Lithium and sodium are neighbours in the periodic table. Both are alkali metals, both have a single electron in their outer shell, and both can be used to shuttle ions between two electrodes to store and release electrical energy. At first sight, replacing lithium with sodium in a rechargeable battery might therefore seem straightforward. There […]
Biotechnology • Chemical engineering • Food processing • Microbiology
Probiotics are part of a rapidly expanding field of research. They are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, may confer health benefits[1]. Among the most extensively studied probiotics, some species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have been associated with the maintenance of gut microbiota balance and with several physiological functions[2]. Producing these microorganisms usually […]
Biochemistry • Chemical engineering • Chemistry • DIPC Biochemistry • Food processing
Enzymes and other biomolecules are often anchored onto solid materials so they can be reused, purified more easily, and made more stable, a strategy biotechnology has relied on since industrial-scale immobilized enzymes first appeared in chemical manufacturing in the mid-twentieth century. Immobilized enzymes today drive processes from food and pharmaceutical production to biosensors and medical […]
When energy storage is discussed in the context of the energy transition, the conversation almost invariably turns to electricity. Solar and wind power have made the temporal mismatch between energy production and energy demand one of the defining challenges of low-carbon energy systems, and technologies capable of storing electrical energy have consequently become central to […]
Catalysis • Chemical engineering • Chemistry • Materials • Mechanical Engineering
Steel and metal production are among the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 10% of global CO2 emissions. At the same time, modern technology relies on tailored steels and metals for applications in fields such as mobility, energy, infrastructure, safety and medicine. Hydrogen-based metal production offers a promising CO2-free alternative and […]
Earth’s atmosphere is a vast, swirling engine of weather and climate. Jet streams race across continents, storms spin into hurricanes, and invisible eddies churn the air at every scale. For decades, scientists have struggled to understand exactly how energy and swirling motion flow through these turbulent systems, especially in the layered zones where the air […]
Authors: Crisbel Cardenas 1, Eduardo Torre-Pascual 1,2 , Maite de Blas 1,2 , Estíbaliz Sáez de Cámara 1,2, Erlantz Lizundia 1,3 & Ion Agirre-Arisketa 1,2 1 Repsol Foundation Classroom on Energy Transition & Circular Economy. Bilbao School of Engineering. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Bilbao. España 2 Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department. Bilbao School […]
Biochemistry • Biotechnology • Catalysis • Chemical engineering • Chemistry
Authors: Fernando López-Gallego, Principal Investigator, Ikerbasque Professor and group leader at the Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Laboratory at CIC biomaGUNE; Ainhoa Oliden-Sánchez, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Laboratory at CIC biomaGUNE; Clara García-Gorro, Science Communication Manager at CIC biomaGUNE. Self-sufficient heterogeneous biocatalysts are emerging as powerful tools for greener, more efficient chemical manufacturing. By cleverly combining […]
Biotechnology • Chemical engineering • Food processing • Microbiology • Molecular biology
Biogenic amines (BAs) are nitrogenous compounds formed primarily by microbial decarboxylation of amino acids. In food products, they can accumulate to levels that pose health risks, including histamine poisoning and hypertensive crises due to tyramine ingestion . Fermented foods, particularly cheeses, are significant sources of BAs due to their complex microbial consortia and the metabolic […]
PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a widely used polymer in packaging due to its favourable properties, increases rapidly in global plastic production and waste. Between 2000 and 2019, global plastic production rose from 234 to 460 million tonnes and is projected to reach 1,231 million tonnes by 2060. As a result, plastic waste more than doubled from […]