Environmental technologies
Environmental technologies
This research line is dedicated to innovating and optimizing technologies for water treatment, including natural waters, wastewater, complex mixtures, and priority or emerging contaminants. The main objective is to minimize the environmental impact of effluents, especially on coastal ecosystems, by complying with increasingly demanding regional, national, and international regulations for aquatic environment protection (discharges and environmental quality). To achieve this, new technologies are being developed focusing on the removal of organic matter, nutrients, specific compounds (PAHs, pharmaceuticals), and pathogens. This technological development includes economic feasibility analyses (costs, benefits) and environmental impact assessments (carbon and water footprints). Below are the sub-lines of research it covers:
Biological water treatments using photobiopurification processes:
- Design and optimization of microalgae photobioreactors.
- Nutrient removal from urban and industrial wastewater using microalgae.
- Removal of specific contaminants and pathogens from urban and industrial wastewater using microalgae.
- CO2 biofixation from industrial combustion processes.
- Valorization of produced algal biomass (e.g., biofuels).
Physicochemical treatments:
- Oxidation Processes:
- Photolysis of hydrogen peroxide and solar photocatalysis with TiO2 for the removal of organic contaminants in natural and wastewater.
- Hydrothermal Oxidation (Wet and Supercritical).
- Ozone water treatment for the removal of specific compounds.
- Disinfection Processes:
- Application of ultraviolet and solar radiation for the disinfection of natural and wastewater.
Membrane treatments:
- Reuse of reclaimed water using polymeric and ceramic membrane technology.
- Desalination with renewable energies.
- Design and optimization of desalination plants.
- Monitoring and operational analysis of desalination plant performance.
Optimization of industrial refrigeration systems:
- Application of anti-fouling treatments in heat exchangers.