Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Martin-Ryals Lab
Led by Ana Martin-Ryals · Agricultural and Biological Engineering
What we study
The lab studies waste treatment systems like anaerobic digestion to recover energy, water, and nutrients from organic waste. They focus on technologies like anaerobic membrane bioreactors and bioplastics from food waste.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Bacteria & microbes
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 3
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Advancing anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technology
Developing systems to recover energy, water, and nutrients from wastewater.
Bioplastic production from food waste
Develops ways to make biodegradable plastic from food waste, using the organic waste treatment methods the lab studies.
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Anaerobic Co‑Digestion of Food Waste and Wastewater Biosolids
The project tests how mixing food waste with wastewater solids changes the amount of biogas produced. Students run small digesters at different food‑to‑solid ratios and measure the gas output to find the best mix for energy production.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 42
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Decision-Making in Controlled Environment Agriculture: Producer Perspectives on Digital Decision-Support Tools in the US
2026 · IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems
Asks farmers about using digital tools to make decisions in greenhouse farming.
- Recovering Bioenergy from Municipal Organic Wastes Through Anaerobic Co-Digestion
2026 · UF Journal of Undergraduate Research
Tests how mixing food waste and wastewater biosolids affects biogas production and waste quality.
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- Liquid‐Phase Syngas‐To‐Methanol at Low Temperature: Mixed Alcohol Solvent‐Controlled Pathways for Circular Carbon Manufacturing
2026 · ChemSusChem
Shows how mixing 2-butanol and isopropanol solvents affects methanol production from syngas.
- Authentic Research, Real Gains: Evaluation of the University of Florida Research and Extension Experiences for Circularity and Digitalization Skill Development of Undergraduates
2026 · Journal of Agricultural Education
Evaluates a program teaching undergrads circularity and digitalization skills through hands-on projects.
- Comparative life cycle assessment of a year-round grazing system vs. a hay-feeding system
2026 · The Science of The Total Environment
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Ana Martin-Ryals hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.