The members of the Bioe Group of IMDEA Agua have participated in the XXVIII International Symposium of Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics of the Bioelectrochemical Society, held from May 19 to 23 at the Polytechnic School of the University of Alcalá. The meeting has been organised together with the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Petroleum Catalysis Institute-CSIC. Abraham Esteve Núñez, principal investigator of this group, has chaired the meeting, which focused on topics such as electroporation, microbial bioelectrochemistry, bioelectrosynthesis, studies of fundamental electrochemical enzymes, enzymatic bioelectrochemistry for analytical purposes and bioelectrochemistry for energy conversion and storage.

A plenary conference by Antonio Berná Galiano, three oral communications – among them, the one presented by Juan Manuel Ortiz – and eight posters have collected the research in microbial electrochemical technologies carried out at the institute and its applications in sustainable treatments of urban and industrial wastewater, hydrogen production, microbial desalination, or the development of biosensors for real-time monitoring of water quality.

At the meeting, which opened last Sunday at the ancient Teatro Corral de Comedias, more than 200 experts from around the world gathered to share their research, ideas, and perspectives on the latest advances in bioelectrochemistry. The conference provides a chance to investigate the wide range of this dynamic and interdisciplinary field, from cutting-edge technologies and innovative applications to fundamental principles and theoretical frameworks.

The Bioelectrochemical Society (BES) is an international scientific association founded in 1979 to promote understanding and cooperation between scientists interested in the application of electrochemical concepts and techniques to the fundamental or applied study of living systems.

Award-winning poster

The work entitled REGENERA: Research on microbial electrochemical technologies for hybrid energy storage for water industry sustainability, presented by Ana J. Vega de Armas, has been awarded the second prize for best poster. It proposes a bioelectrochemical system (BES-BioH2) as a viable alternative for wastewater treatment and hydrogen production. The award is sponsored by Elsevier.