Regarding research, Prof. Rodrigo has been awarded five six-year research evaluation periods (sexenios) (1995–2000; 2001–2006; 2007–2012; 2013–2018; 2019–2024). He has led or is currently leading 21 competitive research projects (€2,962,520) and 3 infrastructure projects (€819,910). Additionally, within the context of the research group he leads—the Electrochemical and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (E3L)—he has participated in 30 other competitive projects (€5,781,000) and 12 infrastructure projects (€2,221,290).
Below is a list of competitive projects led during the most recent sexenio (2019–2024):
- Knowledge Generation: Oriented Research (Government of Spain)
Organic Electrorefineries: towards a new paradigm in electrochemical environmental technology (PID2022-138401OB-I00)
09/23–09/26, €276,562.50 - Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha
Sustainable energy regulation for the wine sector (SBPLY/21/180501/000075)
09/22–08/25, €137,995.17 - Ecological and Digital Transition Projects (Government of Spain)
Adapting EDEN technology to reduce the carbon footprint of diesel engines in the transport sector (TED2021-131630B-100)
12/22–07/25, €245,180.00 - Excellence Networks (Government of Spain)
Environmental and Energy Applications of Electrochemical Technology to Address the Water-Energy Nexus Challenges (RED2022-134552-T)
07/23–05/25, €20,390.00 - Proof of Concept 2021 (Government of Spain)
Getting on top of sustainable electrochemical remediation technologies for chlorinated hydrocarbons pollution associated with industrial activities (PDC2021-121105-I00)
12/21–11/23, €149,500.00 - International Joint Program AQUAPOLLUTANTS
Sustainable Electrochemical Reduction of Contaminants of Emerging Concern and Pathogens in WWTP Effluent for Crop Irrigation (PCI2021-121963)
09/21–12/24, €150,000.00 - Societal Challenges (Government of Spain)
New Electro-Absorption Technologies for More Sustainable Environmental and Energy Applications (PID2019-107271RB-I00)
06/20–05/23, €249,260.00 - European Erasmus+
Addressing the Current and Future Skill Needs for Sustainability, Digitalization, and the Bio-Economy in Agriculture: European Skills Agenda and Strategy (2019-1-IT-EPPKA2-SSA-B)
01/01/2020–30/06/2024, €108,883.00 - Explora Science/Technology (Government of Spain)
Electrochemically-based Decarbonizing Energy (CTQ2017-91190-EXP)
11/18–10/20, €72,600.00 - Explora Science/Technology (Government of Spain)
Emulating life in the production of energy: photomicrobiologic fuel cells for electricity generation from sunlight (CTQ2013-49748-EXP)
01/15–04/17, €60,000.00 - Societal Challenges (Government of Spain)
Electrochemical-assisted remediation of organochlorinated polluted soil and wastewater from industrial activities (CTM2016-76197-R)
12/16–12/19, €423,500.00 - Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha
Sustainable Energy Storage via the Hybrid Sulfur Process Enhanced with Polybenzimidazole Membranes (SBPLY/17/180501/000330)
09/18–09/21, €154,000.00 - European H2020
Self-Sustaining Cleaning Technology for Safe Water Supply and Management in Rural African Areas (SafewaterAfrica, 689925)
06/16–12/19, €3,000,000 (€281,482 for UCLM) - Excellence Networks (Government of Spain)
Environmental & Energy Applications of Electrochemical Technology (CTQ2017-90659-REDT)
07/18–06/20, €20,000.00
The developments achieved through participation in all these projects have led to numerous results, both in terms of knowledge transfer and scientific dissemination. According to the SCOPUS database (ID: 3486949880), as of September 16, 2025, Prof. Rodrigo has authored 672 publications. Of these, 51.4% are international collaborations and 0.2% involve companies. 89.8% of the publications appear in first-quartile journals, and 69.4% are among the top 25% most cited worldwide. His h-index is 85, and his Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) is 1.28, with a total of 32,854 citations.
In the last 10 years, 69% of his articles have ranked among the top 25% most cited, and 92.5% have been published in Q1 journals. His research shows strong social engagement, as reflected in the number of articles aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): 1
- SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): 20
- SDG 4 (Quality Education): 1
- SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): 286
- SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): 170
- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): 2
- SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure): 88
- SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): 45
- SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): 38
- SDG 13 (Climate Action): 12
- SDG 14 (Life Below Water): 5
- SDG 15 (Life on Land): 22
Between 2019 and 2024, he published 255 scientific papers. Below are ten highlighted articles from this period, with a note on their significance:
- Requena-Leal I., Fernández-Marchante C.M., Lobato J., Rodrigo M.A.
Towards a more sustainable hydrogen energy production: Evaluating the use of different sources of water for chloralkaline electrolyzers
Renewable Energy, 233, Article No. 121137 (2024) – Cited 3 times
(Technology for sustainable green hydrogen production through water management) - Martínez-Huitle C.A., Rodrigo M.A., Sirés I., Scialdone O.
A critical review on latest innovations and future challenges of electrochemical technology for the abatement of organics in water
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 328, Article No. 122430 (2023) – Cited 195 times
(Critical perspective on the future of electrochemical water treatment) - Mena I.F., Montiel M.A., Sáez C., Rodrigo M.A.
Improving performance of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electro-ozonizers using 3D printing
Chemical Engineering Journal, 464, Article No. 142688 (2023) – Cited 11 times
(Enhancing electrochemical processes through reactor design with 3D printing) - Marques Cordeiro-Junior P.J., Sáez C., Lanza M.R.D., Rodrigo M.A.
Electrochemical production of extremely high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in discontinuous processes
Separation and Purification Technology, 300, Article No. 121847 (2022) – Cited 17 times
(Electrode development achieving near 100% faradaic efficiency) - Souza F.L., Sáez C., Cañizares P., Rodrigo M.A.
Improving the degradation of low concentration of microcystin-LR with PEM electrolyzers and photo-electrolyzers
Separation and Purification Technology, 259, Article No. 118189 (2021) – Cited 8 times
(Treatment of low-concentration and low-salinity streams) - Muñoz-Morales M., Sáez C., Cañizares P., Rodrigo M.A.
Improvement of electrochemical oxidation efficiency through combination with adsorption processes
Journal of Environmental Management, 262, Article No. 110364 (2020) – Cited 30 times
(New strategies for efficient removal of hazardous compounds even at low concentrations) - Carvela M., Lobato J., Rodrigo M.A.
Storage of energy using a gas-liquid H₂/Cl₂ fuel cell: A first approach to electrochemically-assisted absorbers
Chemosphere, 254, Article No. 126795 (2020) – Cited 15 times
(Launch of EDEN® technology for green energy storage) - Ganiyu S.O., Martínez-Huitle C.A., Rodrigo M.A.
Renewable energies driven electrochemical wastewater/soil decontamination technologies: A critical review of fundamental concepts and applications
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 270, Article No. 118857 (2020) – Cited 227 times
(Reference work for integrating electrolytic systems with renewable energy) - Lara-Ramos J.A., Saez C., Machuca-Martínez F., Rodrigo M.A.
Electro-ozonizers: A new approach for an old problem
Separation and Purification Technology, 241, Article No. 116701 (2020) – Cited 33 times
(Reinvention and enhancement of cells competing with discharge ozonizers) - Muñoz-Morales M., Sáez C., Cañizares P., Rodrigo M.A.
A new electrochemically-based process for the removal of perchloroethylene from gaseous effluents
Chemical Engineering Journal, 361, pp. 609–614 (2019) – Cited 18 times
(Strategies for efficient electrolysis of gases)
He has also delivered over 600 conference presentations, with more than 60% as oral communications and 10% as plenary or invited lectures. Below is a representative list of ten invited talks from the 2019–2024 period:
- On the way of increasing TRL in electrochemical advanced processes
CIPOA – VI CIPOA, Florianópolis (Brazil), 07–11 October 2024 - Innovative Electrochemical Engineering: A Personal Perspective
7th IACC, Semnan (Iran), 17–18 September 2024 - Cutting Edge Research in Electrochemical Engineering from a Personal Perspective
i2A Webcycle – Webinar Series “Research for Society 2024”, Coimbra (Portugal), 19 June 2024 - Fundamentals and Technology of Electrokinetic Processes
Workshop “The Decade of Soil Restoration”, 14–18 March 2022 - Challenges of Electrochemical Technology in Water Reuse
1st International Workshop on Advanced Electrochemical Oxidation for Water Reuse, Nancy (France), 15–19 September 2020 - The Binomial Technology Readiness Level / Environmental Electrochemical Engineering: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?
12th ESEE, Leuwarden (Netherlands), 14–17 June 2021 - New Frontiers of Electrochemical Technology in Energy and Environment
IV Colombian Electrochemistry Congress, Antioquia (Colombia), 05–07 October 2020 - Development of Electrochemical Processes for Water Treatment
EVE 2020 Electrochemistry Webinar, University of Santiago de Chile, November–December 2020 - How to Face the Challenges for Environmental Electrochemical Engineering in the Next Decade?
Webinar “Electrochemical Processes as a Challenge in 21st Century Environmental Remediation in Ibero-American Countries”, University of São Paulo, 6 November–4 December 2020 - New Frontiers of Electrochemical Technology in Energy and Environment
36th JNIQ, Zaragoza, 4–6 September 2019