History and legacy: from basic science to commercial technology

Fernando Fernández-Polanco was first a full professor and later Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, and one of the pioneers of anaerobic digestion in Europe. His research, begun in 1979 at the University of Valladolid, forms the scientific basis of the thermal hydrolysis technology commercialised by teCH4+. After his passing, in 2022, teCH₄⁺ named its technology the Polanco Process in his memory.

In 1979, the First International Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion was held in Cardiff, considered the starting point of this technology in Europe. Fernando Fernández-Polanco’s participation in that event marked the beginning of the scientific legacy that, decades later, would give rise to teCH₄⁺.

Through a continuous process of applied research, progressive scale-up, and industrial validation. From laboratory pilots to commercial references, including industrial pilots and demonstration plants, the technology has evolved without losing scientific rigour or technical traceability.

It means that the accumulated scientific knowledge has reached sufficient maturity to become a recognizable industrial process. The name Polanco Process pays tribute, in memoriam, to its creator and reflects the continuity between basic science, applied engineering, and the commercial solution