Carlos Garcia-Delgado

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | UAM · Geology and Geochemistry

Tetracyclines are one of the most widely used class of veterinary and human antibiotics. The conventional treatment of wastewater based on activated sludge is not effective to remove antibiotics and their residues are still biologically active, which represents a problem in terms of bacterial resistance. The main objective of this work is to assess...

Background Stevensite and biochar were investigated to covalently immobilize laccase from Myceliophthora thermophila (MtL) and Pleurotus eryngii (PeL) through the sequential application of aminopropyltriethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde. The immobilized preparations were tested to remove 3 tetracyclines and 6 sulfonamides at 0.1mM of each antibiotic....

Soil microbiology could be affected by the presence of pesticide residues during intensive farming, potentially threatening the soil environment. The aimhere was to assess the dissipation of the herbicides triasulfuron and prosulfocarb, applied as a combined commercial formulation, and the changes in soil microbial communities (through the profile...

The spread of organic pollutants from soil to other environments is one important source of environmental pollution. The addition of organic amendments to soil is an interesting strategy to control pollutants leaching. However, the contribution of different carbon types of organic amendments to organic pollutants adsorption is not clear. Hence, the...

Soils impregnated with creosote contain high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).To bioremediate these soils and avoid PAH spread, different bioremediation strategies were tested, basedon natural attenuation, biochar application, wheat straw biostimulation, Pleurotus ostreatus mycoreme-diation, and the novel sequential applicat...

Efficient decontamination of oil contaminated soils is not always easy, especially when the contamination is aged. In this work, we have opted for bioremediation techniques, with a low environmental impact, whose treatments were selected according to the area and soil to be treated. Thus, an industrial area, which had had fuel oil spills for decade...

Currently, the use of biostimulants is increasing due to the need for greater productivity in agriculture. The European Union presented a new fertilizer regulation, UE 2019/1009, appearing for the first time the concept of biostimulants. Its main objective is to improve the efficiency of plants in the absorption and assimilation of nutrients or the...

The concentration of antibiotics in surface water is an issue of high concern. The present study aims to manufacture and evaluate a biogeofilter, with stevensite clay and enzymes immobilized on it, for the adsorption and degradation of tetracycline-based antibiotics. To retain the small particle aggregates of the clay in the filter, a hydrothermal...

Bioremediation techniques are being developed as substitutes for physical–chemical methodologies that are expensive and not sustainable. For example, using the agricultural waste spent mushroom substrate (SMS) which contains valuable microbiota for soil bioremediation. In this work, SMSs of four cultivated fungal species, Pleurotus eryngii, Lentinu...

Mycoremediation of soils polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is an effective approach in environmental biotechnology to restore ecosystems. In this protocol, we describe selected experimental procedures to assess the mycoremediation process of PAH-polluted soils using chemical and ecotoxicological methodologies. An analytical proc...

Due to the environmental issues that conventional fertilization is causing, biostimulants are proposed as environmentally friendly alternative for crop nutrition in agriculture. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of new Micro Carbon Technology (MCT®) fertilizers with biostimulant activity based on humic acids biologically digested f...

The production of onion waste derived mainly from bulbs affected by fungal diseases, during onion classification and storage presents an important agro-environmental issue in onion production regions. Composting is an environmentally friendly strategy to recycle agricultural waste and produce organic fertilizers. Modifications of the microbial comm...

Background Nowadays a significant extension of lands contaminated with toxic elements is being used for agriculture, posing a serious risk of crop contamination and toxicity. Several methodologies are being used to remediate soil contamination, including the use of amendments such as biochar. In this work, we evaluated the effects of biochar, combi...

The presence of antibiotics in crops is mainly caused by their irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and by the use of organic amendments of animal origin. During this work, the fate of sulfonamide antibiotics in tomato crop has been assessed in two commercial greenhouses located in Almería (Spain) irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. Samplings were...

One strategy to re-use solid urban wastes is the production of energy by anaerobic digestion. This process also generates high volume of digestates, which are frequently disposal in landfills. The aim of this work is to assess anaerobic digestates as agricultural inputs. Three different biomethanation wastes from different plants were collected. Fi...

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a proven carcinogenic chlorinated organic compound widely used as a solvent in industrial cleaning solutions; it is easily found in the soil, air, and water and is a hazardous environmental pollutant. Most studies have attempted to remove TCE from air and water using different anaerobic bacteria species. In addition, a fe...

A double strategy based on the removal of sulfonamide antibiotics by Pleurotus ostreatus and adsorption on spent mushroom substrate was assessed to reclaim contaminated wastewater. P. ostreatus was firstly tested in a liquid medium fortified with five sulfonamides: sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine and sulfamethazine, to...

The soil microbial activity, biomass and structure were evaluated in an unamended (S) and organically amended soil treated with two commercial formulations of the herbicides chlorotoluron (Erturon®) and flufenacet plus diflufenican (Herold®) under field conditions. Soils were amended with spent mushroom substrate (SMS) or green compost (GC). Soil m...

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of new Micro Carbon Technology (MCT®) fertilizers based on humic acids biologically digested on the growth and development of pepper plants. In this work, the biostimulant effect of MCT® fertilizers was compared to conventional mineral fertilizers. In order to evaluate MCT® fertilizers, a previous...

Microorganisms strongly influence and are required to generate the selective substrate that provides nutrients and support for fungal growth, and ultimately to induce mushroom fructification under controlled environmental conditions. In this work, the fungal and bacterial microbiota living in the different substrates employed in a commercial crop (...

Following the occurrence of a fire at a tire landfill in the surrounding area of Madrid City (Spain), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace elements present in soils were analyzed to assess the impact of the fire. The capacity of the soils’ clay mineral fraction to reflect this air pollution incident was studied. Fourteen soil samples w...

This paper reports the mobility and total balance of chlorotoluron (CTL), flufenacet (FNC) and bromide ion (Br-) throughout a sandy soil profile after the application of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and green compost (GC). Obtaining mobility dataset is crucial to simulate the herbicides' fate under amended soil scenarios by application pesticide...

Vermicomposting is an efficient technology to treat organic wastes and recover nutrients for agricultural purposes. The aim of this work was to assess the feasibility of vermicomposting to treat onion waste and the resulting vermicompost as an agricultural input. Onion waste from the food industry was mixed with cow dump and vermicomposted for 154...

Mushroom cultivation consists of the development and fructification of fungal species in soil or selective substrates that provide nutrients and support for the crop. The microorganisms present in these environments strongly influence, and are required to generate the selective substrate and induce mushroom fructification. In this work, the fungal...

Adding organic amendments to soil could modify the bioavailability of herbicides and lead to changes in the microbial community's activity and structure. The objective here was to study the dissipation and total mass balance of 14 C-labeled prosulfocarb applied at two rates (4 and 10 mg kg-1) in unamended and green compost (GC)-amended soil. Soil d...

Tetracycline (TC) is among the most used antibiotics in animal feedstock in the EU. Antibiotics' persistence as emerging pollutants in the environment is evidenced by their long half-life in residual organic-mineral sediments and waters. The risk associated with this persistence favours antibiotic-resistant microbiota, affecting human health and ec...

Soil quality is strongly affected by microbial biomass that is involved in organic matter mineralization and the supply of nutrients to plants. The effects of trace elements on soil microbial biomass and activity are still controversial , and the contents of the elements in different forms, more than the total amounts, may affect soil microbial com...

The antibiotic tetracycline, is considered a contaminant of emerging concern due to its presence in wastewater effluents, surface waters and groundwaters. Adsorption of tetracycline on soils and clays has been extensively studied to remove the contaminant from the water. A decreasing adsorption as the pH increases is normally reported in the pH ran...

Soil element composition derives from parent material disaggregation during pedogenesis and weathering processes but also by anthropogenic inputs. Elements are present in soils in different chemical forms that affect their availability and mobility. The aim of the study was to evaluate the main derivation, natural or anthropogenic, of elements in t...

This work assesses the suitability of three commercial activated carbons (ACs) and their combination with olive mill waste compost (AC + C) as amendments for the remediation of two different contaminated soils. The treatments were applied to a mining soil, and their ability to immobilize trace elements was evaluated. Besides, the efficiency of the...

The simultaneous use of herbicides and organic amendments is a common agricultural practice that may modify the behavior of the herbicides themselves and affect the microbial community in soils. There is little information about the changes in the soil microbial community by this agricultural practice under real field conditions. The aim of this wo...

The present research was aimed to (i) report the recycling of spent A. bisporus substrate (SAS) to remove heavy metals (Cd and Pb) and phenanthrene (Phe) from polluted water and (ii) assess the possibility to use the treated water for irrigation. Batch experiments were carried out to assess, firstly, the effect of interaction time between pollutant...

The mushroom cultivation industry produces huge amount of spent mushroom compost (SMC), a wide world agricultural organic waste which cause serious environmental problems. However, this cheap organic waste could be useful in the remediation of contaminated soils due to its chemical properties and nutrient content. The aim of this work was to assess...

In this article, the substances and organisms that are present in food products and that have adverse effects on people are summarized. A food poisoning classification is used to consider adverse effects caused by the direct action of a food or food additive on the host. A simple classification, based on five groups, is used: biological pollutants,...

The use of agricultural wastes as biosorbents is gaining importance in bioremediation of heavy metal-polluted water and soils, due to their effectiveness and low cost. This work assesses the Cd, Pb and Cu adsorption capacity of the raw materials used in the production of substrates for mushroom production (Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus)...

The aim of this work was to assess the impact of soil characteristics and constituents in the total extraction of hydrophobic organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), in real polluted soil samples from different sources. Soil samples were obtained from a wood creosote treatment plant, in the vicinity of a metallurgy indus...

The present Doctoral Thesis aims the bioremediation of polluted soil with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) using spent mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) substrate. PAH are ubiquitous pollutants with hydrophobic, toxic and carcinogenic properties. Many of the PAH polluted soils contain high concentrations of metals which complicate the soil bioreme...

This study investigates the effect of three spent Agaricus bisporus substrate (SAS) application methods on bioremediation of soil multi-polluted with Pb and PAH from close to a shooting range with respect natural attenuation (SM). The remediation treatments involve (i) use of sterilized SAS to biostimulate the inherent soil microbiota (SSAS) and tw...

Different applications of spent Agaricus bisporus substrate (SAS), awidespread agro-industrial waste, were investigated with respect to the remediation of a historically polluted soil with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). In one treatment, the waste was sterilized (SSAS) prior to its application in order to assess its ability to biostimulate...

One of the biggest problems derived from edible mushroom (such as Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus) production areas is the environmental pollution due to salts and organic carbon leached from the high amounts of spent mushroom substrate (SPC) generated. The chemical and biological composition of SPC provides them high environmental functiona...

Con el fin de evaluar la eficiencia en la nutrición de los cultivos de nuevos productos fertilizantes de alta calidad, se ha llevado a cabo un ensayo en condiciones climáticas controladas, en contenedores, con dos tipos de suelo de diferente textura, arenosa y franco-arenosa durante 12 semanas en las que se establecieron los riegos en función de lo...

Bioremediation of mixed metal-organic soil pollution constitutes a difficult task in different ecosystems all around the world. The aims of this work are to determine the capacity of two spent mushroom substrates (Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus) to immobilize Cd and Pb, to assess the effect of these metals on laccase activity, and to det...

An original methodological procedure was validated in order to quantify the potential of Medicago sativa culture to be used for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) phytoremediation. A new device based in isolation of two-compartment root-shoot was developed. Washed quarz sand was spiked with an acetone solution of fluorene (Flu), phenanthrene (P...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a family of compounds classified as persistent organic pollutants, which are hazardous for environmental and human health. White rot fungi are organisms that are able to remediate PAH from polluted soils. Spent mushroom compost (SMC) is employed for soil bioremediation and environmental research. In this s...

Aims The efficacy of N,N′-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid (HBED) as an Fe source in plant nutrition for soybean (Glycine max) plants grown in calcareous soil under controlled conditions was studied. Methods The ability of ethylenediamine-N,N′-bis(o-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid (o,oEDDHA/57Fe3+) and HBED/57Fe3+ at increasing conc...

The effects, in greenhouse conditions, of Purified Urban Wastewater (PW) from Almería (Spain), in the fertigation of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) on sandy mulch soil, were evaluated. Primary, secondary (active sludges) and tertiary (Chlorination + ozonation) purification treatments were applied to wastewater. Irrigation treatments applied were PW, n...

La utilización de compost como sustratos de cultivo y enmiendas de suelos es cada vez mayor. Los metales pesados presentes en los compost pueden ser absorbidos por los cultivos e incluidos en la cadena trófica, afectando a la calidad de los alimentos producidos. Por ello, la determinación precisa de los metales pesados presentes en los sustratos se...

La determinación de CO2 emitido por un material orgánico suministra información sobre la respuesta de la actividad microbiana a variaciones de temperatura y humedad, los efectos de humedecimiento–secado y sobre la mineralización del carbono. Esto puede constituir una información valiosa de cara a su utilización como sustrato de cultivo y como enmie...

Due to the water shortages in Mediterranean countries, recycled water is being applied for agricultural uses. Potential risks of wastewater use include the presence of several pollutants dangerous for food security such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organic molecules containing condensed aromatic rings. Pepper plants (Capsicum annuum...

The use of high amounts of fertilizers in greenhouse production leads to important environmental problems due to the leaching of elements. The knowledge on plant nutritional requirements is required to attain and develop a technical efficiency. This work studies the influence of different levels of NK supply, applied by fertigation, on uptake and n...

Owing to the shortage of good quality irrigation water all over the world for use in agriculture, disinfected wastewater could be a well-priced stable source. Because of poor control of wastewater quality, pollutant accumulation and relevant ecotoxicological effects may occur, especially for inorganic pollutants (heavy metals), organic pollutants (...

Almeria (Spain) is one of the most important agricultural areas in Southern Europe, and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the main crops produced under intensive conditions using fertigation. The lack of good quality irrigation water in this semi-arid area is an ever increasing problem. Experiments to evaluate the usefulness and the potential r...