Short Course 1: Biotecnología ambiental y Microbiología (held in the morning)
Prof. Dr. José Luiz Sanz (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Descripción
This short course will be held in Spanish/Portuguese. Los microorganismos juegan un papel clave en los procesos bio-tecnológicos. En este minicurso repasaremos como se puede abordar el estudio de un ecosistema, natural o un biorreactor, mediante técnicas de ecología molecular microbiana. Repasaremos las principales técnicas, tanto cuantitativas (FISH, RT-qPCR) como descriptivas (secuenciación masiva, MinIon). Como complemento necesario, haremos un repaso de la bioinformática necesaria para interpretar los datos moleculares, y veremos algún ejemplo real. En la segunda parte del curso nos centraremos en entender los procesos redox que permiten a los microorganismos obtener energía. Para ello haremos un breve repaso de la bioenergética bacteriana, clave para abordar la resolución de problemas medioambientales y veremos algunas aplicaciones en biorremediación de suelos y tratamiento de aguas. Por último, nos centraremos en dos de los procesos de biotecnología ambiental de mayor interés práctico: el tratamiento de aguas residuales y la biolixiviación de metales.
Programa
Taxonomía y filogenia bacteriana. Técnicas moleculares para la identificación, clasificación y cuantificación de microorganismos. FISH/CARD-FISH: fundamento, ventajas e inconvenientes. RT-qPCR: fundamento y problemas para su aplicación a muestras medioambientales. Secuenciación masiva (NGS). El MinIon: haz tu propia secuenciación. Análisis de datos: plataformas, bases de datos y representaciones gráficas. Índices estadísticos. ¿Qué información práctica obtenemos? Los procesos redox base de la vida. Obtención de energía por organismos heterótrofos: fermentación y respiraciones. Quimiolitotrofía. Ejemplos aplicados a la biorremediación de suelos y tratamiento de aguas. Ejemplos de procesos biotecnológicos a gran escala. Tratamiento de aguas: comparativa aerobia vs anaerobia. Caso del río Tinto y biolixiviación de metales.
Bio (José Luiz)
Prof. Dr. José Luiz Sanz Martin is an emeritus professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). He is a leading expert in environmental biotechnology and micropollutant detection. His work focuses on microbial ecology, wastewater treatment, and high-throughput sequencing, with over 95 publications in high-impact journals.
Short Course 2: Remediation of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Groundwater through Engineered Microbial and Physicochemical Strategies (held in the afternoon)
Prof. Dr. Osmar Menezes (Federal University of Pernambuco)
Description
This short course will be held in English. Contaminated areas, particularly those impacted by industrial activities, require effective, science-based solutions for soil and groundwater cleanup. This short course presents practical tools and concepts for addressing hazardous organic pollutants using engineered microbial and physicochemical strategies. Participants will explore how these contaminants behave in the environment and how to apply in situ and ex situ remediation technologies in real-world scenarios. Designed for engineering students, professionals, and anyone interested in environmental remediation, the course bridges theory and practice by focusing on real-world challenges found in complex contaminated sites.
Program (Summary)
– Major classes of hazardous organic contaminants
– Biodegradability and recalcitrance
– Redox-driven microbial and abiotic transformation processes
– In situ and ex situ remediation approaches
– Engineered bioremediation and physicochemical methods
– Practical examples and process selection criteria
Bio (Osmar)
Dr. Osmar Menezes completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona (USA) from January 2021 to July 2023, working with the Field-Sierra Research Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Environmental Technology and Water Resources) from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE, 2020), which included a doctoral exchange period at the University of Arizona. He earned his M.Sc. from UFPE in 2017 and his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering (Magna cum Laude) from the Federal University of Ceará in 2014. In 2021, he was awarded the title of University of Arizona Sursum Fellow. From 2023 to 2025, he served as a visiting professor at the EMBRAPII Unit in Petroleum, Energy and Environment at i-LITPEG (Petroleum and Energy Research Institute) at UFPE. In 2025, he was selected for the CNPq scientist repatriation program. He also holds a courtesy appointment as a visiting professor in the Graduate Program in Civil Engineering at UFPE. His research focuses on the remediation of hazardous contaminants in groundwater and wastewater using both biotic and abiotic approaches.