This Unit focuses its research on the presence, impact and fate of organic pollutants in the water cycle, terrestrial environment, biota, food and humans, including not only those that are regulated in the legislation (priority contaminants), such as pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but also contaminants of recent identification (contaminants of emerging concern), such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, drugs of abuse, for which environmental occurrence and ecotoxicity data are very scarce. This involves their monitoring in field samples and assessment of their degradation/metabolism in different types of water matrices, particulate matter, sediments, soils, sewage sludge, air, aquatic organisms, crops, food and biological samples from humans. It further deals with the bioaccumulation of contaminants in biota and humans. This research line has a long history of monitoring activities, which have been carried out in very diverse areas, going from remote areas (for instance, the Antarctic) to local rivers. The research group has broad experience in coordinating national and international research projects funded by the European Commission, other International Institutions, and the Spanish Government. In addition, it has many contracts with public and private entities (e.g. Catalan Water Agency-ACA and Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona -AGBAR).
- Determination of occurrence, fate and behavior of priority contaminants in the environment, food stuff and human samples
- Study of occurrence and impact of organic pollutants of emerging concern in the environment, food stuff and human samples
- Evaluation of uptake, bioaccumulation, and metabolism of priority and contaminants of emerging concern in biota, crops and humans
- Evaluation of the impact of pollution of the reclaimed water in the agriculture and aquifers replenishment
- Assessment of the attenuation and transformation of pollutants of emerging concern in engineered systems and in the aquatic environment (rivers, aquifers and oceans)
- Identification and analysis of emerging disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water and evaluation of their generation in drinking water facilities
- Estimation of alcohol and drugs consumption through sewage epidemiology
- Environmental risk assessment
Research Facilities
Instrumentation for chemical analysis
Sample collection, preparation and extraction:
- Portable automatic water sampler Isco 6712c (Teledyne ISCO)
- Automated solid phase extraction (SPE): off-line ASPEC GX-271 (Gilson)
- On-line PROSPEKT (Spark Holland) coupled to LC-QqQ-MS
- On-line Symbiosis PICO (Spark Holland) coupled to LC-QLIT-MS
- Turbulent flow chromatography (TurboFlow, Thermo Fisher) coupled to LC-QqQ-MS
- EQuan (Thermo Fisher Scientific) coupled to LC-QqQ-MS
- Pressurized liquid extraction – ASE 350 (Dionex) and ONE PSE (Applied Separations)
LC-MS
- LC-QLIT-MS, Q-Trap 4000 Q-TRAP (Sciex)
- UPLC-QqQ-MS, TQD (Waters)
- LC-QqQ-MS, TSQ Vantage (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
- UHLPC-Orbitrap-MS, Q-Exactive (Thermo Electron)
- UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS, X500R (Sciex)
Analysis by MALDI-TOF-MS imaging:
AuToFlex III MALDI-TOF/TOF instrument (Bruker Daltonik GmbH,Bremen, Germany) equipped with a Smartbeam laser at 200 Hz laser at the “medium focus” setting and were controlled using FlexControl 3.0 (Bruker Daltonik GmbH).
Experimental facilities
- Artificial recharge pilot plant
- Agricultural plots
Permanent Researchers
Barceló Cullerès, Damià
934006183 - int: 437902
Díaz Cruz, Silvia
934006189 - int: 437781
Ginebreda Martí, Antoni
437900
López de Alda Villaizán, Miren
934006134 - int: 437906
Postdoc Researchers
Bonansea, Rocío Inés
932557696 - int: 437919
PhD Students
Contreras Llin, Albert
437897
García Vara, Manuel
437903
Pérez López, Carlos
437738
Sunyer Caldú, Adrià
437786
Technical
Administration
Communication and Outreach
Projects and Fundraising
PROMISCES
Preventing Recalcitrant Organic Mobile Industrial chemicalS for Circular Economy in the Soil-sediment-water system
PROMISCES will identify how industrial pollution prevents the deployment of the circular economy in the EU and which strategies help overcome key bottlenecks to deliver the ambitions of the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. Funded as an H2020 project, PROMISCES considers specific circular economy routes including (i) semi-closed water cycles for drinking water supply at urban and catchment scale; (ii) wastewater reuse for irrigation in agriculture; (iii) nutrient recovery from sewage sludge; (iv) material recovery from dredged sediment and (v) land remediation for safe reuse in urban areas.
Start Date: 01/11/2021 – End Date: 30/04/2025
Project Leader: Miren López de Alda Villaizán , Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Funding: European Project
https://promisces.eu/
MAGO
MAGO is the new 3-year PRIMA-funded project that aims at developing Mediterranean wAter management solutions for a sustainable aGriculture supplied by an Online collaborative platform. The project kicked off on the 1st of May, 2021. The overarching objective of the project is to make this connection between research results and real market needs and end-user demands, in the field of food security and water management in the Mediterranean region, especially focusing on the challenge of climate change. MAGO will develop WEMED, a collaborative platform with WEb applications for agriculture in the MEDiterranean.
It will introduce novel participatory processes for better water and innovation governance, enhance monitoring and modelling for better water use efficiency and soil conservation, and improve planning and operation of wastewater reuse systems in agriculture.
Funded by EC, PRIMA (Horizon 2020)
Start Date: 01/04/2021 – End Date: 31/03/2024
Project Leader: Miren López de Alda Villaizán
Funding: European Project
https://www.mago-prima.eu/
ESAR-Net 2.0
Exploración de las aguas residuales como indicador complementario, rápido y objetivo sobre el consumo de sustancias de abuso.
The main aim of this project is to implement the sewage water based epidemiology as a tool, complementary to the classic epidemiological indicators, to estimate the consumption of substances of abuse, including illegal (cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy), legal (alcohol and tobacco), and new psychoactive substances, in Spain. The objective is to include in the study a large number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) giving service to different types of populations (in terms of size and main economic activity), located in different autonomous communities, representing a large part of the Spanish population. The research team includes 33 researchers from 12 different centers, many of which have already worked together, and with public entities such as the Observatory European Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions, on this issue through the ESAR-Net network
Funded by: Ministerio de Sanidad. Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (Exp. Núm. 2020I009).
Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2023
Project Leader: Miren López de Alda Villaizán
Funding: National Project
https://www.esarnet.es/
SCREEN&TOXIN
Interferência de protetores solares na acumulação de biotoxinas marinhas em conquilha (Donax trunculus) e procura de alternativas “verdes”: inovação para a sustentabilidade ambiental e socioeconómica
This project aims to investigate whether simultaneous exposure to okadaic acid and to oxybenzone, an active ingredient in sunscreens, could increase the interdiction period for snail (Donax trunculus) capture and consumption by "overloading" the metabolic pathways that ensure the elimination of this marine biotoxin. Likewise, the possibility that natural substances that act as UV filters (such as the components of certain marine macroalgae) may not have such an effect on the elimination of okadaic acid will be studied. If this hypothesis is confirmed, the use of "greener" sunscreens (with macroalgae in their composition) would be recommended, as an alternative to the common oxybenzone present in many products that contain UV sunscreens.
As a positive impact of the BLOOM & TOXIN project, an improvement in coastal water quality is expected by reducing oxybenzone levels, allowing a reduction in the time spent fishing and catching shellfish, and an increase in its quality. These improvements are also expected to have a positive impact on local tourism, also encouraging the cultivation of bivalves and algae under controlled conditions.
Funding: Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal)
Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2023
Project Leader: Silvia Díaz Cruz
Funding: International Project
ImPeFora
Impactos de contaminantes emergentes en Posidonia de Formentera
The main objectives of this project are to quantify the accumulation of PMs, nanoplastics and sunscreen components (UV filters) in the water column and sediments of Posidonia oceanica meadows and in the plant itself around the Formentera coast and to investigate its effects. Two types of sampling strategies will be followed: (1) Intensive studies to quantify both the accumulation of emerging pollutants in the environment and in P. oceanica tissues and correlate them with the health status of the plants at different points during the first year of the project and (2) controlled on-site experiments during the second year to determine the effects of these emerging pollutants on the plant.
The results of this project will provide the first scientific evidence on the real effects of this type of pollutant on P. oceanica, whose grasslands are classified as a priority habitat for conservation according to the Habitats Directive (Dir. 92/43 / CEE). This scientific evidence is necessary to establish local environmental policies and include these emerging pollutants in their follow-up and monitoring programs and promote sustainable tourism on the Mediterranean coasts, particularly in Formentera.
Funding: Consell Insular de Formentera. Illes Balears
Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2022
Project Leader: Silvia Díaz Cruz
Funding: Regional Project
RESTORA
Managed recharge of aquifers and use of organic substrates to accelerate the renaturalization of water
The general objective of RESTORA is to improve the managed recharge of aquifers using reactive layers and demonstrate that it is a safe technology to tackle new challenges of pollution. These layers, coupled with a conventional purification system, allow water to be renaturalized in the aquifer without any risk to human health or the ecosystem, benefiting water quantity and quality in Catalonia.
Funding: Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (AGA)
Start Date: 01/03/2020 – End Date: 16/05/2023
Project Leader: Silvia Díaz Cruz , Jesús Carrera Ramírez
Researchers: Albert Contreras Llin , Adrià Sunyer Caldú , Gerard Quintana López
Funding: Regional Project
https://restora.h2ogeo.upc.edu/
CICLIC
Developing an innovative toolbox for pollutant monitoring and risk assessment to human health
CICLIC proposes an innovative toolbox to monitor the environmental fate of contaminants and to assess their risks to human health and ecosystems in the current climate change scenario. This toolbox will be developed and tested on highly biodiverse areas, in wetlands, and will include massive data analysis, contaminant monitoring and analytical techniques, wastewater reuse and analysis, metabolomics, environmental and ecological modelling, ecotoxicological tools, and ecosystem vulnerability and resilience analysis.
Funding: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)