The PhD candidate researcher Joana Castellar, from the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability and the Sustainability Program at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, complete a research stay at the University of Aarhus (Denmark), from October 13 to 31, 2018, under the supervision of of Dr. Carlos Arias.
The PhD is mainly focused on the development of the innovative WETWALL concept that integrates the processes of removal of pollutants and nutrients from treatment wetlands in a vegetated wall structure. The WETWALL prototype, built in Barcelona, also integrates the concepts of the circular economy of reusing, recycling and diminishing wastes, through the reuse of byproducts or waste from productive chains close to the study area, which are used as filter substrates.
The objective of the stay was to characterize and evaluate the kinetics of phosphorus removal promoted by one of the substrates used in the WETWALL prototype, the CAAC (Crushed autoclaved aerated concrete).
For several years there has been collaboration between the University of Aarhus and the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability at the UPC, for the development of eco-technologies that meet social, environmental and economic needs and favor development at the local and regional level.
Research stays are generally enriching for doctoral students, and also serve to strengthen ties between participating institutions, a relevant fact for the promotion of future collaborations and interdisciplinarity.
Other articles of the doctoral thesis:
· "WETWALL" - an innovative design concept for the treatment of wastewater at an urban scale. Desalination and Water Treatment doi: 10.5004 / dwt.2018.22143
· Cork as a sustainable carbon source for nature-based solutions treating hydroponic wastewaters - Preliminary batch studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.365