Dr. Misael Sebastián Gradilla-Hernández
Dr. Martín Esteban González López
Sustainability and Climate Change Laboratory
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Guadalajara Campus, Jalisco, Mexico
Abstract: This seminar will cover two important aspects of sustainable management practices. The first aspect will delve into the sustainable management of water bodies in Mexico, focusing on microbial ecology and metagenomics. Case studies including Lake Cajititlán, Lake Atotonilco, and the Santiago River will be presented to emphasize the significance of studying the microbial communities in water bodies for understanding their role in maintaining water quality. Advanced sequencing techniques and metagenomics will also be discussed as powerful tools for water quality monitoring and assessment, including the identification of emerging contaminants and the development of water quality indices.
The second aspect of the seminar will concentrate on maximizing bioenergy production from agro-industrial wastes in Jalisco. Specifically, streams of livestock waste, tequila vinasses, and cheese whey will be analyzed to identify the feedstock effects on the methanogenic dynamics and clusters for energy distributed ecosystems in anaerobic digestion systems. The seminar will emphasize the optimization of bioenergy production from agro-industrial waste streams in Jalisco with a specific focus on the study of biochemical methane potential (BMP). Additionally, the seminar will explore the potential for decentralized energy production using small-scale anaerobic digestion systems and its implications for sustainable agro-industrial waste management.
Bios: Misael Sebastián Gradilla-Hernández, a former General Director of Environmental Protection and Management of the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development of the government of Jalisco, Mexico, has been a research professor and the leader of the Sustainability and Climate Change Laboratory at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara since 2011. He obtained a degree in environmental engineering from ITESO and went on to earn a master’s degree in science and technology with a specialization in Environmental Engineering and a Doctorate in Biotechnological Innovation from CIATEJ. Additionally, he obtained a second Doctorate in management from the University of Guadalajara, specializing in environmental management and sustainability.
Dr. Gradilla-Hernández is a member of the National System of Researchers and specializes in the monitoring and assessment of surface water sources and in biotechnological strategies for the treatment of wastewater and solid waste, including anaerobic digestion and microalgal treatment. He has participated in numerous projects related to the water quality and emerging contaminants in water sources in Jalisco, such as Lake Cajititlán, Lake Atotonilco, Lake Zapotlán, and the Santiago River, and in circular economy projects for the treatment of liquid effluents from agro-industrial origin, such as livestock waste and tequila vinasses.
Dr. Gradilla-Hernández has co-authored several environmental programs of the State of Jalisco, such as the strategy to reduce food loss and waste in the state of Jalisco, the comprehensive waste management program “Jalisco Reduce”, and the development of a support system for decision-making in Río Santiago. Currently, he is leading the Sustainability and Climate Change Lab initiative at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara, financed by the European Union.
Martin Esteban Gonzalez Lopez is a Chemical Engineer with a Master of Science in Forest Product Science, and a Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Guadalajara. He is a Level I Researcher of the National System of Researchers by the National Council of Science and Technology of México. Currently, he works as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Tecnológico de Monterrey in the Sustainability and Climate Change Laboratory. Dr. Gonzalez’s research interests include the sustainable use of lignocellulosic waste to produce biodegradable materials and environmental remediation applications in water treatment.
Dr. Gonzalez has conducted research at the Institute of Science and Technology of Polymers in Madrid, Spain, and Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, where he worked under the guidance of Dr. Denis Rodrigue, a renowned researcher in the field of polymers. He obtained an honors degree during his Master’s and Doctoral studies and received the State Award for Innovation, Science and Technology in the Postgraduate Thesis category in 2019 and 2021, respectively, due to his excellent academic performance and published scientific articles.