Overview
- Graduate researchers at IPN’s ENCB fabricated nanostructured biochar electrodes from dehydrated sargazo and validated them at semipilot scale on denim-dye wastewater.
- The process converts the algae to biochar via pyrolysis, then uses team-developed catalysts to form uniform nanometric carbon structures before adding semiconductors and applying thermal consolidation.
- Panels supply renewable power to the electrochemical setup, aligning the prototype with sustainability goals while driving contaminant degradation.
- The project team—Geovani Flores Sánchez, Frida López López, Ángel Eduardo Lugo Dorantes and José Fernando Carmona Neri—works under the advisement of scientist Jorge Alberto Mendoza Pérez.
- The technology won first place in the InnoDrop talent incubator, providing seed capital to pursue industrial uptake, as Mexico tracks 147 sargazo-based initiatives nationwide.