On this page you can find information about of Biorefinery laboratory
The biorefinery lab is part of the Food Research Department. The strategy of Biorefinery lab focuses on the development and consolidation on bioconversion and valorization of lignocellulose and aquatic (macro- micro algae) for the production of bio-based products (new algae foods, xylooligosaccharides) and biofuels (bioethanol) in terms of circular bioeconomy: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3682-0_2
Biorefinery laboratory equipment
Hydrothermal processing reactors (high pressure technology) for fractionation of biomass with temperature and stirring rate controls. These reactors are suitable for sub- supercritical water and organosolv process. Steel batch pressurized reactor are design by Biorefinery group with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control for temperature. We have in the lab with reactors from 160-860 mL. Also, in facilities we have a 1 L Parr reactor: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.109257; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.100
Bioreactors for bioprocesses:
Gas lift and column bioreactor for enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation process and microalgae cultivation (2.7 L). Bioreactor Design by Biorefinery group: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2022.108645
Horizontal bioreactor for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation at high solid loading (2 L). Bioreactor Design by Biorefinery group: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.109257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.01.111
Stirred tank bioreactor (STBR) for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation [my-Control for MiniBio Reactor, 500 mL, Applikon® Biotechnology]: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.109257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128448, https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123106
Lab-scale system for microalgal biomass cultivation. At our lab we are producing smaller batchs cultures of Spirulina platensis and microalgaes endemic of the Coahuila region. The kinetics of algal growth is carried out using our instrumented lab-scale system: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.126585, https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8080374, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126456
Ohmic heating (3D-printed reactor), hydrothermal and microwave heating processing: Extraction processes of compounds (carbohydrates, phycocyanin) from microalgae biomass
Packed-Bed Bioreactors for Solid-State Fermentation (SSF): production of enzymes and protein from macroalgae and lignocellulosic biomass: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030872, https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27123887, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111622, https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111834, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2012.03.007
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Gel Permeation Chromatography (HPLC-GPC) [Agilent Technologies] with a Refractive Index (RI) and Diode-Array (DAD) detectors for the determination and quantification of sugars, organic acids, alcohols, phenolic compounds and polymer molecular weight distributions.
Auxiliary equipment:
- Orbital shaker with temperature and speed controls, Autoclave, Ovens and muffle, Refrigeration and freezing, Thermostats, pH meters, MARS 6 – Microwave Digestion System for extraction and pretreatment, and more specific equipment. Software for modeling (Matlab, Polymath) and statistical analysis (Statistica software).
- We also have microorganisms such as bacteria: in the production of lactic acid, yeasts for the production of ethanol, fungi for the production of protein and fungal enzymes.
- Virtual platforms and academic research databases. The Autonomous University of Coahuila has useful resources on virtual teaching and learning activity, work meetings, virtual conferences through the digital platform: Microsoft Teams. Also, the Digital Library at the Autonomous University of Coahuila provides access to academic research databases such as: Scopus, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, SpringerLink, Wiley, and others.