This area of research has the following objectives:

– Acidophiles: conventional microbial ecology, molecular ecology, molecular biology and biotechnology of extreme acidic environments (biomining, specific metal sequestering, biomineralization and phytoremediation). This objective is mainly interested in the exploration of biotechnological applications of acidophiles, most of them related with the recovery of metals from minerals or from contaminated waters.

– Geomicrobiology of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) subsurface: characterization of the underground bioreactor responsible of the extreme acidic conditions detected in the Río Tinto basin. The development of this objective allowed to identify the microorganisms involved in the biogeochemical cycles (C, N, S, Fe) operating in the subsurface of the IPB. Nitrate reducing microorganisms have been identified as responsible of oxidizing ferrous iron in strict anaerobic conditions, facilitating the chemical attack to the high concentration of metal sulfides existing in the IPB, generating the extreme conditions detected in the Tinto basin.

– Geomicrobiological characterization of extreme environments as habitability models of astrobiological interest: The following ecosystems are studied: Río Tinto, Spain (Mars analogue); Uyuni salt lake, Bolivia (Europa analogue); Tirez hypersaline lagoon, Spain (Europa analogue) and Dallol in the Danakil depression, Ethiopia (Mars analogue). This objective aims to characterize different extreme environments as models for life in different planets and moons of the solar system. This research is interested in knowing the limits of life characterizing analogue ecosystems in our planet as preparation of future space exploration missions.