Turning Toxic Wastewater Into Clean Energy

Facundo Dominguez is researching the potential of a yeast to eliminate waste from the textile industry and convert it into extractable lipids

Argentinian fellow Facundo Gabriel Domínguez believes it can be done. As part of his UNU-BIOLAC fellowship, he traveled to the Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CeBiB) in Santiago de Chile to investigate the potential of the oleaginous yeast Apiotrichum domesticum JCM9580 in degrading synthetic dyes and producing biofuels.

This microbial strain is capable of breaking down highly toxic azo dyes—common pollutants in textile industry wastewater—while simultaneously accumulating lipids as a byproduct of its metabolism. These lipids could be harnessed for carbon-neutral biofuel production, positioning the yeast as a dual-purpose tool for bioremediation and renewable energy.

During his stay in Chile, Facundo adapted an enzymatic purification protocol that will enable the next two critical steps in this research: identifying the biochemical pathway involved in dye degradation and assessing the toxicity of the resulting byproducts.

UNU-BIOLAC extends its gratitude to Dr. Hipólito Fernando Pajot (PROIMI-CONICET) and Dr. María Elena Lienqueo (CeBiB) for their valuable collaboration in making this fellowship a success.