Overview

This presentation synthesises over 20 years of research on modelling, control, and optimisation of microalgae systems.

Society faces major sustainability challenges that require solutions beyond conventional energy efficiency and regulation. Microalgae offer a promising alternative due to their ability to produce valuable biomass using sunlight, CO2, and minimal resources, while enabling environmental remediation. They have applications in biofuels, bioremediation, pharmaceuticals, and nutrition. Most industrial production occurs in open raceway reactors because of their simplicity and scalability, though controlling these systems is challenging due to complex, interdependent biological and environmental factors.

Speaker

Jose Luis Guzman Sanchez, Full Professor, University of Almeria

José Luis is full professor of automatic control and system engineering with the University of Almería (Spain), where he also belongs to the automatics, robotics and mechatronics research group. His research interests are focused on the fields of PID control, feedforward tuning rules, MPC techniques, optimisation and robust control with applications to biotechnology, solar plants, and agricultural processes. He has a distinguished research career in automatic control, microalgae production, digital agriculture, and sustainable energy systems, with more than 450 publications in journals and conferences.

He has led more than 15 nationally and EU-funded projects (H2020, LIFE, Horizon) and participate in more than other 45 projects as a researcher. He maintains strong industry engagement through patents, R&D contracts, and technology transfer. His work has been recognised with multiple prestigious national and international awards, such as IEEE CSS Control Systems Technology Award (2025) for the application of automatic control as an enabling technology for sustainable bioprocesses based on microalgae in a blue economy.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the CAPE SIG. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

14:00–15:00 GMT.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. We recommend downloading the app from the Microsoft website, rather than using the web portal.