The Environmental Pollution and Agriculture (EPA) group is focused on the natural processes affecting the fate of contaminants in the environment to find nature-based approaches to mitigate chemical pollution and the associated impact of human activity on the ecosystems. The research lines range from environmental chemistry to environmental forensics to identify the pollution sources and the key processes affecting their fate in the environment, including sustainable wastewater treatment systems, biogeochemistry of Mercury in ecosystems and fate of contaminants in agroecosystems. Non-target screening and metabolomic methods are developed to get further insight into the contaminant degradation pathways and their impacts into the downstream environment.
- Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Systems
- Biogeochemistry of Mercury in Ecosystems
- Fate of Contaminants in Agroecosystems
Permanent Researchers
Postdoc Researchers
PhD Students
Marrugo Madrid, Siday
437687
Vecchi, Valeria
437744
Technical
Cano López, Alicia
437698
Díaz García, Laura
437698
Pastor López, Edward Jair
437688
Pulgar García, Sandra
437688
Rodríguez Espelta, Yolanda
437698
Administration
Communication and Outreach
Projects and Fundraising
UPWATER
Groundwater plays a key role in providing water supplies and livelihoods to respond the pronounced water scarcity. Groundwater pollution is a widespread worldwide problem. The scientific and technological goals of the UPWATER project are:
-To provide scientific knowledge on identification, occurrence and fate of pollutants in the groundwater with cost-efficient sampling methods based on passive samplers.
-To develop sources apportionment methods to identify and quantify the pollution sources.
-To validate and assess the performance of bio-based engineered natural treatment systems designed as mitigation solutions.
The monitoring and mitigation solutions will be validated in 3 case studies (Denmark, Greece and Spain), representing different climate conditions and a combination of rural, industrial and urban pollution sources. Expected outcomes include amongst others updating the EU chemical priority lists, scaling-up the pilot bio-based solutions to demonstration scale, the adoption of some preventive measures in the case studies and the close-to-market development of the passive sampling devices.
Start Date: 01/11/2022 – End Date: 30/11/2024
Project Leader: Enric Vázquez Suñé
Researchers: Sandra Pérez Solsona , Víctor Matamoros Mercadal , Sergi Díez Salvador , Sílvia Lacorte Bruguera , Eike Marie Thaysen
Funding: European Project
BIODAPH2O
Eco-efficient system for wastewater tertiary treatment and water reuses in the Mediterranean region
The project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of BIODAPH technology, an eco-efficient and nature-based wastewater tertiary treatment, in producing reclaimed water while at the same time reducing dependence on conventional energy sources, in accordance with circular and green economy criteria. This will be applied in wastewater treatment plants to diminish discharges of pollutants and pathogens in freshwater ecosystems and promote agricultural reuse of this reclaimed water. The BIODAPH system is based on the capacity of biological organisms: water fleas (Daphnia), microalgae and biofilms to eliminate pollutants (nutrients, organic carbon, suspended solids, pathogens, heavy metals, emerging and priority pollutants, and microplastics). The technology has been evaluated in real conditions worldwide, at pilot-scales with a rector of 1.5 m3/day. In the present project, the large-scale reactors will be located at Quart (Girona, North-East of Spain) and Antissa (Lesvos Island, Greece), two water-stressed regions in the Mediterranean area, and the BIODAPH systems will be connected at different wastewater treatment technologies in order to treat 200 m3/day in Spain and in the case of Antissa, a variable volume of wastewater from 10 m3/day in winter to 50 m3/day in summer. The effectiveness of this technology will reduce the impact of nutrients, emerging contaminants, pathogens, and microplastics on the receiving river so improving the ecological and chemical status of the River Onyar, in the case of Quart (Spain) and to providing high quality reclaimed water for the agricultural sector in Antissa (Greece).
Funding: LIFE21-ENV-ES-BIODAPH2O — Project reference: 101074191
Start Date: 11/08/2022 – End Date: 31/01/2026
Project Leader: Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Researchers: Jessica Subirats Medina , Mònica Escolà Casas
Funding: European Project
Sincrourban
Dinámica de contaminantes inorgánicos emergentes en suelos urbanos y rizosfera: interacciones y especiación sólida mediante técnicas de sincrotrón
Mejorar nuestro conocimiento mecanístico sobre los procesos bióticos y abióticos y las transformaciones que Pt, Pd, Rh, Sb y Ce sufren en suelos urbanos y en la interfase suelo-agua (rizosfera), la cinética de estas transformaciones y las implicaciones que esto tiene en términos de bio-disponibilidad y captación por parte de cultivos urbanos.
Sinergia Project 2023
Start Date: 15/07/2022 – End Date: 14/07/2023
Project Leader: Sergio Carrero Romero , Sergi Díez Salvador
Funding: National Project
Verbena
NueVos sistEmas de humedales construidos basados en pRocesos Bioelectroquímicos para rEducir la coNtaminación de Aguas superficiales y subterráneas
En la actualidad los humedales construidos utilizados en el tratamiento de aguas se basan en materiales inertes, el uso de materiales electroconductores para incrementar la eliminación de nutrientes como el amonio y emergentes ayudará a mejorar la calidad del agua tratada. No existen estudios sobre el uso de humedales bioelectroquímicos con coque o grafito para atenuar contaminantes emergentes. La aplicación de modelos y trazadores a los resultados experimentales servirá para el escalado de la tecnología.
Sinergia Project 2023
Start Date: 15/07/2022 – End Date: 14/07/2023
Project Leader: Laura Scheiber Pagès , Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Funding: National Project
ARGUS
Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Urban atmospheric Sites
Para evaluar la exposición humana y los riesgos para la salud que supone los ARGs transportados por el aire es fundamental entender los factores que tienen un impacto en la aparición, diversidad y dispersión de los ARGs en el aire. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio es revelar 1) el perfil de ARGs en el PM de regiones urbanas de Barcelona expuestas a diferente grado de contaminación antropogénica, 2) los efectos de contaminantes orgánicos, factores fisicoquímicos, meteorológicos y comunidades bacterianas en la diversidad y abundancia de los ARGs transportados en el aire, 3) las correlaciones entre los ARGs y bacterias presentes en el aire, y 4) las correlaciones entre las comunidades bacterianas y contaminantes / trazadores orgánicos atmosféricos.
Sinergia Project 2022
Start Date: 01/01/2022 – End Date: 31/12/2022
Project Leader: Jessica Subirats Medina , Barend L. van Drooge
Funding: National Project
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/
NATURE
Nature-based solutions to reduce antibiotics, pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance in aquatic ecosystems
An array of nature-based solutions including conventional and high-end constructed wetlands, river re-naturalization, and restoration of wetlands will cover the continuum from urban sources to coastal biota in estuaries. We propose a comprehensive quantification of the fate of antibiotics, pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance in these systems together with ecotoxicological and human health assessments. Nature-based solutions performance will be analyzed using multivariate modeling techniques to identify parameters with the greatest empirical influence on the attenuation of targeted pollutants.
Start Date: 01/09/2021 – End Date: 30/08/2024
Project Leader: Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Researchers: Josep Maria Bayona Termens , Mònica Escolà Casas , Enric Vázquez Suñé
Funding: European Project
https://natureproject.eu/
EXSIMBIO
Use of simulated exudates to enhance the biodegradation of trace organic pollutants in biofilm reactors
Plants are able to stimulate soil microorganisms to degrade xenobiotics (trace organic contaminants) via their root exudates. Due to this, constructed-wetlands microorganisms are highly efficient in removing trace organic contaminants from wastewater. However, such stimulation occurs only within the reach of the plant-roots and therefore big extensions of land are needed to remove trace organic contaminants from wastewater.
Funding: Beatriu de Pinós 2018 Grant
Start Date: 01/02/2020 – End Date: 31/01/2023
Project Leader: Mònica Escolà Casas
Researchers: Víctor Matamoros Mercadal , Yolanda Rodríguez Espelta , Sandra Pulgar Garcia
Funding: National Project
DSWAP
Decision support-based approach for sustainable water reuse application in agricultural production (DSWAP)
The main goal of DSWAP is to develop modular cost- and energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems. By adopting a circular economy approach, it aims for safe and sustainable valorization of wastewater for irrigation, with minimized ecological and agronomic impacts.
Start Date: 01/07/2019 – End Date: 30/11/2022
Project Leader: Josep Maria Bayona Termens
Researchers: Benjamí Piña Capó , Víctor Matamoros Mercadal , Sylvia Mansilla Barrado
Funding: European Project
https://www.dswap-prima.eu/
LIFESpot
Green solutions for treating groundwater pollution to meet drinking water directive standards
The main objective of LIFE SPOT is to develop a new treatment process able to remove nitrates and micropollutants from polluted groundwater to produce drinking water of
good quality that meets the Directive 98/83/EC requirements. This will be applied in rural areas (50 inhabitants or <10m3/d, very small water supplies (VSWS)) of the
Mediterranean region, promoting the sustainability and resilience of rural areas, agriculture and tourism sectors.
Funding: LIFE programme (LIFE18 ENV / ES / 000199) UE