Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology. GEMMA UPC

REVALORITZACIÓ ALPERUJO. Us convidem a la jornada de presentació de resultats del projecte #4BIOLIVE organitzada per Ivet Ferrer del Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology. GEMMA UPC #agrotechUPC 📅 Data: Dijous, 21 de novembre 🏛️ Lloc: Escola de Camins de Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) 👉 Programa i inscripcions: https://lnkd.in/dywCBMHt El projecte europeu #4BIOLIVE presentarà els resultats de les seves investigacions sobre la valorització dels residus de molins d'oli d'oliva per a l'obtenció de biostimulants, biofertilitzants, biopolímers i bioenergia com a noves solucions agroecològiques en el marc d'una economia circular. Impacte esperat: Aquestes noves solucions pretenen incrementar la resiliència dels agroecosistemes mitjançant sistemes agrícoles innovadors, sostenibles i respectuosos amb el medi ambient, aportant estabilitat i qualitat en condicions ambientals adverses. L'acte inclourà presentacions dels socis del projecte, amb una perspectiva multidisciplinària que abasta aspectes socials, econòmics i ambientals. No us perdeu aquesta oportunitat per conèixer els resultats de les investigacions i el seu impacte en l'agricultura del futur! 🌱♻️ Organitza: #4BIOLIVE amb el suport del programa PRIMA Program de la Unió Europea i la col·laboració de Xarxa X_AgriTech, BioHubCat: el Hub de la Bioeconomia de Catalunya.

🗣️ The first article of my doctorate has finally been published 🙌🏼🙌🏼 This achievement is the result of a collaborative effort by several individuals over the last year. This study highlights the potential for obtaining #biosolids from the treatment of sewage sludge in #constructed #wetlands, thereby facilitating their reuse in agriculture. It identifies the optimal duration for bioaolids (sewage sludge) to remain in the wetland systems of small communities in the Mediterranean region, specifically Catalonia. This research addresses a little-studied parameter of this technology, contributing to a better underunderstanding of the final stabilization period of biosolids required to produce a high-quality bio-based fertilizer.🪴🪴 ✨So happy to start sharing the outcomes of my research!!! 💥Coming soon more outcomes!!

📣 We are excited to announce that our article has been accepted in the Journal of Environmental Management! The study, titled "Optimizing the Final Rest Period of Sludge Treatment Wetlands: Assessment of Biosolids Quality", is the result of a collaboration between the Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology. GEMMA UPC and the Consell Comarcal d'Osona, within the framework of The Study of the Agricultural Application of Sludge from Constructed Wetland Systems. In this study, we examine the application of wetland systems for the treatment of sewage sludge, wherein: 🟢 A stable, dehydrated, and mineralized byproduct known as biosolid is produced. 🟢 An optimal final stabilization period of 6 months was determined for the removal of biosolids from treatment systems. 🟢 Biosolids exhibit the potential for reuse as bio-based fertilizers, attributed to their high nutrient content. This research showcases the efficacy of a biological and sustainable technology for treating significant volumes of sludge generated in wastewater treatment plants in small communities, yielding optimal outcomes. Thank you to all the collaborators involved in this project for their hard work and dedication 🔗 Read more about our work in the full article: https://lnkd.in/d6_w_tJ9

Beques d'aprenentatge UPC 2024-2025! Actualment, estic tramitant una beca disponible des del departament d’enginyeria civil i ambiental (grup GEMMA) per a estudiants de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Les incripcions estan obertes fins al 30 de setembre! L’objectiu és aplicar tècniques de Big Data, Machine Learning i Intel·ligència Artificial per a la l’actualització dels plans d’estudis que es duen a terme a l’escola de camins en assignatures del grup. La metodologia inclourà la posada en práctica de tècniques habituals de gestió de projectes amb SCRUM i la utilització de tecnologies com Trello, GitHub, GoogleColab, etc. Una molt bona oportunitat per adquirir coneixements en gestió del cicle de l’aigua urbà, ciències de dades, llenguatge Python i tècniques de desenvolupament de software. Recorda inscriure’t amb aquest enllaç i codi 9669: https://lnkd.in/d9-X7tiu  

🙌Excited to share that our team had an amazing time at the 1st International Conference on Novel Photorefineries for Resource Recovery - PHOTOREFINERIES 2024 in Valladolid, Spain (9-11 September)! We had the opportunity to showcase some of the groundbreaking research from our projects, focusing on cyanobacterial microbiomes, sustainable bioproducts, and resource recovery. Here's a quick recap of our contributions: 🎤 Ivet Ferrer shared her research on Recovery of Pigments and Biogas from Waste (Project: Cyan2Bio). 🎤 Belén Villarreal Toribio explored Microalgae screening in brewery effluents (Project: PROALGAE). 🎤 Ana Álvarez González presented on Bioestimulant Production from microalgae grown in domestic wastewater (Project: CYRCLE). 📊 Artai Lage Julià presented his poster on Optimization of PHB production using cyanobacteria strains isolated from environmental water bodies (Project: Cyan2Bio). 📊 Estel Rueda Hernandez highlighted key advancements in her poster, covering Challenges, progress, and future perspectives for cyanobacterial polyhydroxyalkanoate production (Projects: Cyan2Bio & PROMICON). 🎤 Marta Bellver Catalá discussed Alternative and sustainable sources of cyanobacterial phycobiliproteins: challenges and opportunities (Projects: PROMICON & Cyan2Bio). 🎤 Beatriz Altamira Algarra delivered insights on Bioplastic production by cyanobacteria-rich microbiomes (Project: PROMICON). 🎤 Eva Gonzalez Flo presented on Exploring the potential of cyanobacterial microbiomes for sustainable bioproducts (Project: PROMICON). A big thank you to everyone involved for making this conference a success! Looking forward to continuing our work on sustainable and innovative solutions for resource recovery.

💥 We are excited to announce that our article has been accepted in the Journal of Environmental Management! 🌱The study, titled "Resource recovery and contaminants of emerging concern mitigation by microalgae treating wastewater", is the result of a collaboration between the Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology (GEMMA UPC) and the Universidad de Almería (UAL) within the framework of the Cyan2Bio project, coordinated by the UAL. 🔬In this work, we investigated the potential of microalgae to: 🟢 Recover valuable bioproducts such as agricultural biostimulants and biogas from wastewater. 🟢 Reduce contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) by over 80% in a circular bioeconomy approach. This research showcases the enormous potential of microalgae to provide sustainable and environmentally safe solutions. This aligns with the goals of Cyan2Bio, a project aiming to develop sustainable processes for producing bioproducts such as biopolymers, pigments, biostimulants, and biogas. Thank you to all the collaborators involved in this project for their hard work and dedication. 🔗 Read more about our work in the full article:  https://lnkd.in/d5EcZ8ip

Last week, Anna Garfí and Kurt Ziegler Rodriguez attended to the 14th LCA FOOD 2024 conference held in Barcelona, between the 8th and 12th of September, organised by IRTA (Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias) at Universitat de Barcelona. This event is one of the largest LCA conferences at a worldwide level and congregated more than 500 experts from around the world, both from academia and the industry.   Anna Garfí presented the results of the BWater project, in a presentation titled "Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessment of drinking water", a study developed in cooperation with Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and Ajuntament de Barcelona.   Kurt Ziegler Rodriguez presented results from a study belonging to his ongoing doctoral research, a presentation entitled "Social Life Cycle Assessment of low-tech digesters in small-scale farms", a study funded by CCD UPC and developed in cooperation with Universidad Industrial de Santander.   The researchers enjoyed the conference in Barcelona and appreciated the engaging talks and the valuable connections made with other scientists and colleagues from around the world. Special thanks to the organizers for a well-coordinated and inspiring event.

📣Our research into cyanobacteria and PHB keeps progressing!   We're thrilled to share that we've achieved one of the highest PHB productions reported for wild-type cyanobacteria cultures — reaching up to 28 %dcw PHB in a 100-day experiment with a photosynthetic microbiome enriched in cyanobacteria. Through gene expression analysis, we also explored the connection between the carbon-storage pathways of glycogen and PHB, enhancing the understanding of PHB synthesis. But that's not all!  👀Check out this stunning Transmission Electron Microscopy image, showcasing PHB granules inside the cyanobacteria.   Read our findings and the work behind this accomplishment here:  https://lnkd.in/dHAXjwSX    #Cyanobacteria #PHBProduction #Bioplastics   This work is part of our work in the PROMICON Project. 

On June 25th and 26th, Joan Garcia, Antonio Ortiz Ruiz, and Guillermo I. attended the 3rd Consortium Meeting for the TARGET Interreg Sudoe project in Seville, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. TARGET focuses on integrating non-conventional water sources, such as the reuse of treated wastewater, into local water management, with the aim of improving governance and gaining social acceptance for these innovative solutions. During the meeting, we had the opportunity to learn from local stakeholders, including farmers and water management operators, about strategies for implementing treated water and the benefits they perceive from this practice. We also shared some of our research group’s own experiences with implementing nature-based solutions and reclamation systems. In collaboration with Xavier Romero Hidalgo, from the Ajuntament de Granollers, we are now developing action plans tailored to regions like Catalonia, thereby enhancing the capabilities managing water resources.

📣 Exciting News! We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest research exploring the use of vermifiltration as a green solution to promote digestate reuse in agriculture in small-scale farms. In this study, we evaluated, for the first time, vermifiltration as a method for treating digestate from a low-tech digester processing cattle manure and cheese whey under psychrophilic conditions. Our findings demonstrate that vermifilters achieve impressive removal efficiencies for organic matter, solids, nutrients, and pathogens, while also promoting the growth of earthworms, which play a key role in enhancing performance. This work highlights vermifiltration as a promising post-treatment strategy that contributes to a circular bioeconomy. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dXy4Kt8r