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
UPWATER
Understanding groundwater Pollution to protect and enhance WATERquality
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.
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 28/02/2025
Funding: European Project
BIODAPH2O
Eco-efficient system for wastewater tertiary treatment and water reuses in the Mediterranean region
The LIFE BIODAPH2O project (LIFE21-ENV-ES-BIODAPH2O) is funded within the LIFE program, which is the only financial instrument of the European Commission entirely dedicated to environmental protection and climate action. The project has a duration of 42 months, ending in January 2026 with a total budget of € 2.1 M.
The project is coordinated by the University of Girona (UdG) and the partners are ACSA (Sorigué Group), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), MINAVRA Techniki, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), BETA Technological Centre (UVic-UCC) and Catalan Water Partnership (CWP).
LIFE BIODAPH2O is a demonstration project with the main objective of scaling-up and implementing an eco-efficient nature-based tertiary wastewater treatment (BIODAPH) at two demo sites located in two water-stressed regions of the Mediterranean area. This system will produce reclaimed water that will contribute to diminish discharges of pollutants to freshwater ecosystems and to promote agricultural reuse. The BIODAPH system, previously developed during the INNOQUA project, is based on the depuration capacity of biological organisms: water fleas (Daphnia), microalgae and biofilms for removing pollutants (nutrients, organic carbon, suspended solids, pathogens, heavy metals, emerging and priority pollutants, and micro plastics). This compact and low-energy consumption system does not produce sludge nor use chemicals for its operation.
The implementation of this system at Quart Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Spain, will reduce the impact of secondary wastewater discharges to the Onyar River, while improving the chemical and ecological quality of aquatic ecosystems in this river and allowing reaching the standards set in Water Framework Directive of the EC (Directive 2000/60/EC). In the case of Greece, the BIODAPH system will be implemented adjacent to the Antissa WWTP in Lesvos, which features modular units of the up flow anaerobic sludge blanket digestion, constructed wetlands, and a UV unit, put into operation as part of the HYDROUSA project. These modular treatments will allow BIODAPH system to be tested in different configurations to obtain reclaimed water in accordance with EU Regulation 2020/741 to irrigate 7,000 m2 of nearby agricultural land.
The main expected results / public deliverables of the project are listed below:
• Policy Assessment report with the policy and legislation assessment and contact with administrations (D2.1).
• Guidelines for setting-up and operating the BIODAPH reactor (design, construction, operation, testing and optimization), as well as the monitoring requirements to assess its efficiency (D3.2).
• Graphic report with pictures, schemes and maps of the two demo-plants (Spanish-site and Greek-site) and their main characteristics (D3.3).
• Results from the assessment of the demonstration plants in three different periods: after the first six first months (D4.1), after the BIODAPH demonstration plants optimized in each site (D4.2), and after long time operation at optimal conditions (D4.3).
• Sustainability assessment reports (D4.4 – Environmental impact assessment (LCA) and Techno-economic assessment (LCC) Intermediate report and D4.5 – LCA and LCC assessment final report).
• Impact of the BIODAPH on the ecological and chemical status of the river ecosystem after action (D4.6).
• Impact of BIODAPH reclaimed water on the agricultural productivity and quality after action (D4.7)
• Reports of key indicators collected in a matrix concerning the performance of the project (D4.8 & D4.9).
• Dissemination Plan, document describing a thorough plan for all dissemination activities of the project and providing dissemination guidelines to be followed by all partners (D5.1), and websites (D5.2).
• BIODAPH2O manual and guidelines with data sheet of design to implement the technology full-scale (D6.2).
Reference: LIFE21-ENV-ES-BIODAPH2O/101074191
Acronym: LIFE21-ENV-ES-BIODAPH2O
Project coordinator: Victoria Salvadó (UdG)
Total Eligible Budget: 2.128.772 €
EU Contribution: 1.277.263 €
Start Date: 01/08/2022 – End Date: 31/01/2026
Funding: European 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.
