WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH – IUCA – Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Ambientales

Presentation

The main aim of the research group is the development of technologies for identifying pollution and for the defence and conservation of the natural environmental, especially water resources, with a view to ensuring their sustainability and the health of the population, and in so doing, improving the quality of life and social well-being.

The specific aims are:

Identification of chemical and microbiological pollutants in waters
Development of new processes for water potabilization, purification and renewal
Assessment of the role of aquatic ecosystems as a reservoir of resistance to antibiotics
Optimization and development of technologies for the study of the molecular epidemiology of water-borne protozoa, and proposal for new treatments for the illnesses they cause
Study of the influence of environmental factors in the health of the population and the effectiveness of self-care activities in managing this.

Lines of investigation

Water quality control
Water treatment: potabilization, purification and renewal for reuse
Management and treatment of waste
Advanced oxidation processes
Identification of emerging pathogens
Epidemiology of water-borne protozoa
Identification of reservoirs of bacterial and protozoan resistance to antimicrobials (antibiotics and antiprotozoals)
Proposal for new treatments for illnesses caused by water-borne microorganisms: mechanisms of action and resistance
Self-care

Projects undertaken

Quantitative analysis of pressures in the Ebro Basin. CHE 2015-2017
Advanced processes of water disinfection using nanomaterials, to reduce the impact of urban pressures. Univ. Zaragoza 2018
Solar energy in water treatment: study of bactericidal power. CUD 2018-2019
Technologies of advanced oxidation applied to water disinfection and decontamination. Min. Edu., Cult. Dep. 2018
Intestinal protozoal diseases and their influence on the development of food intolerances. Univ. Zaragoza 2018
Innovative technologies for the diagnosis, prevention and elimination of emergent pollutants (antibiotics) from the waters of the POCTEFA region. U.E. 2018-2020
Improvement in the sanitary quality of effluents from sewage treatment plants and urban waste dumps. NILSA 2014-2018
Application of composting technologies in the treatment of organic waste for agronomic recycling. NILSA 2017-2018

Infrastructure

In EINA (School of Engineering and Architecture) and the Faculty of Medicine:

Two laboratories (approximately 50m² each) equipped with the necessary infrastructure, material and equipment, as well as the associated safety measures, for the analysis of bacteria, parasites and protozoa. In concrete: autoclaves, laminar flow cabinets, incubators, filtration ramps, microscopes, P3 security laboratory, equipment for molecular biology. Location: EINA and Fac. Medicine.
A laboratory (approximately 100m²), with the infrastructure, material and equipment necessary for research related to the application of laboratory-scale treatment and the analytical control of physico-chemical parameters: sources of solar and UVA, UVB and UVC radiation, ozone generator, electrolysis system, flocculator, adsorption columns, activated sludge systems, multiparametric equipment, spectrophotometer, ionic chromatograph, total organic carbon analyser, electrometric apparatus, precision scales, filtration equipment, decantation equipment, shakers, etc. Location: EINA

Technological Offer/Services

Development of technologies for the treatment of waters polluted with dangerous substances, emergent pollutants and potentially pathogenic microorganisms
Identification of microorganisms in environmental and human matrices
Epidemiological studies of parasites using the techniques of molecular biology
Assessment of diagnostic techniques for intestinal parasitic diseases
Assessment of disinfectants and technologies aimed at the purification of waste waters of urban and industrial origin, and the potabilization of natural waters

Noticias del Grupo

Antonio Beltrán Rosel (Water and Environmental Health) wins the ‘Thesis in 3 minutes’ from Campus Iberus
(Zaragoza. Monday, October 9, 2023). A work to improve the treatment of bites caused by ticks (Ixodoidea) won the final of the Thesis in 3 minutes competition of the Campus Iberus of International Excellence of the Ebro Valley, which was held on Friday, October 6 at the University from Lleida (UdL). Antonio Beltrán Rosel, from […]
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One hundred Unizar researchers, among the 5,000 most cited and best positioned Spanish scientists in Google Scholar
(Zaragoza. Friday, June 17, 2022). More than a hundred researchers from the University of Zaragoza are part of the 5,000 most cited and best positioned Spanish scientists, according to the ranking drawn up for the first time by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in order to increase visibility of the role of Spanish […]
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The proposal of IUCA researchers obtains the first prize in the Hackathon for the SDGs: Water and Climate Change in Central America
Last Thursday, March 24, the “Hackathon for the SDGs: Water and Climate Change in Central America” took place, organized by ECODES, in which researchers Carmen Menacho and Samuel Moles, researchers from the Water and Environmental Health group, participated. The event consisted of a day in which, guided by some mentors, the participants had to present […]
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