Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the stuff of futuristic fantasy; it has become a tangible part of our everyday lives. From personalised recommendations on streaming platforms to optimising logistics processes in a factory, AI is everywhere. What’s interesting is that it’s not just making our lives easier, it’s also transforming industry.
In the HUMAIN project, where we are working with companies such as BAMA and CENTUM, we are taking AI to the next level. Imagine a factory that can anticipate problems before they happen, thanks to data-driven predictive systems. Or robots working alongside humans to efficiently pack and palletise products, even if the boxes are of different sizes. It’s like switching from a manual to an automatic car!
But this is not science fiction. We are researching and developing artificial intelligence algorithms that turn vast amounts of data into intelligent decisions, computer vision systems that see beyond what the human eye can see, and machine learning-based predictive maintenance solutions that save time and money. AI acts as a strategic brain that optimises every aspect of the process, from production to logistics. The result? More sustainable operations, less waste and smarter factories.
These kinds of projects don’t just benefit large companies. They also have a direct impact on our lives. Think about it: every time you buy something online and it arrives on your doorstep in record time, there is probably an AI system behind it that has optimised every step of the process. From packaging to delivery.
In the HUMAIN project consortium, we are excited to be part of this revolution. It’s not just about making machines work faster, it’s about integrating disruptive technologies that put people at the centre of the process. After all, AI is a tool: it’s how we use it to improve our everyday lives that matters.
Are we ready to embrace this industrial revolution? The answer lies in every click, every purchase, and every robot working hand in hand with us.
The Statute of Autonomy of Castilla y León, in its preamble and several articles, emphasize the importance of Cultural Heritage as an essential part of the identity of this Community and as an asset to protect and promote, due to its unique richness and the recognition it brings beyond our borders. This Heritage includes not only movable and immovable goods but intangible assets. Understanding and managing these elements is crucial for their protection, conservation, and transmission to future generations, areas in whichCARTIF has been working for 25 years, making it an international benchmark.
The figures are overwhelming: Castilla y León has specifically protected more than 2,500 Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC), of which 11 are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, among which are three of the nine capitals of the region: Ávila, Salamanca and Segovia. Additionally, to date, it has cataloged more than 23,000 archaeological sites, over 500 castles, 12 cathedrals, one of the largest concentrations of Romanesque art in the world, and more than 200,000 movable assets of the Catholic Church have been inventoried.
Much of this immense Cultural Heritage of Castilla y León is located in the rural areas of the Community, as:
The 2,564 protected BICs are distributed among 878 municipalities, of which 94% are in populations of fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.
The 1% of municipalitieswith more than 10,000 inhabitants, which group almost half of the population of Castilla y León, only account for 18% of the goods.
2,564 protected BICs distributed among 878 municipalities
1% municipalities account for 18% of the goods
These numbers highlight that we are facing a resource as irreplaceable as it is essential for our future, with an unquestionable educational and social value, even more so in rural areas. It also has considerable economic potential, with the advantage of being endogenous and non-relocatable. Slowly, but inexorably, it is seen as an undeniable opportunity for development and not as an economic burden at all.
In the estimation carried out based on the study by the Association of Cultural Heritage Entities (AEPC -comprising 27 community companies employing 600 workers-), it was assessed that the heritage sector in Castilla y León generates 225 total jobs per million Euros of investment, which are distributed among 8% direct jobs (17), 8% indirect jobs (18), 50% induced in other industries (113), and 33% derived in tourism (77). To top it off, every euro invested quintuples the return on investment.
In a Europe that is becoming more of a large museum than a large factory, will we finally commit to the vein that Heritage represents for us?
Treatment and purification of wastewater from different industries by electrochemical methods
The modern world is inconceivable without the various industries that shape it: the creation of value-added products from raw materials, although a concept as old as civilisation itself, would not have developed so rapidly without the Industrial Revolution, which made it possible to obtain products with little difference between them in less time and at a lower price.
Like everything else, this growth of the industry has brought with it a number of problems. Many of these have been solved over time or have been properly minimised to the point where they are no longer a problem. At the end of the day, the aim is to produce as little waste as possible in the transformation of raw materials into products, as this generation involves the treatment of waste in order to dispose of it properly.
Even so, there are some industries that are known to leave an indelible mark on the area in which they are located, such as the paper industry. It should be added that in the last 20 years the regulations implemented, as well as the work carried out by the pulp treatment companies themselves, has helped to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint (an environmental indicator that aims to reflect the total greenhouse gases emitted as a direct or indirect effect of, in this case, an organisation).
But, even with the work done so far, a system in which the waste generated is zero is impossible. An industry such as the paper industry will always generate wastewater that must be treated differently from that generated in households. Therefore, many companies in the industry are looking for ways to inert their waste flows so that they do not pose a problem for the environment.
Another industry that suffers from the same problem as the paper industry is the mining industry, where the extracted heavy metals are part of the gangue of the ore, which is of no economic interest to the company. The problem is when the concentration of heavy metals is too low to be trapped by physical methods such as coagulation or flocculation. Although the amount of metals in the waste streams is reduced, there is a certain amount of compounds harmful to the environment and humans that give the waste streams a concentration above the recommended levels.
To solve these problems, different techniques have been proposed to control the amount of harmful components that industries can discharge, but, in this blog entry, I want to talk mainly about different electrochemical techniques that exist to carry out this task. To do so, I think it is appropriate to make a brief summary of the branch that uses these techniques, which is electrochemistry.
Electrochemistry overview
Electrochemical reactions can be divided according to the potential needed to carry them out. When chemical reactions are induced by an external potential difference, i.e. a voltage needs to be applied to carry it out, the process is called electrolysis. On the other hand, if the electrical potential difference arises as a result of a chemical reaction, i.e. a voltage is generated as a consequence of the reaction, we are dealing with an ‘electrical energy accumulator’, commonly known as a battery or galvanic cell.
“Electrolysis. When chemical reactions are induced by an external potential difference”
Chemical reactions in which electrons are transferred between molecules are called redox reactions, which comes from the fact that, for a complete electrochemical reaction to take place, there must be a half-reaction in which one compound is reduced and another half-reaction in which another compound is oxidised, thus giving rise to this type of reaction. These reactions are essential in electrochemistry, as they enable the processes that generate or are induced by electricity.
In general terms, electrochemistry is concerned with investigating cases where oxidation and reduction reactions occur separately, either physically or at different times, within a system connected to an electrical circuit. This aspect is studied in analytical chemistry, specifically in potentiometric analysis.
The use of electrochemistry in industrial wastewater is based on the fact that metal ions often have different oxidation states (the theoretical electrical charge that an atom would have if all its bonds with other elements were completely ionic). By playing with these oxidation states and the presence of counterions that are capable of forming a low-solubility salt, a large part of the heavy metals can be removed, as well as other ions that are likely to be harmful.
Paper industry: capacitive deionisation
In the case of CARTIF, one of the electrochemical techniques used to treat effluent water from the paper industry is capacitive deionisation.
Capacitive deionisation (CDI) technology is based on the removal of anions and cations using an electric field and electrodes composed of carbon-derived materials with high porosity and good electrical conductivity. This method allows the localised accumulation of positive and negative charges around the electrodes in an alternating cell process, in which each cell functions as a supercapacitor that stores electrical energy while reducing the conductivity of the solution due to the removal of charges from the medium.
The inversion of polarity makes it possible to recover the accumulated energy at the same time as cleaning the electrodes on the surface of which the ions of opposite charge have been deposited. Thus, by circulating water against the current, a large part of the energy previously used in the desalination process is recovered, which can be reused to continue reducing the amount of dissolved salts. This process is repeated in cycles through several cells connected in parallel, alternating cells in operation and cells in cleaning. This makes it possible to obtain a continuous flow of desalinated water, a rejection flow (current with a high concentration of salts, which, as its concentration increases, is easier to dry and store in the future) and an energy recovery that is used in the active cells.
“Inversion of polarity. Recover the accumulated energy at the same time as cleaning the electrodes on the surface of which the ions of opposite charge have been deposited.”
The main advantages of the CDI are:
Lower energy consumption compared to reverse osmosis (RO, which is based on applying pressure to the solution to push it through a semi-permeable osmosis membrane to filter it and remove the ions present) as it does not require high pressures to operate and allows recovery of much of the energy used in desalination, stored in the cells as in a capacitor.
Reduction in the use of chemicals, as no chelating agents are required to prevent clogging as in membrane-based technologies, as well as no need for acids and bases for resin regeneration in ion exchange systems.
Modularity and compactness. The possibility of using multiple cells in parallel facilitates compact assembly and progressive expansion of the treatment flow by adding modules, offering scalable growth and greater versatility, which is of great interest in the industry.
Mining industry: electrocoagulation
In the case of the mining industry, one technique that CARTIF has been considering is electrocoagulation (EC), which has a range of application that also covers suspended solids, emulsified oil, hydrocarbons and the like.
In its simplest form, an electrocoagulation reactor consists of an electrolytic cell with an anode and a cathode. When connected to an external power source, the anode material corrodes electrochemically due to oxidation, while the cathode undergoes passivation.
An electrocoagulation (EC) system essentially consists of pairs of conductive metal plates in parallel, which act as monopolar electrodes. In addition, it requires a DC current source, a resistance box to regulate the current density and a multimeter to read the current values. The conductive metal plates are commonly known as ‘sacrificial electrodes’. The sacrificial anode reduces the dissolution potential of the anode and minimises the passivation of the cathode. Sacrificial anodes and cathodes can be made of the same material or of different materials, depending on the composition of the solution to be treated.
The monopolar electrode arrangement with cells in series is electrically similar to a single cell with many electrodes and interconnections. In a series cell arrangement, a higher potential difference is required for a given current to flow, as cells connected in series have higher resistance. However, the same current will flow through all electrodes. In contrast, in a parallel or bipolar arrangement, the electric current is divided between all electrodes relative to the resistance of the individual cells, and each electrode face has a different polarity.
During electrolysis, the positive side undergoes anodic oxidation reactions, while the negative side undergoes cathodic reduction reactions. Consumable metal plates, such as iron or aluminium, are generally used as sacrificial electrodes to continuously produce ions in the water. The released ions neutralise the charges of the particles present in the solution and initiate coagulation. These ions remove undesirable contaminants, either by chemical reaction and precipitation, or by causing coalescence of colloidal materials, which can then be removed by removal of the organic layer that forms on the surface of the solution. In addition, as water containing colloidal particles, oils or other contaminants moves through the applied electric field, ionisation, electrolysis, hydrolysis and free radical formation can occur, which can alter the physical and chemical properties of the water and contaminants. As a result, the reactive and excited state causes the contaminants to be released from the water and destroyed or made less soluble.
Some of the advantages of this system, in comparison with the chemistry coagulation, are:
The flocs formed by EC are similar to flocs generated by chemical flocculation, except that EC flocs tend to be much larger, contain less bound water, are acid resistant and more stable, and can therefore be separated more quickly by filtration.
EC can produce an effluent with lower total dissolved solids (TDS) content compared to chemical treatments, particularly if metal ions can precipitate as insoluble hydroxides or carbonates.
The EC process has the advantage of removing smaller colloidal particles, as the applied electric field neutralises any residual charge, thus facilitating coagulation through the formation of larger micelles.
The CE process generally avoids the excessive use of chemicals, which reduces the need to neutralise excess products and reduces the possibility of secondary contamination caused by chemicals added in high concentration, as is the case when chemical coagulation is used in wastewater treatment.
The gas bubbles produced during the electrolysis of both the water in the solution and the components in the solution can conveniently transport the contaminating components to the surface of the solution, where they can be more easily concentrated, collected and removed.
In conclusion, we can state that industrial evolution has brought with it significant environmental challenges, especially in the management of waste and toxic pollutants. To mitigate these effects, electrochemistry has emerged as a key tool in wastewater purification, highlighting techniques such as capacitive deionisation (CDI) and electrocoagulation (EC). These technologies make it possible to reduce the concentration of heavy metals and other pollutants with less use of chemicals and lower energy consumption. Thus, electrochemistry offers sustainable solutions to minimise the ecological impact of industries by optimising the treatment of their waste and contributing to environmental protection.
In my previous post I commented how innovation ecosystems, if they aren´t well coordinated, can become real hotbeds of “de-technology”. This happens when the agents that make them up do not have clear roles or do not pursue a common objective. The lack of cohesion generates inconsistence and inefficiencies that, although sometimes they aren´t perceive directly, always end up affecting everyone.
It is therefore essential that research organisations, technology centres, public administrations, companies and society know that each one of us plays a role in the value chain of the technological innovation ecosystem and that the sole objective is to generateof wealth and prosperity in the regions through the exploitation of technologies.
Technological innovation that creates prosperity is not the result of science, technology or the market in isolation, but of a well-synchronised process in which each actor assumes its responsibility with conviction and commitment.
It is the role of the public administration to grease the innovation system by promoting innovative technological initiatives that support the fulfiment of the roles of each agent.
Research organisations, being leaders in basic science or research, the closest to technological disruption.They should be encouraged to achieve high levels of high impact sicentific publications and ensure long scientific careers in national public research organisations, initiated in universities with programmes focused on the demand of the research system.
Technology centres, as key agents in incremental innovation (applied research), also value the science of research organisation and work for its transfer. Their position must be consolidated with a key commitment, especially on the part of regional goverments, that reflecting their commitment to this transfer agent and bringing technological advances even closer to companies and society.
Companies, as leaders of innovation processes. Incentives shoukd be provided with more attractive tax rebates and deductions for their exploration policies, for the recruitment of university talent that stimulates the adoption of technological innovations in companies and allows the circle to be closed with the valorisation (use or exploitation) of the technology generated in the ecosystem itself.
Finally, the citizen should not be asked but rewarded with an economic and industrial policy centred on innovation policy, settled and long-term, with routes aligned with the general interests of growth and employment and a trade balance that imports talent and exports technology and not the other way around.
It is the role of the administration to grease the wheels and the role of all of us to generate habits of innovation in the ecosystem, repeating over and over again the role so that we are believed, because only in this way will we manage to grow and evolve in an orderly and sustainable way over time, building a future in which technology is not only a tool, but a driving force for collective progress.
Ultimately, every stick must hold its own in this complex ecosystem of technological innovation. If each agent plays its part and aligns itself with the common goal of generating prosperity and wealth through technology, we will not only avoid inefficiencies that are silently suffered, but also build a robust, competitive and sustainable system.
Innovate for you, innovate for me, innovate for all.
In the transition to a more sustainable world, green hydrogen has emerged as an essential resource to decarbonise key sectors such as industry and transport. In 2024, the European Union and other countries have redoubled their efforts with historic investments to build infrastructure and promote the production of renewable hydrogen, which will be crucial to meeting climate targets. This investment underlines the key role of green hydrogen in combating climate change and creating a carbon-free economy.
Green hydrogen, unlike conventional hydrogen, is generated from renewable energy-based technologies (e.g. from electrolytic cells combined with renewable energies such as wind or solar) without emitting polluting gases. This process makes it a clean and safe option for reducing global emissions. However, its mass adoption depends on successful transport and storage challenges, and this is where hydrogen carrier molecules play an essential role.
Hydrogen carrier molecules or ‘green molecules’: the key to the development of the green H2 sector.
Hydrogen in its pure state is difficult to store and transport because of its low energy density and because it requires special pressure and temperature conditions. Carrier molecules, such as methanol, ammonia and formic acid, allow hydrogen to be stored safely and stably, making it easier to handle and transport. These molecules act as ‘packaging’ for the hydrogen, which can be released at the point of consumption without logistical complications.
Methanol, a versatile carrier, is obtained by combining green hydrogen with captured CO₂, and can be practically reconverted to hydrogen at the point of use. Ammonia is another promising carrier, with a high hydrogen density and an existing transport infrastructure, making it ideal for large-scale industrial applications. The lesser-known formic acid is easy to handle and an excellent choice for smaller applications, such as fuel cells in light-duty vehicles.
Applications of H2 and its derivatives in transport and industry
The flexibility of these carrier molecules opens up a wide range of applications. In the transport sector, they can be used in trucks, trains and buses, enabling carbon-free mobility. This year we have seen the first hydrogen buses operating in Germany, and Japan has launched hydrogen trains, showing the potential of hydrogen in sustainable public transport. Carrier molecules make storing and refuelling green hydrogen more practical, helping to reduce dependence on fossil fuels over long distances.
Fuente: Freepik.es
In industry, green hydrogen and its carriers are viable alternatives to replace coal in high-temperature processes, such as steel production, and as a feedstock in the chemical industry, where green hydrogen replaces grey hydrogen in the production of ammonia and methanol, essential chemicals in the manufacture of fertilisers and plastics.
In addition, green hydrogen is also key to energy storage. With the growth of renewable energies such as solar and wind, efficient methods are needed to store excess energy and release it when needed. Surplus renewable energy can be converted into green hydrogen and stored in carriers such as methanol or ammonia, which can then be converted back into energy when demand is high or renewable generation is low. This helps to make the electricity grid more stable and sustainable, and reduces the intermittency of renewable sources.
The challenges and opportunities that the immediate future of green H2 and its derived ‘molecules’ brings us
Despite its potential, green hydrogen still faces significant challenges. One of these is the cost of production, which remains high compared to fossil fuels. However, technological progress and government support are reducing these costs, with expectations that green hydrogen will become more accessible in the coming years. In addition, investments in distribution infrastructure and refuelling stations are needed to bring green hydrogen to scale, enabling its use in industrial and transport applications around the world.
CARTIF’s Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry Area is also developing technologies to make the production of green hydrogen more efficient and economical, reducing the costs of electrolysis and improving materials for the safe storage of hydrogen in carrier molecules. These advances bring these technologies closer to commercial scale, making green hydrogen competitive and accessible in an energy market that increasingly demands sustainability. Through projects such as CATCO2NVERSand H2METAMO, we are working on capturing CO₂ for conversion into green methanol, a high value-added hydrogen carrier. These projects not only investigate how methanol and ammonia can facilitate hydrogen storage and transport, but also explore the potential of these carriers for direct use in industrial and energy applications.
“At CARTIF, we are pioneers in green hydrogen and its chemical storage in the form of green molecules and are committed to the advancement of green hydrogen and its carriers as a solution for a low carbon economy.”
In short, green hydrogen and its derivatives are beginning to transform the way we think about energy. This resource represents a unique opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and provide clean energy in a variety of industries and applications. At CARTIF, we believe that green hydrogen is the path to a sustainable future and we are committed to developing technologies that enable its mass adoption to have a positive impact on the planet.
Co-author
David Díez Rodríguez. Researcher at the Biotechnology and Sustainable Chemistry area.
The importance of the design tools and green hydrogen optimisation
Green hydrogen is positioning itself as a viable alternative in the context of the transition towards clean and sustainable energy sources. Not only does this energy carrier transform energy without emitting pollutants, but it also has significant long-term storage capacity, which helps to address one of the main problems of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind: their intermittent and seasonal nature.
Due to the several hydrogen applications and the variable nature of renewable sources, the design and optimisation of green hydrogen production, storage and utilisation systems are complex processes especially when applyied to industrial processes, where careful management of the entire chain is necessary to ensure continuous and efficient operation. This is where simulation and optimisation tools plays a crucial role, facilitating the efficient integration of hydrogen into the energy system and enabling optimal decisions to be made based on detailed data and accurate projections.
Need for specialised tools for energy transition
In order to move towards a more sustainable and decarbonised energy system, it is essential to apply dynamic modelling and simulation to optimise both the production and use of green hydrogen in the residential, industrial and heavy transport sectors, as each has different energy demand patterns, requiring the development of specific tools to evaluate multiple scenarios, optimise design and determine the most appropriate control and management strategies.
These tools not only allow the simulation of system behaviour under real conditions, but also help to optimise important parameters such as electrolyser power ratings, hydrogen storage volume and the management of optimal times to consume or storage energy. The application of advanced optimisation algorithms aims to reduce operational and investment costs while maximising the use of renewable energy by ensuring that the best technical, economical and ecological decisions are made.
Functionalities of the developed tool
CARTIF which is a Cervera Centre of Excellence, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the CDTI, under the files CER-20191019 and CER-20211002 has developed a tool for the design and optimisation of this type of systems thanks to the CERVERA H24NewAgeproject. It is a platform that enables the design and optimisation of systems for the production and use of green hydrogen in residential and industrial environments by applying dynamic modelling together with Python through an easy-to-use web interface that facilitates access to complex simulations without the need for advanced technical knowledge, contributing to the democratisation of hydrogen technology, allowing users with different levels of experience to interact with complex models and gather useful information for decision-making in the design of their systems. Some of the key points of the tool are:
Simulation of hydrogen production scenarios: Users can simulate a variety of hydrogen production environments, such as industrial processes, industrial cogeneration, residential micro-cogeneration and large-scale power generation.
Optimisation Based on Advance Algorithms: The tool helps to size the optimal size of system components, minimising costs and maximising renewable energy utilisation using advanced optimisation algorithms. It also includes the creation of operational strategies that consider renewable energy availability, hydrogen demand and storage constraints to achieve economical and efficient operation.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Crucial parameters such as geographic location, demand profiles and renewable production technologies can be adjusted through the platform, making it ideal for a variety of scenarios and specific needs. This capability is fundamental for users to assess how their designs would perform in different situations and scenarios, adapting hydrogen production and storage technologies to the particularities of each environment.
Visualization of results: The tool’s web interface makes it easy to visualise simulation results through interactive graphs and tables showing key aspects of the system, such as energy efficiency, operating costs and storage capacity. Users can also compare the results of different scenarios, which is essential for identifying opportunities for improvement and making further adjustments.
Conclusions
Ultimately, tools such as these can be used to evaluate and optimise strategies for the production and use of green hydrogen, facilitating its integration into the energy system and contributing to a more sustainable future. Thanks to access to advanced models and optimisation algorithms, these tools enable informed decisions to be made, resulting in more efficient and resilient systems. A clear example would be the optimal hydrogen storage capacity, the correct estimation of which can avoid unnecessary costs and ensure a constant supply, increasing the operational efficiency of the system. In addition, the ease of use and flexibility offered by these platforms help reduce the technical barriers to adopting green hydrogen, making it an accessible and viable option for a wider range of users and applications. This is key to moving towards an effective energy transition and to fostering solutions that reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support climate change mitigation.
Co-authors
Jesús Samaniego. Industrial Engineer. Since 2002 he has been working at CARTIF in the development of projects within the field of energy efficiency, the integration of renewable energies and in the study of the quality of the electricity supply
