Profile

Overview

I am honorary research fellow at CSM by my main job is at the University of Portsmouth as a Lecturer in Environmntal Microbioloy. At the CSM and the ESI, I collaborate in a project to develop new ways to valorise sulfidic tailings. The goal of the project is to develope and test innovative bio-leaching processes using acidophilic microorganisms under the project NEMO.

My research interests are in extreme environments,  working with microorganisms and their use on biotechnological applications such as biomining, and bioremediation. I am also interested in studying the stability and securing mines and mine wastes and the exploration of new strategies to recover valuable metals from wastes.

Qualifications

• PhD Microbiology of acidic mine pit lakes of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (University of the Basque Country and Geological Survey of Spain, Spain)
• MSc Oceanography (University of Cadiz, Spain)
• BSc in Conservation Biology (University of Alcala de Henares, Spain)

Links

• NEMO

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Research

Research interests

• Extreme environments: acidic pit lakes, acid mine drainages, hydrothermal vents, volcanic lakes.
• Micobial ecology.
• Resource recovery from waste.
• Bioleaching and biohydrometallurgy.
• Climate change and mining.
• Extremophiles.
• Bioremediation.

Research projects

NEMO: Near-zero-waste recycling of low-grade sulphidic mining waste for critical-metal, mineral and construction raw-material production in a circular economy. Grant agreement No 776846.

M3BioMinAnox: Metal-microbe-mineral interactions and biomineralization mechanisms in acidophilic anaerobes: Geochemical, microbiological and biotechnological implications. Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness project.

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