University of Santiago de Compostela (USC)
The Life Cycle Assessment Laboratory (LCALab) and the Advanced Oxidation Processes Laboratory (AOPsLab) are part of the Group of Environmental Biotechnology (Biogroup) within the Department of Chemical Engineering at USC, and are core members of the Centre for Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS). This strategic partnership leverages interdisciplinary collaboration to diagnose environmental problems, develop innovative technologies, and evaluate sustainable solutions.
The LCALab integrates detailed process modeling and techno-economic analysis with environmental sustainability assessment to support the development of emerging technologies. Process simulations are performed using software such as Aspen Plus, SuperPro Designer, and BioWin, generating precise mass, energy, and cost inventories. These data form the basis for comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment studies conducted with SimaPro and Brightway. The lab also applies advanced systemic perspectives through concepts like planetary boundaries and data envelopment analysis.
The AOPsLab specializes in developing advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), including heterogeneous photocatalysis and photo-Fenton reactions, for the removal of microcontaminants from industrial and municipal wastewater. A key research focus is the design of novel photocatalytic nanomaterials and their effective separation via immobilization, magnetic separation, and membrane filtration. The laboratory is equipped with analytical instruments including an Agilent 1260 Infinity III LC System, an Jasco XLC HPLC, both using diode array and fluorescence detectors, a Shimadzu RF-6000 Spectrofluorophotometer, a Shimadzu TOC-L Analyzer, and an OceanOptics spectrometer. Our experimental setups feature a pilot-scale sequential batch reactor (75 L) alongside various lab and bench-scale reactors, such as a continuous plug-flow solar photocatalytic reactor, continuous stirred batch photoreactors, a photocatalytic membrane filtration unit, an automated photocatalytic batch reactor, and an LED-based photoreactor with a photochemical cell.
Figure 1: A) Sequential batch reactor (75L); B) Continuous plug flow solar photocatalytic reactor (250 mL); C) LED-based batch photoreactor; D) Automated photocatalytic batch recator; E) LED-based (VIS; UV-C) photoreactor with photochemical cell (Apria).
Figure 2: A) 1260 Infinity III LC System (Agilent); B) XLC HPLC (Jasco); C) TOC-L Series Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (Shimadzu); D) Ocean SR Compact Spectrometer (OceanOptics); E) PowerWave XS Microplate Reader (Biotek); F) RF-6000 Spectrofluorophotometer (Shimadzu ); G) 3D printer (Ultimaker S5).
