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  • PROGRAM

    Sustainability in biosystems

  • PROGRAM

    Sustainability in biosystems

  • PROGRAM

    Sustainability in biosystems

  • PROGRAM

    Sustainability in biosystems

  • PROGRAM

    Sustainability in biosystems

Our program activities include the in-depth characterization of emissions that threaten the environment, in the atmosphere, water, soil and global climate. We also develop, validate and optimize innovative strategies for waste management, recovery and biological treatment. In addition, we conduct research on the quantification and improvement of carbon capture and stabilization in the soil. Finally, we conduct quantitative assessments of the environmental sustainability of products, companies, regions and food systems in general through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to support decisions and policies.

Program Manager

August Bonmatí Blasi

Bonmatí Blasi, August

Head of the Biosystems Sustainability Programme

Centers where the program works

SHARE

  • Environmental monitoring and analysis of environmental processes

    Implementation of advanced analytical tools for the qualitative and quantitative characterization of environmental emissions:

    • Analysis of greenhouse gases and other environmental emissions (waste, water and gases) from livestock farms, crops and biosystems in general.
    • Industrial hygiene and characterization of environmental hazards related to chemical and microbial contamination.
    • Characterization of microbial populations (bacteria, archaea and fungi) in environmental bioprocesses.
    • Chemical analysis of water and wastewater samples, with a focus on the presence of nutrients and organic compounds, but also environmental pollutants.

  • Environmental biotechnology for a more sustainable agri-food sector

    Development and validation of innovative (bio)techniques for the prevention and mitigation of environmental pollution and the recovery of organic waste and by-products:

    • Biogas production from organic waste by anaerobic (co)digestion. Determination of the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of complex organic substrates.
    • Composting of organic waste and solid-state fermentations for the production of bio-based fertilizers and value-added products.
    • Fundamental and applied research on emerging biotechnological concepts (i.e. bioelectrochemical systems, biogas upgrading, etc.) and established bioprocesses.
    • Technologies for nutrient removal/recovery (stripping/absorption, struvite precipitation, NDN, solar drying and vacuum evaporation).
    • Bioremediation of soil and (groundwater) pollution (excess nutrients, hydrocarbons and petroleum derivatives, fuel additives, organohalogens, plastics, heavy metals, emerging pollutants and micropollutants).
    • Configuration, testing and evaluation of bioprocesses at laboratory scale, and expansion to pilot-scale bioreactor units.
    • Advising and monitoring large-scale waste and wastewater facilities, as well as agricultural systems.

  • Environmental microbiology

    Generation and improvement of knowledge in environmental microbiology in agrosystems, bioreactors and the environment, for the functional characterization of microbial populations:

    • Identification and use of native metabolic capacities to solve environmental problems (soil, water, air).
    • Advanced mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, adapting microbial activity in different agrosystems.
    • Modulation of the physiological activity of microbial communities to accelerate bioprocesses (agrosystems and bioreactors).
    • Selective isolations and microbial cultures/consortia for key bioprocesses.
    • Technologies based on DNA/RNA (qPCR, Metabarcoding, Metagenomics), bioinformatics and biostatistics.

  • Quantitative assessment of environmental sustainability of products, organizations or regions

    Development and implementation of environmental footprint (EF) methods, i.e. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and autonomous footprints (carbon footprint, water footprint):

    • Implementation of LCA and EF in the agri-food sector (agriculture, livestock, aquaculture/fishery, food processing) as a decision support tool for the optimization of processes and services based on objective sustainability criteria.
    • Decision-making support for multiple points of interest: producer (sustainability goals and strategies, production process improvement, product and organizational footprints, soil carbon certification), consumer/retailer (labeling, green claims), regulator/policy (territorial data and assessments).
    • Development of locally adapted data inventories for more accurate LCA of processes related to food production, food losses and waste, residual biomass management and consumption activities.
    • Development of new impact indicators for LCA studies: soil health, ecosystem services, water consumption, use of antimicrobials, ecotoxicity, biodiversity, nutritional LCA, etc.
    • Geographical studies on sustainable circular economy and bioeconomy. Quantification of non-renewable resource flows and potential substitution by bioresources (bioenergy, nutrients and biomaterials).

  • Soil health and carbon sequestration

    Development and implementation of innovative methods to regenerate and improve the quality and health of agricultural soil and find routes to improve the sequestration of atmospheric carbon in the soil:

    • Improving the natural processes of plants and soil (decomposition of waste, accumulation of microbial biomass, exudation from roots) so that it can stabilize the organic matter of the soil.
    • Description of the impacts of improving soil quality and health on the productivity and stability of cropping systems in a changing climate.
    • Effects of soil and crop management and edaphoclimatic characteristics on the structure, interactions and diversity of soil microbiota.
    • Characterization and modulation of soil environmental ecosystem services, such as soil organic matter, carbon agriculture and carbon capture, soil microbiota, and soil preservation techniques.
    • Definition of new soil quality indicators in agricultural soils.
    • Physicochemical characterization and use of innovative organic materials and processed waste as agricultural fertilizers, soil enhancers and sustainable soil management practices.

August Bonmatí Blasi

Bonmatí Blasi, August

Head of the Biosystems Sustainability Programme

Research staff

Research staff in training

Technical staff

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