Could phototrophic purple bacteria interfere with the gut health of rainbow trout? The search for sustainable and nutritionally efficient feed ingredients is a central challenge in modern aquaculture. At Fraunhofer IMTE, a wide range of novel raw materials has been...
PURPLE4LIFE continues to strengthen its scientific foundation for the development of safe and sustainable food and feed solutions based on Purple Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB). At the National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Sciences of Food Production in Lecce,...
The 19th IWA World Conference on Anaerobic Digestion (IWA AD19) was held in Valencia, Spain, from 9 to 13 June 2026, bringing together international experts in anaerobic digestion and resource recovery. The event included participation from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), with conference attendance and the presentation of three scientific posters focused on purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) and their biotechnological applications.
URJC contributions were presented by María José García López, Javier Llama, Daniel Puyol, and Amanda Prado de Nicolás, who engaged with the scientific community on emerging approaches for sustainable bioprocess development.
The presented posters addressed complementary research areas. One study examined Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 as a candidate for biogas upgrading and the production of food-grade value-added compounds. Another investigated how environmental stress influences pigment modulation in Rhodobacter capsulatus, providing insights into adaptive physiological mechanisms. A third work explored the integration of wet air oxidation with PPB-based bioelectrochemical processes for refinery sludge treatment, highlighting hybrid strategies for complex waste streams.
These contributions underline the growing relevance of PPB systems in enhancing anaerobic digestion processes and supporting circular bioeconomy objectives. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of how biological and electrochemical systems can be combined for improved environmental performance.
From a PURPLE4Life perspective, participation in IWA AD19 strengthened engagement with the international anaerobic digestion community and reinforced the role of PPB-based technologies in advancing sustainable waste-to-resource solutions.
By Amanda Prado (URJC)