CRETUS STAFF

Ángeles val del rio

Assistant Professor Doctor
Department: Chemical Engineering
Center: Higher Technical Engineering School (USC)
Research Group: Environmental Biotechnology (BIOGROUP)
Phone: +34 8818 16788
Email: mangeles.val@usc.es
Group Web: www.usc.es/biogroup
Personal website: www.usc.es/biogroup/users/angeles-val

Dr. Angeles Val del Rio is Chemical Engineer (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), 2006) and holds a PhD in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (USC, 2012) with the thesis entitled “Aerobic granular biomass systems: a challenge for a better wastewater treatment and sludge management ”. During her PhD studies, she performed a stay at Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology (INRA, Narbonne) to study the aerobic granular sludge management by thermal pre-treatment and posterior anaerobic digestion. During the post-doctoral period, she performed two foreign stays at National University of Ireland (Galway), to study advanced UV lamps for wastewater disinfection, and at University of Minho (Braga), to study the application of Quimiometric Image Analysis as a tool to granular monitor sludge in wastewater treatment systems. She’s researche in the Group of Environmental Biotechnology (BioGroup) is devoted to the biological advanced treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater with recovery of valuable products (as biogas, biopolymers and water for reuse), with special focus in the application of aerobic granular sludge and anammox based processes for nitrogen removal.

Research Lines
• Advanced technologies for wastewater treatment
– Autotrophic dentrification (anammox process): Application of the anammox process for the treatment of anaerobic digester effluents treating sludge or industrial waste.
– Granular aerobic reactors: Application of aerobic granular biomass for the removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus from industrial wastewater (fish canneries, pig slurry, dairy products, etc.).
• Biorefinery
– Production of biopolymers from wastewater: Valorization of organic matter from liquid effluents (glycerol and effluents from the agri-food industry). In particular, production of biopolymers with bioplastic properties.