Access profile

Given the goal of increasing internationalisation, and in line with the Pathway to Excellence quality requirements that apply to the doctoral programme in Environmental Engineering, the most suitable academic background for applicants is a master’s degree in environmental engineering, environmental sciences or a related field (engineering, chemistry, physics, etc.). Applicants should be high academic achievers with the solid training needed to take a rigorous, high-quality approach to their proposed thesis topic. They should also have good oral and written communication skills, particularly in English, and be able to articulate and specify their main research interests in the field of environmental engineering.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

10

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years. When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Espino Infantes, Manolo

• Casals Casanova, Miquel
• Casanova Hormaechea, Ignasi
• Díaz Cruz, Silvia
• Espino Infantes, Manolo
• Ferrer Marti, Ivet
• Gibert Agullo, Oriol
• Gutierrez Bouzan, Maria Carmen
• Querol Carceller, Xavier
• Romeu Garbi, Jordi
• Sanchez Vila, Xavier

• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology
• Department of Chemical Engineering
• Department of Fluid Mechanics
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Department of Project and Construction Engineering
• Terrassa Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation
• University Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology

Agreements with other institutions

1. BSC
2. GIRO
3. Mediterranean Office for Youth Label: MOY mobility grants
4. Cooperation agreement with the University of Aveiro (UA, Portugal)
5. Cooperation agreement with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH, Greece)
   

Access profile

Given the goal of increasing internationalisation, and in line with the Pathway to Excellence quality requirements that apply to the doctoral programme in Environmental Engineering, the most suitable academic background for applicants is a master’s degree in environmental engineering, environmental sciences or a related field (engineering, chemistry, physics, etc.). Applicants should be high academic achievers with the solid training needed to take a rigorous, high-quality approach to their proposed thesis topic. They should also have good oral and written communication skills, particularly in English, and be able to articulate and specify their main research interests in the field of environmental engineering.

Access requirements

Applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

In addition to the general admission requirements, the academic committee also considers the points listed below. Applicants are assigned a score for each criterion. The maximum total score possible is 200 points:

Criterion: A. Entrance qualification

Description: A master's degree in environmental engineering, environmental sciences or a related field (engineering, chemistry, physics, etc.).
It is recommended that applicants hold a degree which ensures that they have the high level of training and specialisation required to successfully work on the specific research topics of the doctoral programme in Environmental Engineering.

Weighting: maximum 10 points

Criterion: B. Academic record:

Description: Applicants should have an average mark of 1.60 or higher on their academic record, based on the following 1–4 scale: 

Pass = 1. 

Good = 2.

Excellent = 3. 

Distinction = 4, in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 1497/1987, partially amended by Royal Decree 1044/2003, of 1 August

Weighting: maximum 25 (minimum 7)

Criterion: Assessment of the institution where the entrance qualification was obtained

Description: A score is assigned for the quality of the institution(s) where the applicant completed the bachelor’s and/or master's degree that qualifies them for admission to the doctoral programme (based on the rankings indicated on http://www.webometrics.info)

Weighting: maximum 10 points

Criterion: D. Level of English

Description: Applicants who are not natives of English-speaking countries (listed at https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/admissions/how-to-apply/apply-toefl.html) must demonstrate proficiency in this language: (e.g. IELTS, min. 6.0; TOEFL, min. 170 CBT, 500 PBT, 60 iBT; Cambridge, min. FCE, ISE mid-intermediate or equivalent).
The doctoral programme is carried out in an international context in which doctoral students are required to have oral and written communication skills in English.

Weighting: maximum 15 points (minimum: 5 points)


Criterion: E. Motivation and topics of interest

Description: Assessment of the applicant's motivation to pursue doctoral studies and the fit between the topics they are interested in and the research areas and projects carried out on the programme.

Weighting: maximum 7 points


Criterion: F. Other aspects of the applicant’s CV

Description: Previous research experience, professional qualifications, other degrees, other languages, etc.

Weighting: maximum 4 points

Criterion: G. Recommendations

Description: Assessment of the applicant, carried out by other professors or researchers who can prove that they have had an academic or professional relationship with the applicant.

Weighting: maximum 4 points


Criterion: H. Availability of grants or other sources of funding for the preparation of the applicant’s thesis

Description: The aim is to prioritise applicants who have financial resources or sources of funding to complete their doctoral studies: grants, scholarships or financial aid provided by national or international bodies or by the applicant’s previous university, funding provided under the terms of cooperation agreements or within the framework of research projects, etc.

Weighting: 25 points (if the applicant has funding)


Criterion: I. Interview

Description: The interview will focus on the applicant’s interests in relation to the development of their thesis, the topics they are interested in, and questions based on the content of their CV. Interviews will be conducted by at least one member of the academic committee, either in person or via remote video connection (if necessary) to assess each applicant’s capabilities and how well their interests and expertise align with the research topics the programme focuses on.

Weighting: maximum 100 points (minimum 75)

Applications must be submitted electronically at https://www.upc.edu/preinscripcio/home_candidat.php?idioma=2, together with the following attached documents:
• A covering letter in which the applicant indicates the research topic or area they are interested in
• Letters of reference (at least 2)
• A photocopy of the applicant's passport or national identity document
• Photocopies of the university degrees that qualify the applicant for admission to the doctoral programme
• A photocopy of the applicant's academic record (official academic transcript with marks obtained)
• Documentation substantiating the applicant’s level of English or in other languages ​​(if available)
• Documentary evidence of any sources of funding for the thesis
All applications received will be assessed before each enrolment period (twice during the academic year). The academic committee will decide which applicants to admit and will communicate its decision via the same intranet used for the application process. Admissions will only be valid for the academic year in which the corresponding application was submitted.

Assessment and selection
The assessment and selection process will be conducted in two stages:
1. Assessment and scoring of points A to H by the academic committee (maximum possible score: 100 points). Applicants who obtain a score of less than 75 points will not progress to the next stage and will not be admitted to the doctoral programme in Environmental Engineering.

2. In the second stage, the remaining applicants will be interviewed (criterion I). The maximum possible score for the interview is 100 points. Applicants who receive a score of less than 75 points will not be admitted to the programme.
At the end of the selection process, applicants with a score of 150 or more out of 200 will be deemed eligible for admission to the doctoral programme in Environmental Engineering. The list of eligible applicants (ordered by score) will be published.
Applicants will be admitted to the doctoral programme in the order in which they appear on this list until all available places are filled. Eligible applicants who are not admitted to the programme will be placed on a reserve list in order of the score obtained. These applicants may be admitted to the programme if any of the admitted applicants give up their places.

Training complements

Applicants who have completed a master's degree in environmental engineering, environmental sciences or a related field (engineering, chemistry, physics, etc.) do not need to take any bridging courses.
In the case of students admitted with other degrees, the academic committee will review each student's curriculum vitae and indicate the bridging courses that they must take from among subjects of the master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Bridging courses may provide research or cross-disciplinary training, but in no case may doctoral students be required to enrol for 60 or more ECTS credits. In such cases, the committee will keep track of the bridging courses completed and establish appropriate criteria to limit their duration.
Taking into account the doctoral student activity report, the academic committee may propose measures that complement those specified in these regulations and which result in doctoral students who do not meet the specified requirements being excluded from the programme.
As indicated at the start of this section, when students are admitted, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may define requirements for additional methodological or scientific training on a case-by-case basis according to each student’s academic background and experience. The bridging courses students are required to take will be subjects of the master's degree linked to the programme: the UPC’s master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Thesis supervisors who note gaps in a student’s training or believe they need additional advanced training in one or more subjects related to their doctoral thesis may require that the student concerned complete additional training specific to their needs. This additional training will involve students attending specialised courses, seminars and/or workshops, and/or completing stays at research centres to complete their training in specific areas related to their thesis topic.
Any bridging courses specified by the academic committee of the doctoral programme as a condition for admission must be completed within a year and a half (18 months). Students who have not successfully completed any bridging courses required within their first 18 months in the programme may be excluded by the academic committee.
In the case of additional training required by thesis supervisors or academic tutors, the time limit is 12 months from the time that students are informed of this requirement. Thesis supervisors or academic tutors may request that the academic committee exclude students who do not meet training requirements within this time period.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

In September and October (dates to be confirmed each academic year). Extraordinary enrolment period in February.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

In September and October (dates to be confirmed each academic year).

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

a) Tutorial

• 288 hours.

Type: compulsory.

b) Programme-specific seminars and workshops

• 18 hours.

Type: optional.

c) Publications

• 280 hours.

Type: optional.

d) Periods of mobility

• 480 hours.

Type: optional.

e) Training in information skills

• 1.5 hours.

Type: optional.

f) Research methodology

• 12 hours.

Type: optional.

g) Innovation and creativity

• 8 hours.

Type: optional.

h) Language and communication skills

• 18 hours.

Type: optional.

i) Conferences

• 48 hours.

Type: optional.

j) Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan

• 4 hours.

Type: compulsory.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

• GONZÁLEZ FLÓREZ, CRISTINA: Understanding size-resolved dust emission from field measurements in Morocco
  
  Author: GONZÁLEZ FLÓREZ, CRISTINA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 18/07/2023
  Reading date: 06/10/2023
  Reading time: 10:00
  Reading place: Place: ETSECCPB UPC, Campus Nord Building C1. Classroom: 002 C/Jordi Girona, 1-3 08034 Barcelona
  Thesis director: PEREZ GARCIA-PANDO, CARLOS | KLOSE, MARTINA
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: MAHOWALD, NATALIE
       SECRETARI: COMERON TEJERO, ADOLFO
       VOCAL: MARTICORENA, BÉATRICE
  Thesis abstract: Atmospheric mineral dust is composed of a variety of mineral particles exhibiting distinct composition, shape, and size. Thewide range of diameters exhibited by dust particles, spanning more than three orders of magnitude, partly determines theireffects within the Earth System. This PhD thesis focuses on dust emission, and especially on the emitted dust particle sizedistribution (PSD) and its variability. It has been conducted within the context of the ERC project ¿FRontiers in dus tminerAloGical coMpos ition and its Effects upoN climaTe¿ (FRAGMENT), which aims to understand global dus t compos itionand its climate effects. Dust is generated through saltation bombardment and aggregate disintegration, and less efectively byaerodynamic entrainment. Constraining its PSD at emission is crucial as it strongly affects the impacts, lifetime, and globaldistribution of dust. However, our understanding of the emitted dust PSD, including its potential variability, its underlyingcauses, and the fraction of particles with diameter >10¿m, remains limited.This thesis provides new insights into the emitted dust PSD and its variability based on meteorological, saltation and size -resolved dust concentration measurements conducted during the FRAGMENT campaign in the Moroccan Sahara inSeptember 2019. Saltation and dust emission occurred regularly at this location, although sandblasting efficiency was lowercompared to previous studies, probably due to the paved sediment surface. During the campaign two types of dust eventswere identified: regular events associated with diurnal wind cycles caused by solar heating, and haboobs, intense duststorms formed by convective downdrafts. The obtained dust concentration and diffusive flux PSDs show statisticallysignificant dependencies upon friction velocity (u*), wind direction, and type of event. Notably, diffusive flux PSDs shift towardsfiner particles with increasing u*. In this thesis, this feature has been attributed to a large extent to the effect of dry d eposition,which is modulated by the wind-direction-dependent fetch length, and u*. However, an enhanced fragmentation of aggregateswith u* may also play a smaller role.The dry deposition flux was estimated using a resistance model constrained with field observations, which was then used toestimate the emitted dust flux. It has been shown that the deposition flux could represent up to ¿ 90% of the emitted dust fluxfor particles >10¿m in diameter and up to ¿ 65% for particles as small as ¿ 5¿m. These results imply that the emitted dustPSD is coarser and less variable than the diffusive flux PSD. As far as I know, this is the first time that the effect of drydeposition upon the diffusive fluxes is identified and quantified experimentally, supporting recent results based on numerica lmodelling. This finding has implications for the evaluation of dust emission schemes and their implementation in transportmodels as the typical assumption that the diffusive and the emitted dust PSDs are equivalent could be invalidated.Another remarkable feature is the difference in PSDs between haboob and regular events. Haboob PSDs show lowerproportions of sub-micrometre particles for equivalent or higher u* intervals, along with more dry deposition and variability indust mass fractions with diameters >3¿m. The mechanisms proposed to explain this variability include a smaller andvariable effective fetch during the haboob events, and/or an increased resistance of soil aggregates to fragmentationassociated with the observed increase in relative humidity along the haboob outflow.Finally, compared to the invariant emitted dust flux PSD predicted by Brittle Fragmentation Theory, our dust flux shows asubstantially higher proportion of super-micrometre particles. Overall, these results highlight the need to adequately considerdry deposition when estimating the emitted PSD from concentration measurements, even in studies limited to size
  

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:45:29.

List of lodged theses

• IN T VELD, MARTEN: Secondary Air Pollutants in Urban and Rural Catalonia, Spain: Characterizing the Precursors, Source-contributions, and Toxicity.
  
  Author: IN T VELD, MARTEN
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Deposit date: 29/09/2023
  Reading date: pending
  Reading time: pending
  Reading place: pending
  Thesis director: QUEROL CARCELLER, XAVIER | MARCHAND, NICOLAS
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: DE LA ROSA DÍAZ, JESÚS DAMIAN
       SECRETARI: GASSO DOMINGO, SANTIAGO
       VOCAL: MUÑOZ CINTAS, AMALIA
  Thesis abstract: Air pollutants can be classed as either primary or secondary pollutants. Primary air pollutants are those that are directly emitted into the atmosphere, whereas secondary air pollutants are generated in the atmosphere from chemical reactions of precursors. This thesis focusses on two specific secondary air pollutants, secondary organic aerosols (SOA) and tropospheric ozone (O3). SOA is formed in the troposphere by the oxidation of precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a group of over 1.000 species with high vapor pressure and limited water solubility, emitted from a variety of sources. SOA contributes considerably to atmospheric particulate matter (PM). O3 on the other hand is formed in the troposphere by photolysis of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NO2 is primarily emitted from anthropogenic activities but is also formed in the atmosphere by the oxidation of nitrogen oxide (NO) by hydroperoxyl and organic radicals (HO2? and RO2?, respectively).Both radicals are formed in the atmosphere during the oxidation of VOCs by hydroxyl radicals (OH?). The formed NO2 will consequently photolyze to NO, producing an activated oxygen (O?), which in turn will react with oxygen (O2) to form O3.The aim of this thesis was to identify and quantify SOA's contributions to PM, as well as to examine temporal trends for both SOA levels and relative contributions to PM. In addition, measurements and a source apportionment were performed on VOCs mixing ratios as these are essential precursors to both SOA and O3 formation. Finally, the levels and major variables of the oxidative potential (OP) of PM (with a emphasis on SOA) were determined to ascertain the impact each variable has on human health. All these studies were carried out at an urban background site in Barcelona (BCN) (Catalonia, NE Spain) and a rural background station at the nearby Montseny natural park (MSY). The comparison of the two sites will reveal which sources are more local and which are more regional, and how BCN emissions can affect regional air quality.The results indicated that the relative OA mass contribution to PM2.5 has increased with 12% in BCN and 9% in MSY between 2009 and 2018, becoming the dominant component of PM. The offline Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) identifiedfive common sources of the OA fraction, of which 51% was SOA in BCN and 53% in MSY. However, the composition of SOA differed between the two stations, with summer oxygenated OA (SOOA, being primarily biogenic SOA) being the main driver ofSOA in MSY (46% of total OA), while in BCN the contribution of SOOA and winter oxygenated OA (WOOA, being anthropogenic SOA) was roughly equal in BCN (24% and 27% respectively), favoring SOOA during the summer and WOOA in the winter. TheOP analysis showed a significant difference between the two stations, with 2.42 nmol DTT min-1 m-3 in PM10 at BCN, compared to 0.52 nmol DTT min-1 m-3 at MSY. The OP levels of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were similar in MSY, but in BCN onlyPM2.5 and PM1 were similar, with the levels of PM10 being substantially higher. The OP analysis concluded that the OA and the non-exhaust vehicle emissions were major drivers of the OP of PM in BCN, which indicated that anthropogenic SOA has ahigher OP compared to biogenic SOA. The anthropogenic SOA was mostly formed from aromatic VOCs, especially toluene and C8 aromatics (xylenes and ethyl benzene), which in the study area generally have a major anthropogenic origin,specifically traffic & industries. Aromatic VOCs were also the main contributors to the O3 formation potential in BCN, with also a relevant summer contribution from biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) and a yearlong contribution from oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs)generated from the oxidation of primary VOCs. MSY on the other hand, showed a less worrying case, with a lower SOA and O3 formation potential compared to BCN.
  
• MOREY GUAL, LLUÍS: Closing loops in intensive livestock systems: Innovative strategies for nutrient recycling and emissions reduction
  
  Author: MOREY GUAL, LLUÍS
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Change of supervisor
  Deposit date: 28/09/2023
  Reading date: pending
  Reading time: pending
  Reading place: pending
  Thesis director: RIAU, VÍCTOR | TERRÉ TRULLÀ, MARTA
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: BONMATÍ BLASI, AUGUST
       SECRETARI: DE SMET, STEFAAN
       VOCAL: MARTINEZ AVILA, OSCAR MAURICIO
  Thesis abstract: The exponential growth of world population is leading to a high demand of food products and, consequently, to the development of intensive agricultural and livestock systems. In this sense, synthetic fertilizers are being used in a non-sustainable way to produce food and feedstock, requiring massive amounts of energy and depleting mineral resources, with a volatile fluctuation of their prices due to geopolitical conflicts. At the same time, intensive livestock production is still inefficient in terms of nutrient use and contributes to a half of the amount of greenhouse gases and most of ammonia emissions of agriculture. In this context, the recovery of biobased fertilizers and bioenergy from animal manure to partially replace synthetic mineral fertilizers and fossil fuels, as well as strategies to reduce emissions along the manure management chain, should be considered as a key approach to move towards a more sustainable and resilient agriculture and livestock production. This doctoral thesis has looked to contribute to this aim by developing different innovative strategies at two main levels:(i) At animal production level, precision feeding tools have been used to adjust diets in dairy cows based on individual animal requirements, reducing the amount of nitrogen present on the excreta, and the potential volatilization of ammonia. Nitrogen was reduced in urine and manure by 28% and 19% respectively without affecting milk production, and a reduction trend on ammonia emission of 20% during manure storage was observed.Besides, samples of dairy cow ruminal fluid were obtained to isolate and identify hyper ammonia-producing bacteria that highly contributes to ammonia production in cows¿ metabolism. After the identification of Clostridium sporogens, Terrisporobacter glycolicus (Clostridium glycolicum), Megasphaera elsdenii, Clostridium argentinense, Streptococcus sp., Prevotella ruminicola, and Acidaminococcus fermentans, an in vitro study using bacteriophages isolated from the same ruminal fluid were inoculated as a population reduction strategy. Unfortunately, none of the bacteriophages present in the rumen was able to interact with the bacteria.(ii) At manure treatment and valorization level, agro-industrial anaerobic digestate, the solid fraction of the digestate, and a mixture of the solid fraction with a low nitrogen stream from a stripping/scrubbing unit were dried in a solar drying greenhouse system, in some cases combined with acidification with sulfuric acid, to produce organic NPK fertilizers, while reducing ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions during the process. All dried products, both acidified and non-acidified, meet the current European Regulation for solid NPK fertilizers with some exceptions due to the zinc content. Moreover, acidification proved to reduce up to 94% ammonia emissions during the process when comparing the acidified to the non-acidified products. In addition, the resulting products were tested for phytotoxicity with germination and plant pot trials with lettuce. Except for the acidified dried digestate, the rest of the products did not produce any toxicity effect on germination, and the dried acidified digestate showed a biostimulator effect (Germination index > 120%). During the pot trials, the fertilizers showed an efficient performance, always lower than the synthetic fertilizer, but similar in the case of the acidified products, and better than the negative control. All of them fit the current regulations on heavy metals and potential toxic elements in soil and edible parts of the plant.
  

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:30:30.

List of defended theses by year

• SOLARAJU MURALI, BALAKRISHNAN: On the use of decadal predictions for agricultural climate services: bridging the gap between service providers and users
  
  Author: SOLARAJU MURALI, BALAKRISHNAN
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
  Department: (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Reading date: 26/01/2023
  Thesis director: GONZALEZ REVIRIEGO, NUBE | CARON, LOUIS-PHILIPPE
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: PRODHOMME, CHLOE
       SECRETARI: MATAMOROS, RAUL MARCOS
       VOCAL: TURCO, MARCO
  Thesis abstract: Unfavorable and extreme climate events such as drought and heat stress heavily impacts the agriculture sector and food security globally, and the impact of these climate hazards is expected to increase over the upcoming years (or decades) due to anthropogenic climate change. Recently developed decadal climate forecast systems aim to provide a future outlook of the Earth¿s climate system for a period ranging from 1 to 10 years. Skilful prediction of extreme climate events using this climate information shows potential for supporting risk reduction and adaptation strategies in the agriculture sector, fostering food security and better planning crop insurance schemes. In this context, the ability of state-of-the-art probabilistic decadal climate forecast systems at predicting climate extremes on a multi-annual timescale is explored in this thesis, which is an important step in determining whether such climate information can provide useful, and ultimately actionable, information to stakeholders in the agricultural sector, a sector that has been identified as one of the most vulnerable to climate-related risks.As a first step, the deterministic forecast skill of decadal climate forecast systems at predicting multi-year drought conditions during European summer over the recent past was assessed in this thesis. Evaluating the quality of such predictions is considered a fundamental step because it assesses whether the prediction systems can be trusted to reliably forecast impactful events. The results revealed that the decadal forecast systems are able to skillfully predict the summer drought conditions over most of Europe using two user-relevant drought indices: Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Following these encouraging results, the probabilistic skill in predicting multi-year drought and heat stress conditions over global wheat harvest areas was then assessed. Wheat is the most harvested cereal crop in the world, contributing to the local food security of many countries. The results demonstrated the decadal predictions are generally more skillful than forecasts built on the observed climatology in predicting the tercile categories of the multi-year averages of drought and heat stress indices over several wheat-growing regions. In addition, the initialization of the decadal forecasting system enhances skill and reliability over the wheat producing regions for both indices. This implies that there exist opportunities to support wheat stakeholders in their decision-making processes as well as policy development, implementation and evaluation on a multi-annual timescale. Building on these results, an illustration of the potential of decadal predictions in the development of climate services was made by establishing interactions and collaborations with stakeholders from the agriculture sector. The main goal of this exercise was to understand how the decadal climate information should be conveyed to stakeholders in order to enhance its usability for decision making. In this context, a climate service product presenting the forecast of dry conditions for the coming five years over global wheat harvesting regions was designed. The product was presented to stakeholders that had interest in various crops (wheat, grape, and cotton among others) and in food security. During the interaction, the stakeholders expressed interest in uptaking decadal climate information and it was found that the climate information at decadal timescale can be of great value for a broad range of users. Particularly, it can support planning decisions that require several years to be implemented, such as choosing crop varieties, deciding on crop plantation sites, and devising strategic policies.
  

Last update: 04/10/2023 05:01:11.

Research groups

• ENMA-Environmental Engineering
• EScGD-Engineering Sciences and Global Development
• GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology
• GRIC-Group of Construction Research and Innovation
• LEAM-Acoustic and Mechanical Engineering Laboratory
• LIM/UPC-Maritime Engineering Laboratory
• R2EM-Resource Recovery and Environmental Management

Teachers

• Alfranca Burriel, Oscar
• Amante Garcia, Beatriz
• Andre Sanchez, Michel
• Baldasano Recio, Jose M.
• Barra Bizinotto, Marilda
• Canals Casals, Lluc
• Candela Lledo, Lucila
• Casals Casanova, Miquel
• Casanova Hormaechea, Ignasi
• Casas Pons, Ignasi
• Cortina Pallas, Jose Luis
• Crespi Rosell, Marti
• Diez Montero, Ruben
• Escalas Cañellas, Antoni
• Espino Infantes, Manolo
• Ferrer Marti, Ivet
• Flotats Ripoll, Xavier
• Folch Sancho, Albert
• Gangolells Solanellas, Marta
• Garcia Almiñana, Jordi
• Garcia Carrillo, Agueda
• Garcia Serrano, Joan
• Garfi, Marianna
• Gasso Domingo, Santiago
• Gimenez Izquierdo, Francisco Javier
• Gonçalves Ageitos, Maria
• Grifoll Colls, Manuel
• Gutierrez Bouzan, Maria Carmen
• Lopez Grimau, Victor
• Macanás de Benito, Jorge
• Macarulla Marti, Marcel
• Marti Gregorio, Vicenç
• Masdemont Soler, Josep Joaquim
• Miralles Esteban, Nuria
• Pablo Ribas, Joan de
• Perez Foguet, Agusti
• Prenafeta Boldú, Francesc Xavier
• Puigagut Juarez, Jaume
• Riba Ruiz, Jordi
• Riva Juan, M Carmen
• Roca Ramon, Xavier
• Romeu Garbi, Jordi
• Sanchez Vila, Xavier
• Segalas Coral, Jordi
• Sierra Pedrico, Juan Pablo
• Uggetti, Enrica
• Valderrama Angel, Cesar Alberto
• Vidal Lopez, Eva