The researcher Erick David Torres, a PhD in Chemical Engineering and a postdoctoral fellow at Conicet Patagonia Confluencia, was honored in San Juan with the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Award for Science and Innovation 2025. At 33, this native of San Juan managed to contribute an innovative solution and strategy to tackle one of the great environmental challenges: the utilization of agro-industrial waste.
“Investing in science is the only way to generate sustainable development,” says Torres, convinced that applied research is key to the future of the region and the country.
A career marked by innovation
Although he resides in San Juan, Torres works at the Institute of Chemical Engineering (IIQ), linked to Probien-Conicet of the National University of Comahue, in Neuquén. From there, he develops projects aimed at transforming waste into clean energy and valuable by-products.
His academic path began at the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Industrial School, where he trained in electronics. He then entered Industrial Engineering, a degree in which he completed 45 subjects, undertook professional internships, and defended his undergraduate thesis in 2018.
That same year, he obtained a doctoral scholarship from Conicet, beginning his training in Chemical Engineering with a mention in clean processes. His doctoral thesis, titled “Pyrogasification of agro-industrial waste. Application of exergetic, economic, and environmental indicators”, was supervised by researchers Germán Mazza and Rosa Rodríguez.
The research: pyrolysis and waste valorization
Torres focused on the comprehensive study of slow pyrolysis, a thermochemical degradation process in an inert atmosphere (without oxygen), applied to agro-industrial waste such as walnut shells, almonds, and brewer’s spent grain.
This process yields three valuable products:
- Biochar: a porous solid rich in carbon, useful for improving soils, retaining pollutants, and acting as a catalyst in thermochemical processes.
- Bio-oil: a liquid with energy and chemical applications.
- Gas: an energy vector usable in the renewable energy sector.
These by-products allow transforming waste that generates negative environmental impacts into strategic resources for the circular economy.
Recognition and projection
For this work, Torres received the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Award for Science and Innovation 2025, granted by the State Secretariat for Science, Technology, and Innovation (Seciti) of San Juan. The award distinguishes research that promotes scientific and technological development with innovative solutions of regional impact.
“It is a huge honor to have received the award, as it bears the name of the hero Sarmiento. It means connecting current scientific effort with the vision of a man who believed that the progress of a country was built with education and science,” expressed Torres to the Diario RÍO NEGRO.
Science applied to sustainability
Torres’s contribution is linked to the reduction and valorization of agro-industrial waste, now considered resources. His research demonstrates that it is possible to turn environmental problems into opportunities for sustainable development, generating clean energy and useful products for agriculture and industry.
The combination of academic effort, technological innovation, and environmental commitment positions Erick David Torres as one of the young leaders of Argentine science, capable of linking research with the concrete needs of society.
The trajectory of Erick David Torres reflects how science and innovation can transform local realities and provide global solutions. His work with agro-industrial waste not only contributes to the transition to renewable energies but also strengthens the circular economy and environmental sustainability.
