Amalia García-Valero’s research while affiliated with University of Cartagena and other places

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Publications (5)


Physical-chemical characterization of pig slurry at each stage of the treatment system.
Treatment system purification efficiencies (%).
Pearson correlation coefficients of parameters in the treatment system.
Results of the principal component analysis.
Swine Wastewater Treatment System Using Constructed Wetlands Connected in Series
  • Article
  • Full-text available

January 2024

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53 Reads

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3 Citations

Agronomy

Amalia García-Valero

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José Alberto Acosta

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Ángel Faz

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[...]

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The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficiency of CWs for purifying swine wastewater in order to reduce its pollutant load. The system included a pretreatment module (raw swine wastewater tank, phase separator, and settlement tank), and three constructed wetlands connected in series and planted with Phragmites australis and Suaeda vera. Three treatment cycles were carried out with a total hydraulic retention time in the wetland of 21 days for each cycle. Pig slurry samples were collected in triplicate after each treatment module, and physical–chemical analyses were performed. The results showed that the phase separator decreased the suspended solids, turbidity, and the chemical oxygen demand in the treated swine wastewater. The system enabled considerable nitrogen reductions (Kjeldahl nitrogen, NH4+, and organic nitrogen), and the highest removal was reported in the wetlands. However, the cations and anions showed different efficiencies. In some cases (Ca, Mg, and Na), the final concentrations were increased, which could be explained by their release from the substrate; however, there were no statistical differences among the CW effluents and the raw pig slurry. Therefore, the integral pig slurry treatment system with constructed wetlands increased the quality of the treated swine wastewater and thus can be used for its sustainable agronomic valorization. This thereby enables savings in inorganic fertilizers and irrigation water.

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Means and standard deviation values of the physicochemical parameter's evolution in raw and treated pig slurry.
Means and standard deviation values of the macronutrients parameter's evolution in raw and treated pig slurry.
Mitigating Ammonia, Methane, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Stored Pig Slurry Using Chemical and Biological Additives

December 2023

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74 Reads

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7 Citations

Water

This study addresses the challenge of mitigating ammonia and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stored pig slurry using chemical and biological additives. The research employs dynamic chambers to evaluate the effectiveness of these additives. Chemical agents (sulfuric acid) and biological additives (DAB bacteria) containing specific microbial strains are tested (a mixture of Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, Nitrosomona europea, Nictobacter winogradaskyi, and nutritional substrate). Controlled experiments simulate storage conditions and measure emissions of ammonia, methane, and carbon dioxide. Through statistical analysis of the results, this study evaluates the additives’ impact on emission reduction. Sulfuric acid demonstrated a reduction of 92% in CH4, 99% in CO2, and 99% in NH3 emissions. In contrast, the biological additives showed a lesser impact on CH4, with an 8% reduction, but more substantial reductions of 71% for CO2 and 77% for NH3.These results shed light on the feasibility of employing these additives to mitigate environmental impacts in pig slurry management and contribute to sustainable livestock practices by proposing strategies to reduce the ecological consequences of intensive animal farming.


Purification Performance of Filtration Process for Pig Slurry Using Marine Sands, Silty Loam Soils, Fly Ash and Zeolite

August 2021

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173 Reads

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5 Citations

Agronomy

Filtration is a simple ecological process for the treatment of effluents. This research examined the physicochemical properties of micronutrients, macronutrients, and heavy metals (HM) removed after the slow filtration of pig slurry (PS) through multiple media: sands, silt loam soils, fly ash, and zeolite. The objective was to find a new layer that can be added to our constructed wetland (CW) to improve its efficiency and study how the slurry reacts to these natural materials. The filtration achieved an approximate removal rate of 99.99% for total suspended solids (TSS) and nitrogen and 61, 94, 72, and 97%, respectively, for electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5). The two sands, soil 1, and zeolite, had a macronutrient reduction median of 60%, whereas soil 2, 3, 4, and fly ash released macronutrients such as Na, Ca, and Mg. All the media achieved nearly 99.99% micronutrient removal for Fe and Zn. The Cu removal rate was over 86% except for sand 1 and 2 and soil 1, which reduced it to only 46%; the overall Mn removal rate was more than 80% except for soil 3 and soil 4, where it was only 9%. Zeolite had a 99.99% removal capacity for HM as opposed to sand 2, soil 4, and fly ash, which released some HMs (Ni, Cu). This inexpensive and abundant media filtration process is sound technically and financially sound and seems to be an ideal cost-efficient treatment for pig slurry.


Environmentally sustainable acid mine drainage remediation: Use of natural alkaline material

February 2020

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127 Reads

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35 Citations

Journal of Water Process Engineering

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is an important source of pollution to the environment, characterized by a very low pH and high metal(loid)s concentration. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of three alkaline materials: marl, sandstone and calcareous crust on AMD neutralization and metal precipitation. To achieve this objective, a batch test was design, where a 5/10 alkaline material(g)/AMD(mL) ratio was used. In order to optimize the process, three particle sizes (2–10, 10–20 and 20−30 mm) of each material were used, and water samples were collected during the neutralization time. Due to the extreme pH of AMD used (pH < 2.5), it was necessary to carry out an AMD pretreatment, which consisted of adding 2.5 g of Ca(OH)2 per liter of AMD to raise a pH of 4. This pretreatment was essential because when AMD (pH < 4) was in contact with alkaline material a fast disintegration had place and a viscous substance was forming which prevented water rehabilitation. The results showed that the three alkaline materials reduced Fe, As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in AMD, due mainly to their high carbonates content, which allowed metal(loid)s precipitation. The removal percentages were 100 % for Fe, Cu and Pb for marl, sandstone and calcareous crust, and about 60 % for Zn and Cd when sandstone was used. The optimal size particle was 20−30 mm for marl, while for sandstone with a size particle of 10−20 mm a considerable reduction of metal(loid)s in AMD was observed. Besides, the contact time required to neutralization of AMD and metal(loid)s reduction was lower for marl and sandstone than calcareous crust. Therefore, the results of this study showed that anyone of these alkaline materials could be used in AMD treatment depending on availability in the study area.


Citations (4)


... where V eql -volume of effluent in m 3 /day Q ind -effluent flow rate Tdetention-Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) in days As the plant pumps 900 to 1000 m 3 /h, this must be converted to m 3 /day: Q = 900 × 24 h a 1000 × 24 h for the flow range, which gives 21,600 m 3 /day to 24,000 m 3 /day. With this flow data, we can estimate the volume of effluent in the lagoon and estimate its occupied area; bearing in mind that according to [30] When the temperature of the effluent is higher, the microbial activity in the anaerobic and facultative treatment process tends to be even more efficient, potentially allowing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) to be reduced [31][32][33][34][35]. By analyzing the data in the table, we can analyze the load of the effluent contaminated using the following equation: ...

Reference:

Sizing a System for Treating Effluents from the Mozambique Sugar Cane Company
Swine Wastewater Treatment System Using Constructed Wetlands Connected in Series

Agronomy

... Concerning NH 4 +-N, the CP treatment showed higher values than the SP and BP treatments in most weeks and seasons, with a gradual decrease over time for all treatments. These results agree with previous studies that also observed a reduction in NH 4 + -N in pig manure treated with organic matter and bacteria [9]. The SP treatment presented slightly lower NH 4 + -N values than the CP treatment, which may be due to the lower nutrient release from straw. ...

Mitigating Ammonia, Methane, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Stored Pig Slurry Using Chemical and Biological Additives

Water

... The correlation between COD and TSSs changes is based on the levels of inorganic and organic solids in the mixture [87]. In pig slurry, there is typically a correlation between TSSs and COD caused by the presence of both organic and inorganic suspended solids, which collectively impact the COD content [9,22]. This study validated this observation, demonstrating that a decrease in suspended solids led to significantly reduced COD concentrations across all three tanks (p < 0.05). ...

Purification Performance of Filtration Process for Pig Slurry Using Marine Sands, Silty Loam Soils, Fly Ash and Zeolite

Agronomy

... Pb(II)-contaminated soils lack essential nutrients for plant growth, hindering revegetation efforts and causing long-term environmental damage. Without treatment, Pb(II) can pollute water sources, endangering ecosystems and potentially impacting human health [4]. Heavy metals that are byproducts of mining, including Pb(II), negatively affect plant functions, leading to bioaccumulation in both plants and animals, ultimately increasing species mortality rates [4,5]. ...

Environmentally sustainable acid mine drainage remediation: Use of natural alkaline material
  • Citing Article
  • February 2020

Journal of Water Process Engineering