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
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 (CE) in the EU and which strategies help overcome key bottlenecks to deliver the ambitions of the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. PROMISCES considers specific CE 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.
Horizon-2020
Start Date: 01/11/2021 – End Date: 30/04/2025
Project Leader: Miren López de Alda Villaizán , Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Funding: European Project
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://www.jpiamr.eu/projects/nature/
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: 30/06/2023
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
Start Date: 01/07/2019 – End Date: 30/06/2023
Project Leader: Víctor Matamoros Mercadal
Researchers: Josep Maria Bayona Termens , Benjamí Piña Capó
Funding: European Project
https://lifespotproject.eu/
ICOOP-MAPE
Reducción del uso de mercurio en comunidades dedicadas a la minería artesanal y en pequeña escala en Colombia (MAPE)
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining represents the largest source of anthropogenic mercury contamination. The final objective of the project is to promote sustainable processes to improve the environmental situation and living conditions of artisanal mining communities. As an indicator of success, a control of mercury concentrations in the population will be carried out before and after the training of miners in safety measures and alternative techniques.
Start Date: 01/04/2019 – End Date: 31/12/2021
Project Leader: Sergi Díez Salvador
Funding: International Project
http://icoop-mape.com/
AGRICLOSE
Improvement and disclosure of efficient techniques for manure management towards a circular and sustainable agriculture
Improvement and disclosure of efficient techniques for manure management towards a circular and sustainable agriculture
https://agriclose.eu/