Main lines of R&D

This laboratory comprises a series of research concerns, which can be found in the following sections:

1. Environment. To fight against climate change, we address the recovery and valorisation of waste, and the development of mining restoration methodologies that promote biodiversity.
2. Circular economy. The CIRCEXTIN project brings together up to five universities with the aim of establishing the training bases surrounding natural resources and the circular economy. Within this area, research related to Life Cicle Assesment and Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) is addressed.
3. Climate change. In the fight against climate change, we collaborate with the Plataforma Tecnológica Española del CO₂ (PTECO2) to promote mitigation technologies such as the capture and geological storage of CO₂, or the use of combustion gases to produce microalgae.
4. Non-conventional fuel. The decarbonisation of the energy sector leads to the search of energy solutions, both in the electricity generation (the SMART Life with Hydrogen project), and in mobility (LIFE SMART AgroMobility). We are focused both on green hydrogen generation and distributed biogas.
5. Energy storage. Because of the increase of intermittent renewable energies in the power generation mix, it is necessary to develop technologies that enables the storage of surplus energy (grid dumping). Thus, the research group develops energy and underground storage concepts. The SMART MinEnergy project will be the first pilot-scale experiment of this technology in Spain.
6. Project management. In accordance with the Lab’s origin, the LiP pursues research (educational and management) related to innovation and leadership. Design Thinking for Engineers is our first workspace. This also embraces the aspects related to entrepreneurship and ideas: from an idea to a project – from a project to a company.

This multidisciplinarity is achieved thanks to the join effort of different consolidated research groups at the UPM: researchers from the Environmental Studies and Industrial Safety: explosive atmospheres groups actively participate in our projects.