Dr. Martín Esteban González López is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara, and a Level I member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers. His research focuses on anaerobic digestion, wastewater resource recovery, circular economy, and the water–energy nexus. He combines experimental research, process modeling, life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and geospatial tools to evaluate how wastewater and organic residues can support renewable energy generation and regional decarbonization. He has collaborated with The University of Texas at Austin on research related to sustainable water and energy systems.
Abstract:
Anaerobic digestion is often evaluated primarily through methane yield or plant-level economic performance. However, its successful implementation also depends on a spatial question: should organic wastes be treated in one centralized facility, through small decentralized systems, or within a coordinated network of distributed plants?
This talk compares these configurations using evidence from anaerobic-digestion research in Jalisco, Mexico. A GIS-based multicriteria study illustrates the centralized approach by identifying suitable locations for regional biogas facilities based on biomass availability, transportation access, electricity infrastructure, environmental constraints, and socioeconomic priorities. A techno-economic and life-cycle assessment of raicilla vinasse examines decentralized digestion at an artisanal production site, highlighting the benefits of treating wet residues near their source while revealing the financial limitations of small-scale energy recovery. Finally, an experimental co-digestion study evaluates a distributed strategy that coordinates livestock, agave-industry, dairy, and municipal organic wastes according to regional availability and substrate complementarity.
The comparison shows that no single configuration is universally optimal. Centralized plants benefit from economies of scale but depend heavily on transportation logistics. Decentralized systems reduce transport and support local resource recovery but may struggle economically. Distributed networks can balance scale and proximity but require coordinated siting, feedstock allocation, and policy support.
The talk will also explore how existing wastewater treatment plants could serve as anchor nodes within distributed energy ecosystems, reducing infrastructure barriers while enabling co-digestion and local energy use.