Patricia is a Postdoctoral Researcher at CMET. She holds a degree in Biotechnology Engineering, a Master’s in Biochemistry, and a PhD in Natural Sciences and Engineering (2023), all obtained in Mexico. Her research focuses on microbial biotechnology for environmental applications, with key emphasis on resource recovery from anaerobic streams, carbon capture, and the upgrading and valorization of biogas. She specializes in the use of methanotrophs and microalgae to convert methane and carbon dioxide into high-value products, contributing to the development of sustainable carbon management technologies. Her work integrates fundamental microbiology with applied bioprocess engineering, always inspired by her bright and colorful (co-)cultures of pink methanotrophs and green microalgae.
Selected key publications
P. Ruiz-Ruiz, P. Mohedano-Caballero, J. De Vrieze, “Ectoine production through a marine methanotroph–microalgae culture allows complete biogas valorization,” J. Environ. Manage., 375, 124223, 2025.
P. Ruiz-Ruiz, T.L. Gómez-Borraz, A. Saldivar, S. Hernández, M. Morales-Ibarría, S. Revah, “Diluted methane mitigation by a co-culture of alkaliphilic methanotrophs and the microalgae Scenedesmus obtusiusculus towards carbon neutrality,” Biochem. Eng. J., 208, 109211, 2024.
A. Saldivar, P. Ruiz-Ruiz, S. Revah, C. Zuñiga, “Genome-scale flux balance analysis reveals redox trade-offs in the metabolism of the thermoacidophile Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum,” Front. Syst. Biol., 4, 1291612, 2024.
P. Ruiz-Ruiz, T.L. Gómez-Borraz, S. Revah, M. Morales, “Methanotroph-microalgae co-culture for greenhouse gas mitigation: Effect of initial biomass ratio and methane concentration,” Chemosphere, 259, 127418, 2020.
P. Ruiz-Ruiz,A. Estrada, M. Morales, “Carbon dioxide capture and utilization using microalgae,” in Handbook of Microalgae-Based Processes and Products, Academic Press, pp. 185–206, 2020.