profile photo

Ignacio Tomas Vargas

email itvargas@uc.cl

Research Lines:
Bio-energy Environmental Microbiology Biological Waste Water and Liquid Industrial Waste Treatment Systems Bio-corrosion of Potable Water Systems and Bio-geo-chemistry
Keywords from publications:
Microbial Fuel Cell Granular Activated Carbon Oxyanions Biocathode Perchlorate Microbial Electrochemical Technologies Ver más...

Profile

Dr. Vargas is a Civil Engineer and holds a Master’s in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences. Dr. Vargas leads the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Environmental Microbiology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His research has focused on microbial biofilms, microbial electrochemical technologies, biocorrosion, biogeochemistry, and biological processes for water treatment and reuse. Currently, he is a board member of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology and regional representative (Chile) of the International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation Society. Dr. Vargas has over a decade of experience leading research projects and training young researchers studying the electrochemical interaction between microorganisms and surfaces.

Research Lines

Bio-energy

Environmental Microbiology

Biological Waste Water and Liquid Industrial Waste Treatment Systems

Bio-corrosion of Potable Water Systems and Bio-geo-chemistry

Network

Keywords from publications

Title Year Doi
Soil microbial community responses to labile organic carbon fractions in relation to soil type and land use along a climate gradient 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107692
A New Method for Sensing Soil Water Content in Green Roofs Using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells 2018 https://doi.org/10.3390/s18010071
Evaluation of Sedum as driver for plant microbial fuel cells in a semi-arid green roof ecosystem 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.08.017
Chlorine Reduction Kinetics and its Mass Balance in Copper Premise Plumbing Systems During Corrosion Events 2019 https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12223676
Effect of Tidal Cycles on Bacterial Biofilm Formation and Biocorrosion of Stainless Steel AISI 316L 2020 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8020124
The effect of scan rate on the precision of determining corrosion current by Tafel extrapolation: A numerical study on the example of pure Cu in chloride containing medium 2019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2019.04.064
Effect of Hazardous Bacteria Isolated From Copper Plumbing System on Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion of Copper 2019 https://doi.org/10.20964/2019.03.09
Copper Corrosion and Biocorrosion Events in Premise Plumbing 2017 https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10091036
Study of poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiphene) as a coating for mitigation of biocorrosion of AISI 304 stainless steel in natural seawater 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2017.09.009
A new aerobic chemolithoautotrophic arsenic oxidizing microorganism isolated from a high Andean watershed 2018 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-017-9813-x
Organotrophic acid-tolerant microorganisms enriched from an acid mine drainage affected environment as inoculum for microbial fuel cells 2019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.003
The Electrochemically Active Arsenic Oxidising Bacterium Ancylobacter sp TS-1 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.201800943
Constructed Wetland-Microbial Fuel Cells for Sustainable Greywater Treatment 2018 https://doi.org/10.3390/w10070940
Arsenic removal mediated by acidic pH neutralization and iron precipitation in microbial fuel cells 2018 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.378
Perchlorate contamination in Chile: Legacy, challenges, and potential solutions 2018 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.02.034
Electrochemically active microorganisms from an acid mine drainage-affected site promote cathode oxidation in microbial fuel cells 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2017.07.013
When material science meets microbial ecology: Bacterial community selection on stainless steels in natural seawater 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112955
Perchlorate and chlorate assessment in drinking water in northern Chilean cities 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116450
Electrotrophic perchlorate reduction by a psychrotolerant acidophile isolated from an acid rock drainage in Antarctica 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2023.108458
Toward sustainability and resilience in Chilean cities: Lessons and recommendations for air, water, and soil issues 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18191
Synergistic effect of electrotrophic perchlorate reducing microorganisms and chemically modified electrodes for enhancing bioelectrochemical perchlorate removal 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116442
Microbial electrochemistry and technology capacity building challenges-focus on Latin America & Caribbean and Africa 2023 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-023-05761-x
Seasonal variation in the biological succession of marine diatoms over 316L stainless steel in a coastal environment of Chile 2023 https://doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2023.2300150
Enhancing the contact-killing effect of copper by surface laser texturing 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.108497
Mathematical modelling of microbial corrosion in carbon steel due to early-biofilm formation of sulfate-reducing bacteria via extracellular electron transfer 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108058
Testing the Test: A Comparative Study of Marine Microbial Corrosion under Laboratory and Field Conditions 2021 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c01762
Initial adhesion suppression of biofilm-forming and copper-tolerant bacterium Variovorax sp. on laser microtextured copper surfaces 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.111656
Winogradsky Bioelectrochemical System as a Novel Strategy to Enrich Electrochemically Active Microorganisms from Arsenic-Rich Sediments 2022 https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111953
Bioprospecting for electrochemically active perchlorate-reducing microorganisms 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108171
Enhanced nitrogen and carbon removal in natural seawater by electrochemical enrichment in a bioelectrochemical reactor 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116294
Biofilm formation of Ancylobacter sp. TS-1 on different granular materials and its ability for chemolithoautotrophic As(III)-oxidation at high concentrations 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126733
Chlorate addition enhances perchlorate reduction in denitrifying membrane-biofilm reactors 2022 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11976-1
Mining for Perchlorate Resistance Genes in Microorganisms From Sediments of a Hypersaline Pond in Atacama Desert, Chile 2021 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.723874
Bioelectrochemical chlorate reduction by Dechloromonas agitata CKB 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123818
Electrochemical enrichment of marine denitrifying bacteria to enhance nitrate metabolization in seawater 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2021.105604
Experimental Assessment of a Conducting Polymer (PEDOT) and Microbial Biofilms as Deterrents and Facilitators of Macro-Biofouling: Larval Settlement of the Barnacle Notobalanus flosculus (Darwin, 1854) from Central Chile 2021 https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9010082
Long-term evaluation of soil-based bioelectrochemical green roof systems for greywater treatment 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122643
Energy and copper recovery from acid mine drainage by microbial fuel cells. Effect of the hydrochar doping on carbon felt anodes 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2024.129095
Synthetic greywater treatment using a scalable granular activated carbon bioelectrochemical reactor 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2024.108741
Marine biocorrosion inhibition of Pseudomonas sp. biofilms on 304 stainless steel coated with poly-6-aminoindole produced by two different electrochemical methods 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2024.108605
Granular activated carbon tubular microbial fuel cell for decentralized greywater treatment 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237121
Enrichment of electrochemically active microorganisms in a chlorate-pressured environment 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116696
Multidimensional assessment of (bio)electrochemical GAC-packed bed filters for laundry greywater treatment 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.108514
Characterization of perchlorate desorption and regeneration of the highly selective ion-exchange resin A530E using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole chloride, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole hydroxide, and choline chloride 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.118977
Hierarchical surface texturing increases the contact-killing effect of marine bacteria Pseudomonas sp. on 316 L Stainless steel 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2025.107868
Sodium dodecyl sulfate removal from synthetic greywater using microbial fuel cells 2026 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129266

School Co-Authors

* Authors who are no longer vigent are not clickable.

External Co-Authors

  • Felipe Torres -Rojas
    5 publications
  • Natalia Tapia
    4 publications
  • Carlos Gallardo-Bustos
    4 publications
  • Rodrigo De la Iglesia
    3 publications
  • Diana Munoz-Arango
    2 publications
  • Leslie K. Daille
    2 publications
  • Alejandra S. Vega
    2 publications
  • Javier Llanos
    1 publication
  • Ivan Nancucheo
    1 publication
  • Marcela Vega
    1 publication
  • Valeria Reginatto Spiller
    1 publication
  • Carlos Galarce
    1 publication
  • Angela Cabezas
    1 publication
  • D. E. Diaz Droguett
    1 publication
  • Gilles Flamant
    1 publication
  • Diego F. Montano
    1 publication
  • Marta Pascual
    1 publication
  • Guillermo Arce
    1 publication
  • Raill Calderon
    1 publication
  • Claudia Rojas
    1 publication
  • Ola Gomaa
    1 publication
  • F. Leyton
    1 publication
  • Javiera Castillo
    1 publication
  • Margarita Greene
    1 publication
  • Natalia F. Tapia
    1 publication
  • Francisco Jesus Fernandez-Morales
    1 publication
  • Francois Simon
    1 publication
  • Cristobal Alvear
    1 publication
  • John R. Spear
    1 publication
  • Luis Caro-Lara
    1 publication
  • Bibiana Cercado
    1 publication
  • Jose F. Adell
    1 publication
  • Diana Munoz
    1 publication
  • Nicolas Veloso-Cid
    1 publication
  • Maria Molinos-Senante
    1 publication
  • Francisca Rubio
    1 publication
  • Robert Nerenberg
    1 publication
  • Yelitza Delgado
    1 publication
  • Falk Harnisch
    1 publication
  • Javiera Aguirre
    1 publication
  • Nicolas Veloso
    1 publication
  • E. Ramos-Moore
    1 publication
  • Sandra Cortes
    1 publication
  • Angela Cantillo-Gonzalez
    1 publication
  • Erik Castaneda
    1 publication
  • Javier Rivera
    1 publication
  • Sandra Cortes
    1 publication
  • Iwona Beech
    1 publication
  • Francisco Armijo
    1 publication
  • Habib Chouchane
    1 publication
  • Camila Pia Canales
    1 publication
  • Mauricio Isaacs
    1 publication
  • Gilles Flamant
    1 publication
  • Rodrigo De la Iglesia
    1 publication
  • Pedro Hernandez
    1 publication
  • Ester Lopez
    1 publication
  • Janice Limson
    1 publication
  • Javiera M. Anguita
    1 publication
  • Mauricio Isaacs
    1 publication
  • Erik Castaneda
    1 publication
  • Javier Rivera
    1 publication
  • Victoria Seider
    1 publication
  • Javiera Castillo
    1 publication
  • Alejandra Vega
    1 publication
  • Eduardo Corton
    1 publication
  • Samuel A. Hevia
    1 publication
  • Samuel A. Hevia
    1 publication
  • Waldo Bustamante
    1 publication
  • Francisco Armijo
    1 publication