additon, co-lead the regional call for competitive groups with the on-going project CIAICO/2023/302 to extend the fermentation platform to urban bioresidues. In the regional call Proyectos Estratégicos en Cooperación with the RECIMAP project (INNEST/2022/205), a new DES-based pretreatment was developed, achieving complete cellulose valorization from cotton-textile residues and producing lactic acid with yields of ~0.5 kg kg⁻¹ (J Environ Chem Eng 2025). I would like to highlight my international collaboration with Prof. Langenhove’s Group (U. Ghent) where I stayed for 1-year postdoc position applying membrane bioreactors to control air emissions. I regularly collaborate with industry but one of the most outstanding achievements on transfer to industry is the invention together Prof. Gabaldón (UV), JM Peñarrocha (UV) and A Waalkens (Pure Infinity) of Anaerobic Bioscrubber technology. This EU & USA patented technology represents a breakthrough in solvent emission control, converting solvent emissions into bioenergy. It’s the unique active USA licence of ETSE-UV and last July 2025 it has been installed the first commercial unit.

Regarding training, I’m one of the main supervisors of PhD students of the team supervising 8 PhD Thesis (2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2025 and 3 ongoing).

Since 2020, I’m the Secretary of the Chemical Engineering Department of UV.