The 19th IWA World Conference on Anaerobic Digestion (IWA AD19) was a premier international gathering focused on renewable waste-to-energy and circular bio-economy solutions. Held in València, Spain, from June 9–13, it united academics, researchers, engineers, and industry leaders to shape the future of anaerobic biotechnologies. The conference attracts audience because it showcases the most up to date knowledge on anaerobic digestion, anaerobic bioprocesses for recovery of resources from wastes and complementary technologies. The event provided a platform for professionals across more than 50 countries to share insights, build biorefinery platforms, and promote technology transfer.
Operating under the theme „Fueling Sustainability“, the event emphasized transforming organic waste and wastewater into sustainable bioenergy, nutrients, and high-value bioproducts. Sessions covered topics ranging from microbial ecology and microbe engineering to industrial wastewater valorization, digital twin modelling, and decentralized recovery systems.
The conference featured opening plenary speeches, keynote lectures, flash presentation sessions, workshops bridging fundamental research with full-scale application, and poster sessions.
The poster, presented by ManuREfinery partners Colsen and the University of Valladolid, focused on the pilot-scale production of microbial protein from biogas using methanotrophic microorganisms. The research explores how methane generated through anaerobic digestion of livestock manure can be converted into protein-rich microbial biomass with potential feed applications. Laboratory experiments also examined the tolerance of microbial cultures to different salinity levels, providing valuable information for the operation and optimisation of the pilot system.