APRÈN. Portal de la producció docent del professorat de la UPC

The increase in water demand, the overexploitation of water resources and the climate change challenges makes water management improvement a priority, especially in sensitive areas, as is the case in Catalonia. Managed aquifers recharge (MAR), combined with soil-aquifer treatments (SAT) and the use of reactive barriers makes possible to counteract overexploitation and increase in the availability of underground water resources with treated wastewater, adding an energy passive tertiary treatment that takes advantage of the natural treatment capacities of the soil. In this process, monitoring the operation of the system and evaluating the quality of the water is one of the great challenges and an indispensable condition for this technology to be viable. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), initially focused on obtaining energy from organic waste, are gaining more and more relevance and interest from the scientific community, among others, as a biosensing tool in environmental monitoring. However, literature shows a lack of experimentation with this technology on field. In the present work, MFCs are studied in an innovative way, as a biosensor capable of autonomously and continuously monitoring biological activity in the subsoil. This is relevant parameter in a MAR-SAT systems, difficult and costly to measure with current technologies. The operation of microbial fuel cells installed for 40 days in the infiltration ponds and aquifer of the MAR-SAT pilot plant in Palamós has allowed to obtain evidence that MFCs are a potential tool for monitoring microbial activity in environments of difficult access and sampling. In the other hand, the complexity and number of factors that influence the operation of MFCs and the difficulty and challenges presented by applying this technology on field are found.

Practically all of the available water resources of natural origin in the Balearic Islands come from groundwater. The growing increase in demand and the probable decrease in the natural recharge of aquifers in the coming years reveal the importance of an adequate management of this valuable resource in order to be able to face possible future periods of drought. In this context, numerical modelling takes on special importance as a tool for understanding and quantifying the availability of water resources and predicting their behaviour in different climate and demand scenarios. This work shows the procedure followed to model the Bunyola aquifer of the S'Estremera Hydrological Unit in Mallorca. This is a free carbonated aquifer with karstic characteristics and which has become very important in recent years, as it supplies a significant part of the water demand of the city of Palma. Open source software MODFLOW (USGS) has been used for 3D modelling, simulating the temporal records in a transient regime.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of managed aquifer recharge MAR) at the wastewater treatment plant (EDAR) in Cambrils, aiming to evaluate the behavior of the infiltrated water for aquifer recharge. The research involved developing a hydrogeological model using MODFLOW and the MODPATH and Random Walk Particle Tracking post-processors to simulate groundwater flow and particle trajectories. The study area is a coastal municipality whose aquifer is characterized by its overexploitation, necessitating innovative solutions to ensure sustainable water resources management and to avoid marine intrusion. In the municipality, a project is being held to study the potential of implementing a MAR system via infiltration ponds to enhance water sustainability at a local level. The hydrogeological model was based on data from previous studies and new field measurements, providing a representation of the aquifer's physical and hydrogeological properties. The developed models allow for the understanding of the undertaken actions and for the comparison of different scenarios, showing the trajectory that the infiltrated water follows once it enters the aquifer and its travel time within it. The study demonstrates the utility of hydrogeological models in guiding decision-making for MAR projects. The findings show that the undertaken and possible future recharge cycles do not represent a hazard for the quality of the water extracted from the town's wells. Furthermore, a protection perimeter was defined for the most exposed well, so that it is possible to increase the amount of water injected into the aquifer using reclaimed water from the EDAR and building new infiltration ponds without compromising the quality of the extracted water, if measures are taken to avoid infiltrating water within the established protection perimeter.

Nowadays, access to quality water is not guaranteed in an equitable manner for the entire population and poor water resource management can have devastating consequences for the ecosystem and society. There are several cases around the world where water management without a forward-looking approach has caused irreparable damage to the area. The Aral Sea, Lake Chad, Mexico City and the Gaza Strip are examples of poor water management. Whether through massive and uncontrolled abstraction, diversion of rivers or climate change, mismanagement has led to problems such as contamination of aquifers, land subsidence or drying up of lakes. A case study of water mismanagement is essential to obtain a critical view of the measures proposed at the local level. For this reason, the case of hydrological planning in Mallorca will be analysed, contributing to knowledge on water resource management and serving as a basis for future research.

L'entorn de l'aigua subterrània és un medi complex i heterogeni, en el qual el transport de soluts s'uneix a l'ocurrència de reaccions. La precipitació i la dissolució es produeixen constantment en les condicions del medi freàtic, creant un equilibri interactiu entre les fases sòlida i líquida. Aquest estudi presenta un enfocament experimental amb metodologia d'anàlisi d'imatges mitjançant biblioteques Python per visualitzar l'evolució de la precipitació induïda en un tanc artificial. A més, es proposa un model analític seguint la metodologia basada en proporcions de mescla proposada per De Simoni et al. (2007). El muntatge experimental consistia en un dipòsit artificial rectangular ple de grans de vidre saturats. La precipitació va ser induïda per la mescla transversal de dues solucions reactives injectades al tanc. La concentració de les solucions, CaCl2 i Na2CO3, era diferent per poder observar els efectes de la química sobre la precipitació. A banda d'induir la precipitació, es van dur a terme experiments de traçador abans i després d'aquesta per poder avaluar els canvis en el flux. Aquest estudi s'ha realitzat en paral·lel al desenvolupament d'una tesi doctoral. De manera diversa, aquí ens centrem en l'anàlisi d'imatges i la construcció d'un model analític per tal d'avaluar la precipitació induïda per mescla. En segon lloc, també hem buscat els avantatges i inconvenients d'usar tècniques de captura d'imatges convencionals i fluorescents. Els resultats de l'estudi consisteixen en imatges que mostren l'avanç del front de precipitació, imatges dels experiments del traçador i els resultats del model. Les conclusions finals són que la concentració dels ions principals influeix en la dinàmica del front i en la morfologia de la capa. A més, la diferent concentració de solucions injectades desplaça el pic de la taxa de reacció a proporcions de mescla més altes de la solució concentrada més baixa. Addicionalment, la precipitació no es produeix de manera homogènia dins de la capa de carbonat. Patrons de línies amb una major densitat de precipitat s'alternen amb línies de menor densitat, seguint la direcció del flux. Les imatges del traçador mostren que després de la precipitació, el temps d'arribada del traçador es dispersa, amb una fracció que arriba abans i una altra amb retard. La porositat global del tanc, segons el model, va disminuir de 0.39 a 0.3875. El model té diverses limitacions inherents, com ara l'assumpció de proporcions de mescla conservatives i l'estat estacionari. Podríem millor això en el futur proposant un model amb una cadena d'estats estacionaris en el qual s'actualitzin els paràmetres de flux. Finalment, el postprocessament d'imatges també pateix algunes limitacions, com la dificultat per eliminar el soroll creat pels grans de vidre, la il·luminació de llum no homogènia i la baixa resolució d'imatges convencionals. Totes aquestes limitacions obren la necessitat de futures investigacions centrades en l'anàlisi d'imatges i l'experimentació amb diferents tècniques de captura d'imatges.

The study of the water table in an urban area is of great importance, since local authorities will have more detailed knowledge of this water resource and in this way, its use will be more efficient. On the other hand, this degree project is focused on analyzing the behavior of the groundwater of the Llano de Barcelona and its behavior in the city's underground infrastructure. This study will analyze the variation of groundwater over a time interval. Applying the physical principles of Darcy's Law for groundwater and statistical concepts such as spatial interpolation. On the other hand, the official information to carry out the study was provided by Barcelona Ciclo de L'Agua (BCASA) through document with registration number 240236. The piezometric information given by BCASA is measured by piezometers and telesupervised wells, these are characterized by giving readings every few minutes and monthly readings “taking the measurement on site.” For this reason, this information will be applied statistics to adjust it and analyze it in quarterly periods. The free software used to show the results of this study is QGIS, which gives a spatial view of the isohyets that represent groundwater, the difference between the water table and the topography of the land and its behavior with the underground structures in the Llano. from Barcelona. The variation in the water table during the analyzed period does not fluctuate considerably, and the only influencing factor is the precipitation of the basin in which the Llano de Barcelona is located. On the other hand, the map that relates the water table level to the elevation profile describes the vulnerable areas and what soil dehydration methods should be used.

In this work, a toxicological study of a strain of Gambierdiscus excentricus has been conducted, motivated by the risk for the population due to the consumption of fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTX's), a type of toxin produced by dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus. When ingested by humans, these toxins can lead to serious health problems. To carry out the project, a growth study of a G. excentricus strain from the Canary Islands was conducted, along with cellular assays using Neuro-2a neuroblastoma cells to quantify its toxicity. These assays could be influenced by another type of toxin also produced by Gambierdiscus, known as maitotoxins (MTX's), which is why their presence was also analyzed. These procedures were carried out at the research center IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentària) in Sant Carles de la Ràpita. The results showed a typical growth curve of Gambierdiscus, with an undifferentiated constant growth. However, through a change-point analysis, it was determined that two growth phases could be differentiated. The toxicity of the strain ranged from 1.93 to 9.32 pg eq. CTX1B/cell, with the lowest value obtained for the first week of cultivation and the highest for the last week. In addition, three replicas were also cultivated, and their growth was studied at the same light and temperature conditions. In the fifth week, the replica with the lowest growth rate at that time produced the highest amount of toxins. It was observed that in most of the weeks of growth, there was the presence of MTX, although not in all. This high toxicity and the spread of Gambierdiscus highlight the importance of further research in this field, both in quantifying toxicity and in other areas such as ciguatera management or its treatment.

In the present, we are facing a situation of drought generated by climate change that affects the water cycle and all its components. In this work, special mention is made of groundwater since it is those bodies of fresh water that provide us with quality water suitable for domestic consumption. Due to the deficiency of rainfall that we find currently, the water levels of these water systems have been harmed so a project has been developed in the area of Cambrils to mitigate the effects of the drop in the water table. Cambrils is a municipality that has an overexploited aquifer and in which it is affected by marine intrusion so we wanted to provide a solution at the local level in a sustainable and effective way, which is the managed aquifer recharge from infiltration ponds. The managed aquifer recharge has allowed in many countries to give a second life to those reclaimed waters, causing piezometric levels to rise and aquifers not being so affected by drought or climate change. The LIFE REMAR project (LIFE20 ENV / ES / 000284) has achieved that with the effluent of the WWTP of Cambrils, a part of the Baix Camp aquifer could be recharged in a totally natural way. In this work, the entire project of the infiltration ponds has been monitored and the modeling of the area before and after recharge has been carried out to see what the effects were of recharging the effluent in the aquifer. This initiative will provide experience for future similar projects that will be developed and has been a breakthrough in the research in the field of hydrogeology.

Water scarcity has emerged as a pressing global issue, affecting between 2,000 and 3,000 million people worldwide for at least one month each year. In Catalonia's Baix Camp region, the challenge of water scarcity has been pressing since 1970 when the first water consumption restrictions were imposed. The effects of climate change on the precipitation pattern and volume further intensify the issue, already exacerbated by the high water demand of tourism and agriculture, the region's economic mainstays, during the dry season. In response to the situation, the European project LIFE REMAR 20 explores artificial aquifer recharge using treated wastewater, offering a natural-based solution to mitigate water scarcity challenges. This study focuses on the feasibility of artificial aquifer recharge in the Reus-Valls depression aquifer, aiming to establish a quantitative understanding of the aquifer's hydrogeological characteristics and providing a foundation for future research and development in the region.

Currently, climate change is becoming a common problem in the construction of infrastructure and its maintenance. Due to the high temperatures and the gradual changes, storms occur that, far from being a benefit, result in cities like Barcelona showing clear evidence that they are not prepared for this episode. To begin to answer the questions, this final degree project aims to propose possible improvements in the sewage network in light of the analysis of the effect of climate change on rainfall and storms that affect wastewater collection and treatment infrastructures and stormwater, and provide a solution to the problem of waste dumping on the coasts of Barcelona. This work consists of a base model with specific properties. The generation of rain with different return periods and modifying different parameters such as the importance of the increase in average temperatures due to climate change, data obtained from official and open documents of the Barcelona City Council. Two scenarios broken down in detail are proposed, as well as possible more general proposals. These two scenarios are delimited in a coastal area of Barcelona, the first generates a decrease in the free surface of the network, creating a wastewater and rainwater retention tank that comes into operation especially in periods of overload. The second deals with the problem in detail, since it will be located in the dumping area, that is, it is not preventive, and because both options could coexist at the same time, two lines of bars are installed, one in the shape of spikes. rake and further ahead, right at the exit, a gate.

The final degree project presented below is within the framework of innovation in the water industry through digital simulation models for the drinking water supply network of the city of Palma de Mallorca. Specifically, the InfoWorks WS Pro software has been implemented, which is ideal for companies in charge of water resource management. The need to digitally model Palma's distribution network arises from the company's planning department as a potential tool for the projection of new work for the supply system and the simulation of improvement interventions in the network infrastructure. Having a simulation model offers a wide range of advantages, especially for making decisions and taking actions with an optimal and efficient response time. To understand the path that has led to building a numerical simulation model, this work exposes the current situation of the Palma distribution network and explains the operation of the main elements that make it up. Likewise, a series of historical background studies related to the water supply system in the city of Palma de Mallorca are introduced. Regarding simulation models, it is also important to understand the evolution that they have had throughout history to understand how the models that exist today have been reached. With that introductory base, the digital model of the supply network is built through the InfoWorks WS Pro program, thanks to the information provided by the GIS database of the municipal company EMAYA that allowed the modeling and calibration of the simulation model. The simulation results are also discussed in the present work under an analysis that compares these results with the water consumption information provided by the network meters.

Water makes up 71% of the world's surface but as it is well known not all this water is available for human consumption. The spatial and temporal distribution of available water resources, the increasing demand for water as the population grows, and the effects of climate and global changes, result in a necessity to look for methods to reuse water. One of these methods is Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). This method makes it possible to increase water availability and at the same time to improve water quality. The objectives of this dissertation are to review the literature about MAR as a method to reuse water. This project is about defining MAR, its benefits, its types, and providing a picture of the overall situation of MAR in Spain. This study also investigates the costs of implementing MAR in Catalonia (Spain), in general. Finally, the work deals with the implementation of a MAR site in Cambrils (Catalonia), focusing on the preliminary works needed for the design of such a facility, involving the hydrogeological and geological characterization.

Having quality drinking water is very important for health. The main source of fresh water on Earth is groundwater, which generally has a quality that makes it drinkable. However, groundwater has sometimes been contaminated by viruses or other pathogenic organisms and its consumption has caused epidemic outbreaks in different regions of the world. This project focuses on understanding the processes of viruses transport through a porous media. Therefore, the main objective is to study the mechanisms of viruses' adsorption to aquifers' sediments and to evaluate the effect of pH on this process, through the performance of batch experiments in the laboratory. For it, the viruses are represented by protein-coated particles and their behavior is compared with the behavior of unmodified particles. Three analytical techniques (flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) are used to obtain the number of particles adsorbed to the sediments after the experiments. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the best analytical technique is flow cytometry and that unmodified particles are adsorbed in greater quantities than protein-coated particles. Specifically, the first ones are adsorbed in 80 – 95%, while the second ones are adsorbed in 40 – 60%. The dependence of the pH on the adsorption is only observed in the protein-coated particles, describing a positive parabolic curve. However, the adsorption of the unmodified particles has not been influenced by the pH.

El trabajo se enfoca en las tecnologías diseñadas para recuperar aguas residuales municipales, lodos y cenizas de lodos con fines agrícolas, ya que el tratamiento biológico elimina una proporción significativa de fósforo, que luego implica la necesidad de aportar fertilizante. El TFM implica investigar datos fundamentales sobre los antecedentes tecnológicos, modelos detallados de flujo de materiales, demanda de recursos y energía, el material recuperado y los residuos que se producen en algunos de los procesos de recuperación del fósforo.

Los ensayos de trazadores son un grupo de ensayos hidráulicos utilizados para obtener los valores de porosidad y dispersividad en medio poroso. En zonas muy heterogéneos (por ejemplo medios fracturados de baja permeabilidad) la interpretación de estos ensayos es compleja. Se complica más cuando el medio es altamente anisotropo. Se propone una metodología para interpretar ensayos de trazadores en medio anisótropos de baja permeabilidad basada en conceptos de dispersión diferida y funciones de memoria

En este trabajo se estudiaran los elementos más relevantes para el diseño de una cadena de suministro de lazo cerrado. Se definirá una metodología para diseñar este tipo de cadena de suministro y se aplicará la metodología a un caso de revalorización de Residuo Sólido Urbano

Flame retardants (FRs) are a group of compounds that are added to the materials by increasing their fire resistance. They are persistent, bioacomulan and transported over long distances, and as they are released to the medium easily, they are in all types of environmental matrices. They are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and therefore have toxic properties that can cause adverse effects on human health. Given these aspects, POPs have been banned I have looked for alternatives. These alternative compounds are called emerging pollutants, compounds not considered (yet) in environmental legislations. The pentabromoethylbenzene (PBDEs) and the hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) are examples of classic FR. Another group of comwests that are also used as FR are the FRs organophosphorus (OPFRs), considered emergent flame retardants (EFRs). These have been applied for decades as plasticizers. The general objective of this study is to analyze the presence and concentration of emerging organic pollutants such as the new FR: hexabromobenzene (HBB), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), dechloranes and OPFRs, together with some COPs already well-known and characterized, the classic FR (PBDEs, HBCD) in marine mammals, specifically in dolphins of the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Have been analyzed muscle of 13 individuals of the Indian Ocean and 15 of the Mediterranean. The samples have been achieved by accidental catches in the case of the Indian and by strandings in the Mediterranean. PBDEs and HBB are determined by GC-MS-MS, while HBCD and OPFRs using LC-MS-Ms. GC-MS-MS and chemical ionization are used for decloranes. The DBDPE and the BDE-209, due to its high molecular weight, are analyzed with the same conditions as PBDEs but with GC-MS and negative chemical ionization. The results obtained present high levels of PBDEs in the Mediterranean Sea (3738 ng/g lw) compared with the Indian Ocean (465 ng/g lw). Higher concentrations in the Mediterranean have also been found in the HBCD. On the other hand, emerging contaminants such as HBB and PBEB have not been detected in any of the samples either from the Indian or the Mediterranean. Instead, DBDPE has not been quantified when it has too low concentrations (< 32.2 ng/g lw). Finally, the OPFRs, the substitutes of the PBDEs, have been found in similar concentrations between the Indian and the Mediterranean. It should be taken into account that this compound has been used for less time and has also been less studied. In the case of the presence of OPFRs in marine biota there is no other study performed.

A pesar d'utilitzar-se en la majoria d'estudis hidrogeològics de camp, els paràmetres obtinguts mitjançant assajos slug es consideren poc representatius. En medis molt heterogenis, com per exemple els massissos rocosos fracturats, es sol obtenir una gran dispersió de resultats en un mateix aqüífer. La falta de representativitat dels paràmetres interpretats s'atribueix normalment a l'efecte de pell, al volum de suport i a geometries mal definides, no obstant l'heterogeneïtat a petita escala ha estat objecte de pocs estudis a la literatura. Per entendre millor com funciona aquest assaig en formacions no homogènies, s'ha realitzat una sèrie de simulacions amb el mètode de Monte Carlo d' assajos slug en camps amb permeabilitat heterogènia a petita escala. S'han realitzat models de flux radial i esfèric. La majoria de simulacions en flux radial resulten en corbes de recuperació que presenten anomalies a temps petits e intermedis mentre que a temps avançat s'obtenen respostes independents de l'estructura i s'aproximen al comportament del camp homogeni amb la mitjana geomètrica. Pel contrari, el flux esfèric resulta en corbes amb la mateixa forma que la resposta homogènia però amb recuperacions més ràpides, que s'interpreten amb conductivitats majors a la mitjana geomètrica. El document conclou amb la interpretació d'una sèrie d'assajos que s'han realitzat en un medi fracturat molt heterogeni que presenta una marcada anisotropia. S'han utilitzat les observacions sobre els models numèrics per interpretar els casos de respostes no homogènies. Per evitar resultats poc realistes es posa èmfasi al procés de discriminació entre models d'interpretació.

El Nepal és un dels 48 països considerats per les Nacions Unides com a països en vies de desenvolupament. La seva problemàtica ve deguda principalment a tres factors: la seva situació geogràfica, que causa que quedi amagat entre els grans gegants asiàtics com són la Xina i la Índia; la inestabilitat política de les últimes dècades, que ha causat que el país no fos capaç d'assolir una economia sana, i per últim, la exposició constant als desastres naturals. Apart de l'època de pluges anual (Monzó) que causa riuades i desperfectes any rere any, la ubicació del país sobre la zona de subducció de placa índica sota la placa eurasiàtica provoca que el país esdevingui de perillositat sísmica elevada. Al 2015, en conseqüència d'aquesta realitat, dos terratrèmols de magnituds 7,8 i 8,1 sacsejaren Nepal els dies 25 d'abril i 12 de maig; degut a aquest fet, el 80% de les construccions es van veure perjudicades, des de manera moderada fins al col·lapse total,. Va ser en aquell moment quan va aparèixer el programa de millora de l'hàbitat “AWASUKA”, de l'associació Base-A, que porta dos anys a la població de Bhimphedi duent a terme aquest programa, al qual he donat suport amb l'aportació d'aquest estudi i una estada de cooperació de 25 dies a l'emplaçament. El següent document està dividit en dues parts. La primera, fa referència a la part teòrica de la tesi; consta d'una recerca sobre la realitat del Nepal i la seva arquitectura, i posteriorment sobre la sismicitat i com poden ser resistents a ella els edificis en aquell país. Per altra banda, la segona part del treball és de caire pràctic, directament encarregada per l'Associació com a suport al programa. La tasca ha estat dur a terme un estudi geotècnic simple sobre un nou terreny de construcció (al barri de Suping, Bhimphedi) i el disseny d'un sistema de fonamentació sismo-resistent per les noves cases a construir allà. A més a més, en aquest treball es detallen les tasques dutes a terme durant l'estada de cooperació i que han ajudat a fer possible la realitat d'aquest projecte.