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Publications (92)
Clean technologies are rapidly increasing in the last decade. In the transport sector, market share of global electric car sales has changed from 0.0 % in 2010 to 3.2 % (2.1million) in 2020, and predictions show that sales could reach near 30 % in 2030. This drastic change is mainly encouraged by environmental goals set to reduce greenhouse gas emi...
Kaolin waste dumps contain a huge volume of material that cannot be commercialized due to the presence of variable amounts of iron minerals, which impart a yellowish color to the kaolin. Elimination of iron from kaolin using either a chemical or a biological method was the aim of this study. The chemical leaching of iron from kaolin was carried out...
Hydraulic fracturing drilling technology can cause a high risk of surface spill accidents and thus water contamination. Climate change together with the high water demand and rapid increase in industrial and agricultural activities are valued reasons why we should all care about the availability of water resources and protect them from contaminatio...
In shale gas-producing countries, soil, and groundwater contamination due to surface spills associated with hydraulic fracturing operations is one of the most worrying problems that arise, since its elimination is not easy or cheap to carry out, and its effects persist for many years. Thus, this study identifies the environmental and health risks a...
Because of shale gas operations, significant amounts of return water from hydraulic fracturing are stored in tanks and/or ponds on the surface. These waters contain varying concentrations of toxic organic compounds; hence, there is reasonable concern about the occurrence of hypothetical leakages, which would cause adverse environmental effects and...
Contaminated groundwater is a priority issue on the environmental agendas of developed countries. Therefore, there is an obvious need to develop instruments and decision-making mechanisms that allow the estimation of the risk to human health due to the presence of contaminants in soils and groundwater, in a fast and reliable manner. Thus, this stud...
Rare earth elements (REE) have been studied in overbank floodplain sediments in two Spanish areas with very distinct geochemical and lithological features (the areas of Madrid and Iberian Pyrite Belt-IPB). Considering the high representativity of these sediments, the objective of the study is to estimate the influence of these environments over REE...
The largest mercury (Hg) mining district in the world is located in Almadén (Spain), with well-known environmental impacts in the surrounding ecosystem. However, the impact of mercury on the health of the inhabitants of this area has not been documented accordingly. This study aims to carry out a probabilistic human health risk assessment using Bay...
Preferentemente en estudios de máster, debe considerarse la aplicación de nuevas
herramientas de aprendizaje enfocadas en la realización de proyectos y resolución de problemas de ingeniería, donde los estudiantes desarrollen su creatividad y trabajo en equipo a la vez que se fomente el aprendizaje. Por ello se ha desarrollado la aplicación de la me...
Rare Earth Elements (REE) have been studied in a selection of vertical profiles of floodplain sediments in two areas with very distinct geochemical characteristics (Area of Madrid and area of the Iberian Pyrite Belt-IPB). Total contents have been determined and some samples were subjected to a Tessier sequential extraction. It has been detected ver...
The purpose of this research is to find a mathematical model based on a statistical analysis to predict the evolution of the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentrations with time in the bioremediation process of diesel contaminated soils. The analysis is useful to compare and ascertain the efficiency of different remediation treatments and th...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified as compounds that can be incorporated to run-off waters or to aquifers becoming a real threat not only to aquatic organisms but also to humans due to its carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. This work studies the presence of PAHs in a coal dump pile located in the north of Spain (Asturias...
The overall objective of this study is to estimate, detect and specify the main sources of variance which affect the contents of the different elements in overbank sediments across Spain. These sources of variance were assessed and compared by means of a series of analyses of variance (ANOVAs), by regarding two parameters: their significance and th...
This work examines the rates of bioremediation during a landfarming process. A field study was performed using three types of soil, which were contaminated with two different hydrocarbon concentrations: 20,000 and 50,000 ppm of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). They were subjected to landfarming under the action of different treatments, based on...
Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are technologies designed to increase natural gas flow and to improve productivity in low permeability formations. During this drilling operation, tons of flowback and produced water, which contain several organic compounds, return to the surface with a potential risk of influencing the surrounding envir...
Metals in overbank deposits may originate from natural or anthropogenic sources. The objective of this work is to study the anthropogenic influence over these deposits through the study of Pb contents together with Pb isotopic ratios in a group of selected overbank profiles sampled in several basins across Spain. The 16 selected overbank profiles s...
Background: El Hito Lake is an ephemeral saline water mass present most of the year as a gypsiferous salt pan that is temporarily flooded during rainy periods, when it becomes a refuge for migratory birds such as flamingos and cranes, among others. It is considered an important hotspot of biodiversity and as such is covered by protection status. Pu...
The main objective of this work is to detect, calculate and characterize the possible sources of variance affecting the element contents in the overbank sediments. As a pilot profile it has been studied the floodplain of the Manzanares River (Madrid), in a location near its mouth in the Jarama River. It was good developed and preserved.
In additio...
Metals in overbank deposits can have their origin in natural as well as in anthropogenic sources and their mobility depends on their origin and the way they are associated to sediments. The objective of this work is to characterize the anthropogenic influence over these deposits through the study of Pb contents as well as Pb isotopic ratios. The el...
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants of concern due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Their emissions are mainly related with the combustion or pyrolysis of the organic matter, such as in fossil fuels combustion. It is important to characterize PAHs in the combustions of biofuels due to their increasing importance in t...
Determination of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in the waters and sediments of El Hito Lake and its drainage basin was carried out. Distribution maps for REEs concentrations show increasing values in the lake sediments from the center to the eastern edge reaching 166.5 mg/kg. In the drainage basin, higher values were observed with a maximum of 350.9 mg...
Changes in the principal sources of Pb in overbank sediment profiles have been documented for two Spanish areas by using Pb isotopes and Pb concentrations. These locations (Madrid and Tinto–Odiel basin) represent two of the most contaminated regions in Spain. The Community of Madrid is characterized by heavy industrial and urban activity, focused m...
The overbank sediments can act as a record of contaminants transported by rivers. In this study, these sediments are examined in the Odiel and Tinto rivers, both located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Several vertical sections have been studied in their own floodplains (two in the Odiel River and one profile in the Tinto River). Samples were sieved at...
Overbank and stream sediments have been studied in the Community of Madrid. Four vertical profiles have been sampled corresponding to Guadarrama, Jarama, and finally Manzanares River, where two profiles have been studied upstream (El Pardo profile) and downstream (Rivas profile) Madrid city. Sieved samples (<63 µm) were subjected to total (ICP-MS/I...
Trace element concentrations in the Roñanzas peat bog record reveal a contribution of natural processes but the influence of anthropogenic factors predominates in the last two millenniums, particularly aerosol deposition linked to mining and industrial activities in northern Spain. We observed that the Roñanzas record can be considered a preserved...
The detection of the failure of the seal/barrier integrity is a fundamental part in the monitoring plan of any deep geological storage of waste (nuclear, CO2). Considering the depth of storage (commonly >500 m) and the reaction with engineered barriers and the geosphere, fluids with pollutants from repositories are expected to reach surface levels...
CO2sc is planned to be injected in 2013 at the Hontomín site (NE Spain) as a part of the EC-funded
OXYCFB300 project. Approximately 100,000 tons of CO2 is going to be injected in a saline reservoir
(1500 m depth) hosted by Lower Jurassic limestones and sealed by Lower Cretaceous clay formations.
One of the aims of the project is to demonstrate that...
CO2sc is planned to be injected in 2013 at the Hontomin site (Spain) as a part of the EC-funded OXYCFB300 project. The objectives of this project are: the development of knowledge, methodologies and technologies for industrial application of geological storage of CO2; the demonstration that industrial activity is feasible and safe; provision of sup...
The Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (CIUDEN) is presently developing a project of geological storage of CO2. The selected area is close to Hontomín town (Burgos, Spain). One of the aim objectives of this project is the development and testing of a non-intrusive/invasive methodology to improve our knowledge of geological formations from the surface r...
Linares (Jaen, Spain) has been subjected to an intense mining and metallurgic activity during 2500years. Basically, lead and silver have been extracted from galena; as well as copper and zinc. Different studies have been conducted to evaluate trace element concentrations to obtain relationships with anthropogenic and geologic factors. The analytica...
The n-alkane components of sediments were measured in 530 samples taken from a 107m-long core in the Padul Basin (Andalusia, Spain) covering from the Lower Pleistocene (ca. 1Ma) to the mid-Holocene (ca. 4.5kaB.P.). We show that the relative percentages of the high molecular weight n-alkanes (C27, C29 and C31) are useful tools to reconstruct the anc...
Historically, a significant level of mining activity has taken place in the batholite-related metalogenic enclave of Linares (Jaén province, Spain), associated with Pb–Ag, Cu, Zn and Fe sulphides and Ba sulphate mineralization, though mining here has now been abandoned. Additionally, the area features a significant amount of urban, industrial and a...
Statistical descriptive analyses were performed taking into account sulphur, vanadium and nickel concentrations in several nonmature crude oil samples collected in the last few years from various Venezuelan and Spanish basins. Techniques used included flame atomic absorption spectrometry and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The re...
The role of oleophilic fertilizers in bioremediation is based on physic and chemical properties of their oleaginous components (usually oleic acid) that surround a core amended with sources of N and P. Since 1990 most uses of these products are related to the cleaning up of marine oil spills, but recently new applications have been suggested. The m...
The Linares region (southern Spain) has been subjected to two important sources of pollution: the intensive mining works and
the urban-industrial activity. To obtain a geochemical characterisation of the soil, 31 trace elements were analysed and 669
soil samples were collected. By means of clustering analysis, we identified groups of elements and g...
Valdemoro es un municipio del Sur de Madrid que se asienta sobre terrenos yesíferos del Aragoniense (Mioceno Medio). La pureza de estos minerales ha hecho que, en palabras de ANASTASIODE LA CALLE (1890), sea "apreciado como yeso de la mejor calidad". En definitiva por su cercanía a la capital y características del yacimiento, en esta localidad se h...
The distribution of biomarker compounds and magnetic susceptibility observed in the sediment from a 20 m core drilled in the marshlands of the estuarine region of the Guadalquivir River (southwest coast of Spain) has allowed us to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental evolution of this area during the Holocene. Several organic compounds (n-alkanes, n...
In the locality of Morata de Tajuña and surroundings there was an important settlement of gypsum pits and limekilns, together with other historical industries, now disappear. These activities were developed mainly during the 1960's and 70's, but its production decreased because of changes in the productive processes (substitution of discontinuous p...
We present a rationale for the selection of a microbial consortia specifically adapted to degrade toxic components of oil refinery tank bottom sludge (OTBS). Sources such as polluted soils, petrochemical waste, sludge from refinery-wastewater plants, and others were used to obtain a collection of eight microorganisms, which were individually tested...
The study region is situated in the mining district of Linares (province of Jaén, South Spain) and it is characterised by the presence of important seams of galena. The mining, minerallurgic and metallurgic activities in the area, as well as the local geological (metallogenetic) conditions, are important sources of heavy metals in the environment,...
The Visman method is an efficient tool in environmental geochemistry. The present study concerns the application of the Visman method in a pilot sampling exercise for the design and subsequent implementation of a tactical campaign in geochemical soil prospection. The aim of this study is to solve the problem of the support of the sampling unit by p...
By the end of 2002, the Atlantic and Cantabrian shorelines of Spain were severely contaminated by the Prestige heavy fuel oil spill. Initially the fuel was physically removed by means of hot pressurized water washing and similar procedures. However, bioremediation (full-scale implemented after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska), was also conside...
Heavy fuel oil spilled from the oil tanker Prestige in November 2002 affected hundreds of km of Spanish shoreline. We carried out a two year study at two highly contaminated sites in order to monitor natural attenuation of the residues coating shore rocks and to test the effectiveness of bioremediation with an oleophilic fertilizer (S200). The meth...
A representative paleoenvironmental reconstruction of continental middle latitude from ca. 2 my to the upper part of Middle Pleistocene (279 ± 77 ky) was obtained from the carbon and oxygen stable isotopes analyzed in ostracode shells (Cyprideis torosa) recovered in the Guadix-Baza Basin (SE Spain), an intramontaneous closed depression filled by al...
This paper describes the photodegradation behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in different types of fossil fuels (commercial diesel, Arabian light crude, heavy fuel oil from the Prestige oil spill and coal from an abandoned coal dump) suspended in artificial seawater or ultrapure water, under irradiation in a stirred photochemical...
In the Priego area, central Spain, extensive tufa deposits are located in three small tributaries located at the head of the 1000 km-long Tagus River. The deposits are originated after karst-origin running waters emerged from the confines of the canyons and expanded outward. Old tufa deposits of Priego are mainly present as terraced alluvial plain...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) are a class of persistent organic pollutants of special concern since they are carcinogenic and mutagenic. In this paper, the design of a continuously stirred tank reactor is reported for the photodegradation of the simplest and most water-soluble PAH, naphthalene, in water using TiO2 (in the crystalline for...
Se han determinado los algoritmos de cálculo de edad para relaciones D/L de cinco
aminoácidos (isoleucina, leucina, ácido aspártico, fenilalanina y ácido glutámico) analizados en
muestras de pelecípodos marinos del género Glycymeris procedentes de diversos niveles costeros
levantados pleistocenos y holocenos del litoral mediterráneo ibérico. Estos...
Age calculation algorithms for the D/L ratios of five amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, aspartic acid, phenylalanine and glutamic acid) analysed in continental ostracodes were determined for southern and central Iberian Peninsula, and allow the numerical dating of deposits in the Mediterranean area since Lower Pleistocene time to present. In order...
This paper deals with the organic geochemistry of a "lignite" bed at the bottom of the Guadix-Baza
composite stratotype section, just below the end of the Olduvai Chron. The results of the organic matter
analysis (Iow HIC ratio and predominance of even n-alkanes) together with the lack of pollen and
micromammal remains as well as the abundance of c...
The elemental (concentration of organic carbon, atomic H/C and C/N ratios), isotopic (δ13C values of organic matter) and molecular (predominant n-alkane chain length and carbon preference index (CPI)) organic components were measured for 600 samples taken from a 107-m long core from the Padul Basin (Andalusia, Spain). The record runs from the Lower...
The present study examines the question of whether heating experiments on modern bear teeth dentine model the pattern of D/L racemization in fossil teeth. Using samples of modern bear teeth dentine heated at 65°C, 85°C (up to 53 days), and 105°C (up to 71 days), and three independently dated fossil bear teeth, we have compared the modes of racemiza...
A high correlation between chronometric determinations based on aspartic acid racemization ratios and radioactive dating methods is described from samples of cave bear (Ursus deningeri and Ursus spelaeus) dentine. For samples from a very restrictive environment, as deep cave bear sites are (in view of their highly stable geochemical and thermal his...
Cross-calibration of the racemization rates of leucine and phenylalanine and the epimerization rates of isoleucine between Middle and Lower Pleistocene ostracodes and gastropods from southern Spain is presented. Using these two relationships, along with previously-calculated age estimation algorithms, it is possible to estimate the age of samples f...
The results from several research projects carried out in Madrid and Avilés (Spain), Oslo (Norway), and Ostrava (the Czech Republic) bet- ween 1990 and 1997 have been used to outline a geochemical model of urban environments that focuses on the circulation of particula- te material in the city. Three types of particulate material and corresponding...
This paper deals with a metrical comparison of cheek-teeth length of Ursus spelaeus Ros.Hein.
Iberian population representatives. Spanish cave bear localities are grouped in four different
areas, Torres 1989) which we can tentatively suppose were connected during palaeoenvironmental
optimi periods, but were isolated during the most of their existen...
The results from several research projects carried out in Madrid and Avilés (Spain), Oslo (Norway), and Ostrava (the Czech Republic) between 1990 and 1997 have been used to outline a geochemical model of urban environments that focuses on the circulation of particulate material in the city. Three types of particulate material and corresponding diff...
A linear correlation was established between aspartic acid racemization ratio from cave bear dentine collagen and absolute dating. The high correlation coefficient obtained allowed age calculation through amino acid racemization. Aspartic acid and glutamic acid racemization kinetics have also been explored in dentine from a North American black bea...
The development of a simple laboratory methodology allows the implementation of in situ bioremediation of polluted soils with diesel fuel. In this investigation microbiological and chemical analyses and a suitable bioreactor design, were very useful for suggesting the best ways to improve biodegradation extents in a diesel-enriched soil. Biostimula...
En este Proyecto Fin de Carrera se ha realizado un estudio de la contaminación de un acuífero al romperse un tanque de gasolina en una zona de Alicante, usando un programa que simula el comportamiento del hidrocarburo en el subsuelo y el acuífero transcurrido un tiempo definido por el operador. El programa utiliza los datos de las propiedades del s...
Biomarquer analytical results from Cainozoic age organic rich lutites from Dueto and Ebro basin drill
holes are presented, The presence and abundance of n-alkane, n-metil ketones, n-etil"ketones, n-butil
ketones and 'elemental sulphur are compared. Samples from Ebro basin bore hole core (PE-7) reveal
alterliances of "terrestrial" and "acuatic" lacu...
A geochemical model of an urban environment is presented in which multielemental tracers are used to characterise the circulation of trace elements in particulate matter (atmospheric aerosol, street dust and urban soil) within a city.