SGD

SDG IMDEA Water Contribution Research groups involved
  • Access to good quality irrigation water, including necessary nutrients, can help many isolated communities improve or diversify their crops.
  • In collaboration with the OECD, efforts are being made to achieve higher levels of long-term water security aimed at providing greater food security
  • Apply microbial electrochemistry in purification and desalination to provide water to ensure sanitation and hygiene to populations in resource-poor countries
  • Assess the risk of contaminants that may have direct implications for human health
  • Study the microbiological contamination of water to avoid the risk to health
  • Workshops are held for schoolchildren and high school students to raise awareness of the importance of water and promote STEM vocations
  • Collaboration with national and international academic institutions to complete training and knowledge on water issues
  • Low-cost decentralized wastewater systems constitute a source of disinfected water, with a high development potential in areas where the relationship between gender and water conditions access to education
  • In the framework of the work carried out for the 2030 WRG, we have contributed to part of the objectives of that organization in countries such as Bangladesh, where there is a direct link between improved access to water and sanitation and the rate of sexual assaults on women. Also the work on rural sanitation for SDC prioritized the role of women Also the work on rural sanitation for SDC prioritized the role of women
  • The use of membrane technology in processes such as wastewater treatment and desalination contributes to improving water quality by reducing pollution and improving the water supply
  • Development of nature-based solutions for the treatment and reuse of wastewater in small towns with the aim of reducing discharges and promoting the efficient use of water resources
  • The purification of wastewater from small towns by microbial electrochemical systems is a sustainable process, with low initial investment and maintenance costs, which can be implemented in municipalities that cannot afford conventional treatments
  • Assessment of the presence of chemical and biological pollutants and their risks to human health and biodiversity
  • Integrated management of water resources as well as the provision of water and sanitation services.
  • It is possible to use recoverable biogas such as methane and hydrogen, from waste; or converting solar energy into biochemical energy, as well as producing biofuels from CO2 “feeding” electroactive bacteria with electrical current
  • We help the industry to be more efficient by treating its waste more effectively or reducing water consumption in the productive sector by providing tools to reuse it.
  • Development of new methods and models capable of predicting the environmental risk of contamination caused by different industrial processes
  • Assessment of investment needs for water infrastructures in the European Union
  • Decentralized intelligent wastewater treatment, without energy costs, that reuses water and contributes to the beautification of cities
  • Make proper use and reuse of water to avoid using or releasing it contaminated (from a chemical and microbiological point of view)
  • The recycling of membranes contributes to the reduction of waste in landfills, increasing the useful life of the membranes and reducing their environmental impact
  • Reduction of waste generation through the reuse of water and plant residues using green technologies that significantly reduce the release of pollutants into the atmosphere, water and soil
  • The possibility of obtaining reusable water, wherever there is human activity, allows food to be produced in the place where it is consumed, minimizing the deterioration of food due to transport and storage
  • Study of the impact of direct and indirect reuse as a strategy to face the challenge of the progressive reduction of quality water by evaluating the transfer of pollutants between the different environmental compartments (environmental impact) and the routes of exposure such as the intake of food and drinking water consumption (impact on public health)
  • Evaluation of the impact generated by climate change on aquatic ecosystems, with and without additional presence of pollutants
  • Evaluation of the second cycle of river basin management planning in the EU Member States
  • Evaluation of the impact of pollution generated by aquaculture discharges on the seabed
  • Participation in the EU Horizon Europe Mission Assembly on Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters
  • Evaluation of the natural attenuation capacity of soils in the face of agricultural and urban pollution in order to prevent the spread of chemical pollution and the spread of pathogens and, thus, reduce the degradation of natural habitats
  • Analysis, from the socioeconomic point of view, of the causal relationships between biological diversity and the provision of ecosystem services in aquatic ecosystems (freshwater, coasts, seas) and their connection with terrestrial ecosystems
  • Many of the countries outside the EU where we work have social conflicts related to competitive uses of water or cross-border conflicts (e.g. Catamayo-Chira in Peru).