Associate professor at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering of the School of Engineering of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and a researcher associate at the Marine Energy Research & Innovation Center (MERIC).
He is a civil engineer with a diploma in Environmental Engineering and holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
RESEARCH AREAS
His work intersects with engineering, biotechnology, and environmental microbiology, addressing topics such as bioenergy (microbial fuel cells), biocorrosion, biotreatment of emerging contaminants, and greywater reuse.
Principal Investigator of FONDECYT Regular Nº1240572, «Multi-Technique and Multiscale Evaluation of Electrochemical Granular Activated Carbon Biofilters for Energy-Efficient and Low-Cost Decentralized Greywater Treatment» (2024–2029).
LATEST 10 PUBLICATIONS
Muñoz-Arango, D., Torres-Rojas, F., Tapia, N., Vega, M., Alvear, C., Pizarro, G., Pastén, P., Cortés, S., Vega, A., Calderón, R., Nerenberg, R., & Vargas, I. T. (2023). Perchlorate and chlorate assessment in drinking water in northern Chilean cities. Environmental Research, 233, 116450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116450
Torres-Rojas, F., Muñoz, D., Canales, C., Hevia, S. A., Leyton, F., Veloso, N., Isaacs, M., & Vargas, I. T. (2023). Synergistic effect of electrotrophic perchlorate reducing microorganisms and chemically modified electrodes for enhancing bioelectrochemical perchlorate removal. Environmental Research, 233, 116442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116442
Torres-Rojas, F., Muñoz, D., Canales, C., & Vargas, I. T. (2022). Bioprospecting for electrochemically active perchlorate-reducing microorganisms. Bioelectrochemistry, 147, 108171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108171
Vega, M., Ontiveros‐Valencia, A., Vargas, I. T., & Nerenberg, R. (2022). Chlorate addition enhances perchlorate reduction in denitrifying membrane-biofilm reactors. Applied Microbiology And Biotechnology, 106(11), 4341-4350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11976-1
De la Fuente, M. J., Bustos, C., De la Iglesia, R., & Vargas, I. T. (2022). Microbial Electrochemical Technologies for Sustainable Nitrogen Removal in Marine and Coastal Environments. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health/International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 19(4), 2411. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042411
Anguita, J., Pizarro, G., & Vargas, I. T. (2022). Mathematical modelling of microbial corrosion in carbon steel due to early-biofilm formation of sulfate-reducing bacteria via extracellular electron transfer. Bioelectrochemistry, 145, 108058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108058
Vargas, I. T., Tapia, N., & Regan, J. J. (2022). Rumen Inoculum Enhances Cathode Performance in Single-Chamber Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells. Materials, 15(1), 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15010379
Leiva-Aravena, E., Vera, M., Nerenberg, R., Leiva, E., & Vargas, I. T. (2022). Biofilm formation of Ancylobacter sp. TS-1 on different granular materials and its ability for chemolithoautotrophic As(III)-oxidation at high concentrations. Journal Of Hazardous Materials, 421, 126733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126733
Díaz-Rullo, J., Rodríguez-Valdecantos, G., Torres-Rojas, F., Cid, L. P. B., Vargas, I. T., González, B., & González-Pastor, J. E. (2021). Mining for Perchlorate Resistance Genes in Microorganisms From Sediments of a Hypersaline Pond in Atacama Desert, Chile. Frontiers In Microbiology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.723874
Baldanzi, S., Vargas, I. T., Armijo, F., Fernández, M., & Navarrete, S. A. (2021). 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. Journal Of Marine Science And Engineering, 9(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9010082
