Ciencias Exactas y Ciencias de la Salud

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Microalgae-based bioremediation of food and beverage processing wastewater: A sustainable approach toward a circular economy concept
(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-12-03) Najar Almanzor, César Eduardo; Carrillo Nieves, Danay; mtyahinojosa, emipsanchez; Luzardo Ocampo, Iván Andres; Gutiérrez Uribe, Janet Alejandra; Chairez Oria, Jorge Isaac; Detrell, Gisela; Santaeufemia Sánchez, Sergio; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias; Campus Guadalajara; García Cayuela, Tomás
Food and beverage production generates large volumes of nutrient-rich wastewaters that pose severe environmental challenges when discharged untreated. Effluents such as nejayote (from tortilla production), tequila vinasses (from tequila distillation), and cheese whey (from cheese production) contain high organic loads and extreme pH values that contribute to eutrophication and ecosystem disruption. Developing sustainable technologies that mitigate pollution while enabling resource recovery is therefore essential for advancing circular and cleaner production. This thesis evaluates microalgae-based bioremediation as an alternative for the treatment and valorization of these agro-industrial effluents. The work encompasses algae adaptation, process scale-up, biomass characterization, and environmental assessment. A UV-mutagenesis and gradual acclimatization strategy enabled Chlorella vulgaris, Haematococcus pluvialis, and Anabaena variabilis to grow in undiluted wastewater, achieving pollutant reductions of 87–99.9% in nejayote, 31–81% in vinasses, and 35–56% in whey. Although substantial, these results indicate that microalgae are best suited as components of a hybrid treatment systems rather than standalone technology. The technology’s scalability was validated through the cultivation of H. pluvialis in 100-L raceway pond, which maintained high remediation performance and biomass productivity despite minor declines associated with evaporation. The biomass showed significant protein and ash content, supporting potential use as biofertilizer, feed ingredient, or nutraceutical ingredient. Biochemical and functional characterization of biomass grown in nejayote and tequila vinasses revealed reduced pigment and phenolic content due to cultivation stress. However, extracts retained cytokine-modulating activity in RAW 264.7 macrophages, indicating potential for use as nutraceutical ingredient, animal feed, or biofertilizers following safety validation. Life Cycle Assessment comparing a microalgae-based vinasse treatment with the conventional industrial process showed similar overall environmental burdens but substantial reductions in terrestrial ecotoxicity and human carcinogenic toxicity. It also highlighted the need for optimization in coagulant sourcing and energy integration. Overall, this work demonstrates that microalgae-based treatment of agro-industrial effluents is technically viable, environmentally promising, and aligned with a circular bioeconomy, while identifying key challenges that must be addressed to enable industrial implementation.
Circular bioeconomy approach to valorize brewery spent grains in the brewing industry
(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025) Saldarriaga Hernandez, Sara Cristina; Carrillo Nieves, Danay; mtyahinojosa, emipsanchez; Amaya Delgado, Lorena; Rodríguez Martínez, Verónica; García Cayuela, Tomás; Chuck Hernández, Cristina E.; Coronado Apodaca, Karina G.; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias; Campus Guadalajara; Choudhary, Hemant
Brewer's spent grains (BSG), the main byproduct of the brewing industry, represent an abundant resource with strong potential, yet its deconstruction remains a challenge because most of the existing pretreatment strategies were developed for biomass that differ significantly from protein rich feedstocks. This research focused not on identifying new products from BSG, but on determining how to valorize it effectively within real biorefinery constraints. The complexity of releasing fermentable sugars were identified as a major barrier, particularly related to high cost of enzymes used during pretreatment and saccharification. These considerations shaped a research program centered on improving process efficiency rather than expanding product portfolios. The work first evaluated whether local lignocellulolytic fungi could reduce saccharification costs by producing enzymes directly on BSG. Although Trichoderma atroviridae and Penicillium rubens strains expressed relevant activities, their performance was far below industrial standards and lacked lignin degrading functions. This led to an exploration of biological pretreatment using Ganoderma lucidum, a ligninolytic fungus, within an integrated biorefinery concept. The fungal treatment reduced carbohydrate and protein availability and caused inflated lignin estimates because of fungal cell wall components. These results indicated that colonized BSG is more suitable for food applications than for biochemical conversion. This finding motivated a dual pathway model, one route based on raw BSG for fermentation and another based on fungal treated BSG for functional food ingredients. The food pathway was validated through bread prototypes enriched with treated biomass, which showed improved fiber content and acceptable sensory profiles. In parallel, chemical pretreatments were examined. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) produced promising sugar release, but required washing to remove solvent residues, increasing environmental and operational burdens. These limitations led to the central focus of this dissertation, the evaluation of a one pot pretreatment using the biobased ionic liquid cholinium lysinate [Ch][Lys]. A Box Behnken design (BBD) identified optimal conditions, within the model, that yielded 47.5 % glucose and 73.9 % xylose. Scale up experiments produced hydrolysates compatible with fermentation, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae achieved 98 % of the theoretical ethanol yield without detoxification. A techno economic analysis (TEA) showed that process simplification, ionic liquid reuse and brewery integration could significantly reduce production costs. Across all studies, a common conclusion emerged. Protein rich biomass requires tailored pretreatments that consider protein and lignin interactions. This insight resulted in a conceptual framework that supports more effective valorization of BSG and related feedstocks, and outlines a practical pathway toward circular brewery biorefineries.

Ciencias Exactas y Ciencias de la Salud

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