World Environment Day
On 5 June, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) celebrated World Environment Day, the largest platform for environmental outreach, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
IQS strongly desired to make our own contribution to World Environment Day, and we have dedicated a special edition of our newsletter to spreading awareness about environmental issues. With that in mind, we are pleased to present a series of information about projects and events in this field that are taking place at the IQS campus.
Our concern for water, especially over these challenging recent weeks during which periods of drought have alternated with outbursts of intense storms and downpours, inspired us to interview Dr María Auset, a water sciences specialist. In the interview, she shares her vision of the current situation with us and discusses certain research projects that her group is conducting.
Also in the field of water, Dr Cristian Gómez, in collaboration with the CSIC and the ACA, talks about his work to determine the chemical contaminants present in reclaimed water and their impact on living beings and health.
Another issue in this area that concerns society as a whole is the presence of microplastics found in food, water, and even the air. Single-use plastic products not only harm human health and biodiversity, but they also pollute all types of ecosystems, from the peaks of the highest mountains to the bottom of the seabed. Currently, scientific advances are making it possible to address the problems posed by this type of pollution. In this case, we sought to include news about the analytical study conducted by Dr Núria Agulló in order to detect the presence of microplastics in sediments and soils, as well as their chemical characterization.
We also highlight the project on developing a technology for capturing and reusing CO2 for industrial uses. In this case, the project is being carried out in collaboration with the company GasN2 and led by Dr Rafael González and Dr Javier Fernández from IQS.
Those who read our pages regularly are aware that each newsletter publishes a review of recently defended doctoral theses at IQS. For this issue we have selected two of them. The first, by Dr Jordi Mas Peiró, addresses the study of electric batteries and their use in the automotive sector, as well as the raw materials necessary to produce them and their impact. The second doctoral thesis in this edition was conducted by Dr Damià Palmer and addresses models for forecasting dioxin and furan emissions in urban waste incineration processes.
Finally, we are excited to announce the launch of the Postgraduate Degree in Environmental Ethics, organized by IQS and the Borja Institute of Bioethics.
All of these articles are just a sample of the activities and commitment at IQS for research related to the environment, sustainability, and “caring for our common home.”
We hope you like it!
Dr Núria Vallmitjana
Director of IQS Tech Transfer
