CBQF/LAE Research Seminar "Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from waste(water)"

The CBQF/LAE Research Seminar "Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from waste(water)" with Ángeles Val del Río, from CRETUS institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), will take place on July 4, at 12:00 pm, in Arménio Miranda Auditorium, in the Biotechnology Building.

Summary of presentation
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable plastics produced by bacteria. They are typically produced using pure cultures and well-defined carbon sources (such as glucose or oil), but this makes the final product non-competitive in cost compared to conventional plastics. For this reason, the use of mixed cultures and waste as carbon source is gaining research interest, leading to the development of novel technologies. In our research group we began producing PHA from industrial wastewater at the laboratory scale and later transitioned to using waste cooking oil. We are currently operating at the pilot scale to validate our patented technology, in which PHA production is carried out in a single bioreactor, instead of the conventional configuration that uses two to three units.

Short biography
Ángeles Val holds a degree in Chemical Engineering (2006) from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), where she also completed a PhD in Environmental Biotechnology (2012). She carried out various research stays during both her pre-doctoral (Barcelona and Narbonne) and post-doctoral stages (Galway and Braga). Since 2019, she has been an Assistant Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at USC, teaching across several degree and master's programs. Her research focuses on the development of novel biological technologies for waste(water) treatment and resource valorisation.