Ernesto Hernandez

I was the founding Programme Director of Chemical Engineering, Founding Outreach Coordinator at the SETD. I am Faculty Ethics Committee Member.

Available to supervise PhD students

I am a researcher, teacher, tutor, board member and supervisor, to cite few roles.

I worked in Celanese and obtained my PhD at The University of Sheffield, then I held three postdoctoral positions. I was a Lecturer at the University of Manchester and an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham.

My research focusses on bioinspired solutions with bioprocessing and biocatalysts to tackle climate change by considering water, food and energy in a circular economy for Sustainable Development.

Modules in which I am teaching:

Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering
Introduction to Chemical Engineering
Design project in chemical engineering
Professional Chemical Engineering and Development

Modules in which I have taught:

Advanced Biochemical Engineering
Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering
Advanced Chemistry for Chemical Engineers
Biochemical Engineering
Biochemistry
Bioseparation Processes, modules 1 and 2
Biostatistics, theory and laboratory
Chemical Engineering Laboratory
Chemical Reaction Engineering
Design project in chemical engineering
General Chemistry
Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Processes Principles of Chemistry
Industrial Biotechnology: Biogas
Interfacial Chemistry
Introduction to Chemical Engineering
Introduction to Chemistry
Microbiology
Natural Product Chemistry
Numerical Analysis
Physical Laws of the Natural World
Physics and Process Chemistry (Process Engineering)
Principles of Biorefinery Engineering
Professional Chemical Engineering and Development
Research and Design Projects
Research Project
Transport Phenomena

Research interests & Supervison

Do you want to do a research degree? Are you interested in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology and Biological engineering and Biochemical engineering or related topics? Then I would be pleased to hear from you.

Do you want to do a research degree related to tackling climate change and help to attain Sustainable Development Goals? Are you interested in Biotechnology, Biological engineering and Biochemical engineering or related topics? If so, contact engineering@canterbury.ac.uk.

Group leader: Bioinspired Engineering Research Group (BIERG)

Research discipline: Biochemical Engineering

Themes: Bioprocess Engineering and Biocatalysis.

Our century is witnessing fast changes in the way people create goods and services, probably due to climate change and concerns linked to equity, health, water, food, and energy.

Clean energy and sustainable materials from biomass such as waste, plants, microbes, animals and by-products could progressively replace petroleum materials. Besides, the processing of petroleum, minerals and biomass will gradually be more sustainable thanks to environmentally friendly biotechnologies coupled to computational advances.

Chemicals and processes that are problematic for people, the economy and the environment will be replaced to achieve sustainable goals. This situation is an opportunity to create and apply bioprocesses and biocatalysis for sustainable manufacturing to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

At BIERG we research bioprocesses and biocatalysis and their applications to current sustainability challenges. We investigate a variety of ways to understand and use microbes, enzymes and other cellular chemicals to solve a number of problems currently affecting societies worldwide. We have applied bioprocessing and biocatalysis to convert a variety of biomasses into green energy (biomethane, bioethanol, biodiesel); decontaminate water, soil and sludge; capture smoky carbon dioxide; produce renewable energy, nutrient feedstocks and commodity chemicals in biorefineries; or ease the flow of oil in deep underground oil reservoirs at very high temperatures and pressures.

I am interested in deploying biology and engineering capabilities for a Circular Economy and Sustainable Development through Bioinspired solutions

Research Supervisor

Increasing vertical farming yield through the optimisation of nutrient growth in algae to be used as a fertiliser, with use of digital twin monitoring.. Researcher(s): Miss Natasha Vaccaro. Supervisor(s): Dr Ernesto Hernandez, Dr Naomi Rintoul-Hynes, Professor Abdullahi Ahmed. [Postgraduate Research Project]

European examiner of PhD works.
Editorial member of Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417, IF 2.7), issues: 1) "Biotechnology for Biofuel and Biomass Production", 2) "Advances in Biomass Conversion and Bioproduct Development: Towards Sustainable Bioprocess Engineering" and 3) "Advancements in Biomass-to-Biofuel Conversion Technologies: Process Optimization, Efficiency, and Sustainability.
Editorial member of Frontiers in Chemical engineering (ISSN 2673-2718), -Biochemical engineering section.
Editorial member: The Journal of Chemical Engineering and Environment (ISSN. 1412-5064, E-ISSN. 2356-1661).
Senior Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Institution of Chemical Engineers, European Biotechnology Network, European Network for Gastrointestinal Health Research, European Federation of Chemical Engineering, European Society of Biochemical Engineering Sciencesand other professional bodies.

Biogas potential of oil palm empty fruit bunch and lignocellulosic insoluble fibre components via the syringe bioreactor method Tanimu, I.M., Hernandez, J.E., Bachmann, R.T., (NaN): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Feedstocks for thrivable bioeconomies Hernandez, J.E., 9th International Congress on Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology (ICABB). [Conference keynote]
Fifth generation of biomass feedstocks to produce cleaner and more efficient energy Hernandez, E., Espinosa-Solares, T., Ramírez-Arpide, R., 13. European Conference on Renewable Energy Systems - ECRES2025. [Conference paper]
AI in bioinspired engineering for sustainable development Hernandez, J. E., Research Business Nexus 2. [Conference keynote]
Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP): New strains, new perspectives Hernandez, J. E., Allala, F., Mechri, Sondes, Chehrî, Ryma, Hadjari, Ouiam, Hammdoud, Ikhlas, Bouacem, K., Jaouadi B., Bouanane A., Microbiology International day. [Conference poster]
Nature inspired strategy to capture smoky carbon dioxide into commercial carbonates and add value to farming Hernandez, J. E., 8th Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference . [Conference poster]
Standard operating procedure for the operation of SEM-EDX for elemental analysis, with additional applications to biomass Hernandez, J. E., Thomas, J.K., Kheirandish, K., Wilson, C., Ortega, H.: Canterbury Christ Church University. [Report]
Sustainable agriculture: Vertical farming, artificial intelligence and bio-fertiliser; the future of farming Vaccaro, N., Hernandez, J. E., Chemical engineering day 2024. [Conference poster]
Sustainable agrobiorefinery system for advanced ethanol production from Opuntia prickly pear cactus nopales Hernandez, J.E., Espinosa-Solares, T., Pérez-Cadena, R., Téllez-Jurado, A., Ramírez-Arpide, F.R., (2024): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Systems analysis for sustainable bioprocess engineering and biotechnology Hernandez, J.E., 8th International Congress on Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology (ICABB). [Conference keynote]
Graphene-based nanomaterials and their application in bioreactors Hernandez, J.E., Mohd Fuzi, S.F.Z., Azman, N. A., (2023), Nanomaterials for Bioreactors and Bioprocessing Applications: Elsevier. [Book chapter]
New challenger for sustainable ethanol production in industrial biorefineries Hernandez, J. E., Espinosa-Solares, T., Cortés-Trejo, I., Téllez-Jurado, A. and Ramírez-Arpide, F.R., 7th Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference. [Conference poster]
Sustainable systems from prickly pear cactus nopales Hernandez, J.E., 7th International Congress on Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology (ICABB). [Conference keynote]
Bioprocessing and biocatalysis for a post COVID world Hernandez, J.E., 6th International Congress on Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology (ICABB). [Conference keynote]
Caracterización fisicoquímica de la grasa de ovino y evaluación del efecto de la pre-esterificación y transesterificación en la producción de biodiesel Hernandez, E., Pérez Cadena, R., González-Escamilla, E., Delgadillo-López, A. E., (2022), Congreso Nacional de Investigación Interinstitucional: Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas "Francisco García Salinas", Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica. [Journal article]
Feedstocks and challenges to biofuel development Hernandez, E., Botella, C., Diaz, A.B., Liang, Y., Sivakumar, S.V., (2022), Handbook of Biofuels Production Processes and Technologies: Elsevier. [Book chapter]
Interpretation of initial adhesion of Pseudomonas Putida on hematite and quartz using surface thermodynamics, DLVO, and XDLVO theories Hernandez, J. E., Zuki, F.M., Pourzolfagh, H., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2022): Springer. [Journal article]
White, brown and grey biotechnology in post Covid world Hernandez, E., Biotechnology Science, Business and Society. [Lecture]
Real-time monitoring of healthy omega-3 production in micro-algae: A viability study Hernandez, J. E., Vaccaro, N.M.. [Conference poster]
Viability study on real-time monitoring of healthy omega-3 production in micro-algae Hernandez, J. E., Vaccaro, N.M.. UK. [Research report]
Performance evaluation of a small scale digester for achieving decentralised Gonzalez, R., Hernandez, J. E., Gomez, X., Smith, R., Gonzales Arias, J., Elias Martínez, J., Blanco, D., (2020): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Dry weight model, capacitance and metabolic data as indicators of fungal biomass growth in solid state fermentation Botella, Carolina, Hernandez, J.E., Webb, Colin, (2018): Elsevier. [Journal article]
New approaches to engineering higher education: case studies Nortcliffe, A., McIntosh, G., Hernandez, J. E., IET New Approaches Case Study. [Conference poster]
Conceptualization, modelling and environmental impact assessment of a natural rubber techno-ecological system with nutrient, water and energy integration Martinez-Hernandez, E., Hernandez, J. E., (NaN): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Toxicity and biodegradability of caffeic acid in anaerobic digesting sludge Hernandez, J. E., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2018). [Journal article]
Entrepreneurial Intentions of university students in an emerging economy: The influence of university support and proactive personality on students' entrepreneurial intention Hernandez, E., Mustafa, M.J,, Mahon, C., Chee, L.K., (2016): Emerald Insight. [Journal article]
New DNA sequences from bacteria converting phenol into acetate under strict anaerobic conditions Hernandez, J. E., Edyvean, R., (2016). [Journal article]
Development of probiotics and prebiotics Hernandez, J. E., Pandiella, S., (2017), Engineering Aspects of Food Biotechnology. Abingdon: CRC Press. [Book chapter]
A novel process for enhancing oil production in algae biorefineries through bioconversion of solid by-products Hernandez, E., Colin, W., Trzcinski, A., (2012): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Comparison between a two-stage and single-stage digesters when treating a synthetic wastewater contaminated with phenol Hernandez, J. E., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2011): Water Research Commission (WRC). [Journal article]
Biogas production from cheese whey: Past, present and future Hernandez, J. E., Bachmann, R.T., Johnson, A. C., (2008), Advances in Cheese Whey Utilization: Transworld Research Network. [Book chapter]
Inhibition of biogas production and biodegradability by substituted phenolic compounds in anaerobic sludge Hernandez, J. E., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2008): Elsevier. [Journal article]
A cost-benefit analysis of methods for the determination of biomass concentration in wastewater treatment Hernandez, J.E., Bachmann, R.T., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2006): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Anaerobic treatment of phenol in a two-stage anaerobic reactor Hernandez, J.E., Edyvean, R.G.J., (2004), Waste Management and the Environment II. [Book chapter]

People search

Contact me

ernesto.hernandez@canterbury.ac.uk

01227923047

Fisher (F3.12), Canterbury

Dr Ernesto Hernandez

Research interests & Supervison

Research Supervisor

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