Flash Head Ambassadors

There are people with a head the size of a planet… and then there is Juan M. Lema!.

A pioneer in environmental biotechnology and Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Santiago de Compostela, his career has garnered so many distinctions that he had to clear space on his living room shelves to accommodate his honoris causa doctorates from the University of Valladolid, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), and the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile)… as well as equivalent distinctions, such as his appointment as honorary professor at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT, China).

He has authored more than 450 publications and holds 20 patents, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA) and is listed among the most influential scientists in the world according to the Stanford ranking. But reducing Juan to his résumé would fall far short, because what defines him is not what he knows, but how he applies it: with immense work capacity, sharp judgment, and a humanity that leaves a lasting impression.

He has always been there for us. Technically and, above all, personally. Since the early years when life put him and Fernando Fernández‑Polanco in competition and, instead of fighting each other, they chose to get closer. And to forge a legendary friendship. A friendship between two giants.

For all these reasons, teCH₄⁺ recognizes Juan M. Lema as its first Flash Head Ambassador.

Innovation sounds great. But true commitment to innovation is something else.

EMASESA chose to go beyond rhetoric and, after rigorously evaluating all commercial thermal hydrolysis technologies, decided to back a technology developed in Spain: the continuous thermal hydrolysis of teCH₄⁺´s Polanco Process.

It was not the easy choice. Nor the safest on paper. But it was the one that opened up the greatest opportunities: technological proximity, the ability to evolve together, and a rock-solid commitment. The risk was there. And so were the benefits.

The bet materialized at Copero WWTP, where the process has been operating since 2020 with verified results. The story ended well. But it could have been otherwise.

For this reason, teCH₄⁺ recognizes EMASESA as a Flash Head Ambassador. A distinction that is, above all, an expression of gratitude for the courage behind an uncommon decision: to trust, to take risks, and to push boundaries. Because without choices like this, innovation does not move forward.