
Call: +34 976 762 393
Email: jhergui@unizar.es
Address: Office 4.2.9 c/Mariano Esquillor SN Edificio I+D+i, I3A, 50018, Zaragoza (Spain)
Sideral: See the profile (CV)
ABOUT ME
Javier Herguido is Professor of Chemical Engineering (Catedrático de Universidad) at the School of Engineering and Architecture (EINA) of the University of Zaragoza (Unizar), since 2007. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in industrial chemistry (1987) and a PhD in Science – Chemical Engineering program (1991). In 1993 holder of the chair ‘Chaire Hélioparc’ at the Technology Center ‘Hélioparc Pau-Pyrénées’ (France). Guest professor at several research centers and universities: ‘Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie Moléculaire’ CNRS-France, PUCP University-Peru, National University of Cuenca-Ecuador.
Currently, he is the Head (Director) of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technologies – Unizar, and the Secretary of the Spanish Catalysis Society (SECAT).
In his research activity, he is a member of the Catalysis and Reactor Engineering Group (CREG) and the Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A). His current research activity is focused in the area of Chemical Reactor Engineering including:
a) Fluidized bed reactors with oxidizing and reducing zones for selective oxidation processes and for catalytic dehydrogenations.
b) Hydrogen technologies: his current research efforts are devoted to fields related with hydrogen production and/or purification from several sources, hydrogen utilization in Power to Gas processes such as CO2 methanation, and Power to Liquid processes such as methanol production.
c) Processes intensification, including the use of membrane reactors.
He has participated in 43 research projects, largely as main researcher. His scientific production includes: 120 papers (counting 2 reviews per invitation) in JCR-indexed journals such as AIChEJ, Appl. Catal., Cat. Today, CEJ., CES, IECR, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, J. Catal., J. Power Sources, Powder Tech., Studies Surf. Sci. Catal., among others; over 370 presentations at scientific meetings; 2 patents; and the book “Chemical Reaction Engineering” (1999, Ed. Síntesis, Madrid). He has supervised 14 PhD thesis. H Index: 35 (G-Scholar, 3762 citations), 30 (Scopus, 2760 citations) -October 2023-
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1940-9597
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57195414034
PUBLICATIONS
2025
Aragüés-Aldea, P.; Mercader, V. D.; Durán, P.; Francés, E.; Peña, J. Á.; Herguido, J.
Biogas upgrading through CO2 methanation in a multiple-inlet fixed bed reactor: Simulated parametric analysis Journal Article
En: Journal of CO2 Utilization, vol. 93, pp. 103038, 2025, ISSN: 2212-9820.
@article{ARAGUESALDEA2025103038,
title = {Biogas upgrading through CO2 methanation in a multiple-inlet fixed bed reactor: Simulated parametric analysis},
author = {P. Aragüés-Aldea and V. D. Mercader and P. Durán and E. Francés and J. Á. Peña and J. Herguido},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025000228},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2025.103038},
issn = {2212-9820},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Journal of CO2 Utilization},
volume = {93},
pages = {103038},
abstract = {A simulation of the catalytic CO2 methanation reaction was carried out, evaluating the effect of reactants distributed feeding throughout the bed. The main operational parameters were studied in a multiple-inlet reactor to test their effect on conversions and, most importantly, on selectivities towards both CO and CH4 as reaction products. The analyzed parameters were, firstly, the number of feeding points (N) and the dosage degree of reactants, followed by temperature (T), partial pressures of reactants (H2:CO2 ratios), and the composition of a sweetened biogas as feeding stream (CH4:CO2 ratios). It is confirmed that a distribution of biogas through several side inlets improves selectivities to the desired CH4 product, over other feeding configurations. The effect of distributing reactants becomes intensified when the number of lateral feedings increases. This observation supports the experimental trends already proven in previous works. Regarding main operation parameters such as temperature and H2:CO2 molar ratio, the analysis confirmed that their influence on selectivities acts just as predicted at low conversions. However, when these conversions become higher the space velocity (WHSV) is the most important factor for selectivities. Finally, no significant changes in reaction performance were obtained when modifying the biogas CH4:CO2 ratio in the broad range of methane concentrations from 55 v% to 70 v%.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Mercader, V. D.; Aragüés-Aldea, P.; Durán, P.; Francés, E.; Herguido, J.; Peña, J. A.
Optimizing Sorption Enhanced Methanation (SEM) of CO2 with Ni3Fe + LTA 5 A mixtures Journal Article
En: Catalysis Today, vol. 453, pp. 115262, 2025, ISSN: 0920-5861.
@article{MERCADER2025115262,
title = {Optimizing Sorption Enhanced Methanation (SEM) of CO2 with Ni3Fe + LTA 5 A mixtures},
author = {V. D. Mercader and P. Aragüés-Aldea and P. Durán and E. Francés and J. Herguido and J. A. Peña},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092058612500080X},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115262},
issn = {0920-5861},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Catalysis Today},
volume = {453},
pages = {115262},
abstract = {This study investigates the integration of catalytic CO2 methanation and water adsorption using a Ni-Fe-based catalyst and LTA 5 A zeolite to enhance methane production via the Sabatier reaction. By mitigating thermodynamic limitations through in situ water removal, the research explores key operational parameters, including temperature, space velocity, and H₂:CO₂ feed ratios, to optimize process performance. The findings highlight that a temperature of 300 °C, a WHSV of 1.50 × 104 (STP) mL·gcat−1·h−1 (4.86 gCO2·gcat⁻¹·h⁻¹), and a H₂:CO₂ molar ratio equal to 5:1, result in enhanced methane yields, shifting thermodynamic equilibrium due to water sorption during initial stages. The presence of methane in the feed, representative of a biogas, demonstrated negligible effects on methane yields under optimal conditions, underscoring the method’s feasibility for direct biogas upgrading. While the process achieved significant intensification, challenges such as loss of activity of the bed of solids (catalyst plus water adsorbent) were identified, necessitating further advancements in both catalyst and adsorbent stability, as well as a deeper study on their interaction. The study provides a pathway for scaling up adsorption-enhanced methanation technologies to achieve renewable methane production, addressing the dual goals of carbon management and energy storage.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Renda, Simona; Soler, Jaime; Herguido, Javier; Menéndez, Miguel
En: Biomass and Bioenergy, vol. 197, pp. 107764, 2025, ISSN: 0961-9534.
@article{RENDA2025107764,
title = {Effect of particles size and density on the segregation of catalyst-sorbent mixtures for direct sorption-enhanced DME synthesis: Experimental and mathematical study},
author = {Simona Renda and Jaime Soler and Javier Herguido and Miguel Menéndez},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953425001758},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107764},
issn = {0961-9534},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Biomass and Bioenergy},
volume = {197},
pages = {107764},
abstract = {Direct sorption-enhanced dimethyl ether synthesis (SEDMES) is a promising process for the production of fuels from CO2 sources. Using novel technologies, the process can be run exploiting the phenomena of particles segregation in a fluidized bed reactor. However, the knowledge on the solid movement and the segregation patterns is a mandatory preliminary step for the setup of the final application. In this study, we evaluated the impact of particles size and density on the segregation patterns, and we used the Gibilaro and Rowe (GR) model to analytically represent the experimental results. It was observed that the variation of both parameters influences segregation, even though a higher separation degree in a wider operating velocity range was observed when a higher density ratio was induced between the two solids. Through the experimental analysis, five possible bed configurations were identified, and a consideration was made on the aims of the GR model to adjust the mathematical representation to the present case. By considering the bottom portion of the bed as a jetsam-rich phase and not – as previously reported – as a segregated layer, a mass balance on the catalyst allowed to obtain a faithful analytical representation of the experimental segregation patterns.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2024
Zapater, D.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Wery, F.; Cui, M.; Herguido, J.; Menendez, M.; Heynderickx, G. J.; Geem, K. M. Van; Gascon, J.; Castaño, P.
Multifunctional fluidized bed reactors for process intensification Journal Article
En: Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, vol. 105, pp. 101176, 2024, ISSN: 0360-1285.
@article{ZAPATER2024101176,
title = {Multifunctional fluidized bed reactors for process intensification},
author = {D. Zapater and S. R. Kulkarni and F. Wery and M. Cui and J. Herguido and M. Menendez and G. J. Heynderickx and K. M. Van Geem and J. Gascon and P. Castaño},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360128524000340},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2024.101176},
issn = {0360-1285},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-07-31},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Progress in Energy and Combustion Science},
volume = {105},
pages = {101176},
abstract = {Fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) are crucial in the chemical industry, serving essential roles in gasoline production, manufacturing materials, and waste treatment. However, traditional up-flow FBRs have limitations in applications where rapid kinetics, catalyst deactivation, sluggish mass/heat transfer processes, particle erosion or agglomeration (clustering) occur. This review investigates multifunctional FBRs that can function in multiple ways and intensify processes. These reactors can reduce reaction steps and costs, enhance heat and mass transfer, make processes more compact, couple different phenomena, improve energy efficiency, operate in extreme fluidized regimes, have augmented throughput, or solve problems inherited by traditional reactor configurations. They address constraints associated with conventional counterparts and contribute to favorable energy, fuels, and environmental footprints. These reactors can be classified as two-zone, vortex, and internal circulating FBRs, with each concept summarized, including their advantages, disadvantages, process applicability, intensification, visualization, and simulation work. This discussion also includes shared considerations for these reactor types, along with perspectives on future advancements and opportunities for enhancing their performance.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
González Pizarro, Rodrigo; Durán Sánchez, Paúl; Aragüés Aldea, Pablo; Mercader Plou, Victor; Francés, Eva; Peña Llorente, José Ángel; Herguido Huerta, Javier
vol. 12, 2024.
@proceedings{GonzálezPizarro_DuránSánchez_AragüésAldea_MercaderPlou_Francés_PeñaLlorente_HerguidoHuerta_2024,
title = {Enriquecimiento de biogás por metanación de CO2 sobre Ni-MnxOy en reactor de lecho fijo con alimentación distribuida},
author = {González Pizarro, Rodrigo and Durán Sánchez, Paúl and Aragüés Aldea, Pablo and Mercader Plou, Victor and Francés, Eva and Peña Llorente, José Ángel and Herguido Huerta, Javier},
url = {https://papiro.unizar.es/ojs/index.php/jji3a/article/view/10682},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-07-01},
urldate = {2024-07-01},
journal = {Jornada de Jóvenes Investigadores del I3A},
volume = {12},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}