The Biomass Research Group conducts interdisciplinary research to generate, transfer, and disseminate scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for the production of bioenergy and bioproducts—including biomaterials, biosolvents, biosurfactants, and biofertilizers—from residual biomass available in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The group promotes sustainable biomass valorization to support industrial, agricultural, and environmental applications, including the optimization of chemical processes and the remediation of soils and water contaminated by hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other environmental pollutants.

Research Areas

Biomass Resource Assessment

Quantification, characterization, and evaluation of agricultural, livestock, forestry, agro-industrial, municipal, and wastewater-derived biomass to determine their potential for producing renewable energy and value-added bioproducts.

Biomass Conversion Technologies

Development and optimization of technologies for biomass valorization, including anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis, algal systems, microbial processes, pellet production, and other bioenergy and bioproduct generation pathways.

Biomass Pre-treatment Technologies

Development of sustainable pre-treatment methods to improve biomass conversion efficiency through particle size reduction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, catalysis, and other innovative approaches.

Biomass Product Post-treatment

Development of post-treatment processes for products such as biogas, biochar, digestate, effluents, and syngas to enhance their quality, safety, and applicability through purification, sanitization, filtration, dehydration, densification, and catalytic treatments.

Applications of Biomass-Derived Products

Research on the industrial, agricultural, and environmental applications of biomass-derived products, including:

• Thermal applications

• Electricity generation

• Mechanical applications

• Nutrient recycling

• Soil amendments

• Pest control

• Catalysts and catalyst supports

• Adsorbents