UPAEP catalysis for Mexican industrial transformation, Digi Mart USA News (Puebla, Mexico): Ten years after the Paris Agreement took effect, experts at the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP) highlighted the potential of catalysis to reduce polluting emissions, make use of industrial waste, and strengthen technological innovation in Mexico.
At a press conference, Ligia Catalina Muñoz Arenas, a professor at the Faculty of Molecular Engineering and Sustainable Technologies, explained that the international agreement seeks to limit the rise in average global temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius and to keep efforts aimed at not exceeding 1.5 degrees. She noted that the Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016, and set commitments for countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through nationally determined contributions.
She warned, however, that climate projections still show a complicated outlook, even though targets have been updated to make them more ambitious. For that reason, she considered it necessary to expand technological alternatives and complement efforts in renewable energy with other solutions to transform industrial processes and help curb climate change.
Mario Edgar Cordero Sánchez, a research professor at the same faculty, explained that catalysts improve the efficiency of chemical processes, reduce waste generation, and lower energy consumption. These technologies have applications in sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, and the production of fuels, plastics, and other everyday materials.
The researcher also pointed to Mexico’s dependence on foreign markets. He noted that the country imports about 108 million dollars in catalysts and exports 11.5 million dollars, meaning imports are 9.4 times greater than exports.
Given this situation, he identified opportunities to develop domestic technology, recover precious metals from spent catalysts, and design materials that enable cleaner industrial processes. He also mentioned the upcoming operation of a catalyst plant in Veracruz, developed in collaboration with the Mexican Petroleum Institute.
The project involves an investment of 563 million pesos and a design production capacity of 890 tons per year.
Mario Alberto López Mendoza, director of the faculty, stressed that more than 90% of industrial chemical processes use some type of catalyst. He said this presence reflects the importance of the technology in transforming production systems.
Among the research lines, he mentioned the conversion of carbon dioxide into raw materials and chemical products. Through catalytic processes, industrial emissions can be used as inputs rather than released directly into the atmosphere.
He also highlighted the development of green hydrogen, produced by splitting water through electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources. This resource could help reduce emissions in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as cement and steel.
Another area of opportunity is the circular economy, particularly the treatment of plastic waste and biomass. Through catalytic processes, these materials can be transformed into raw materials, biofuels, and other valuable products.
During the question session, the academics agreed that artificial intelligence offers tools to model catalyst behavior, optimize their design, and reduce the time and resources needed to develop them.
Finally, they said that meeting climate commitments requires collaboration among universities, industry, government, and society. They also called for strengthening research and environmental regulation, and invited citizens to adopt more responsible consumption habits and reduce their carbon footprint.
The specialists emphasized that Mexico has the talent and research capacity to develop its own solutions. However, they considered it necessary to strengthen collaboration across sectors and expand efforts to move toward an industry with a smaller environmental impact.
