Webinar cycle in Hydrogeology and geochemistry

EACH THURSDAY (free of charge)

live in: https://meet.google.com/snb-qdkn-eex   

HYDROGEOLOGY GROUP

(Associated Unit CSIC-UPC, Barcelona)

Next webinar: Thursday, 2 Desember, 2021

Starting time: 12:15 (Central European Time)

Duration: 1h

This week's guest speaker: Jordi Cama

Title:Concrete/cement alteration in acidic waters

In this seminar, we show experimental and reactive transport modeling results obtained from column and percolation experiments carried out at the laboratory scale to study the interaction between portland cement, calcareous rocks and acid waters.

The geochemical processes observed are discussed as a function of pH and composition of the injected fluids. Our findings are relevant for the assessment of cement/concrete durability in treatment plants under acid mine drainage conditions and CO2 injection wellbores.

See presentation: link

Homenaje Dr. M. Ramón Llamas

SEMINARIO ESPECIAL EN MEMORIA

Dictado por el Ilustrisimo Sr. D. Emilio Custodio Gimena

FECHA: JUEVES 16 DE DICIEMBREde 2021 A LAS 16H (HORA ESPAÑOLA)

MEET:https://meet.google.com/snb-qdkn-eex  

Presencialmente: Sala Polivalente, C1, planta baja. Escuela de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Barcelona. UPC

Referente mundial, Ramón Llamas es un hito en la hidrología. A su labor se debe un avance radical en el tratamiento, consideración, gestión y administración de las aguas subterráneas en el ámbito nacional e internacional, la visión y después creación de equipos multidisciplinares, la formación de numerosos especialistas y un estilo de actuación decidido, sólido y profundamente honrado, al tiempo que humano y abierto, con la elegancia que da un espíritu sincero, optimista y consciente de su papel en el devenir social y en la trascendencia.

Óbito

El pasado sábado día 11 de diciembre de 2021 nos dejó el Dr. Manuel Ramón Llamas, a la edad de 90 años. Ha sido profesor de esta Universidad, que le distinguió como doctor honoris causa, académico numerario de la Real Academia de Ciencias, catedrático de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y después de la Complutense. Ha sido el iniciador y promotor en España y en otros muchos países de los estudios científicos en relación con la hidrología subterránea y de la hidrogeología, desde su destino oficial como ingeniero de Caminos en la oficina del Servicio Geológico de Obras públicas en Barcelona, además de las bases de la gestión y gobernanza de los recursos de agua, como una evolución natural de una permanente voluntad de servicio.

La creación del Curso Internacional de Hidrología Subterránea en 1966 ha sido uno de sus logros, que ha permanecido hasta hoy como referente no sólo de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña sino también como semillero de otras iniciativas en España, Portugal e Iberoamérica. Muchos de los actuales científicos, investigadores y profesionales en España e Iberoamérica y responsables de la administración del agua a nivel internacional han recibido de alguna manera el fruto de su buen hacer, de su confianza en la capacidad de los jóvenes, de su optimismo, de su gran personalidad y de su inquebrantable y alegre fe cristiana. Ha dejado una gran labor, ampliamente reconocida. En la esperanza de que esté en el seno de Dios, gozando de la vida eterna, descanse en paz.

Abstract:
Heating and cooling sector consumes half of total energy in Europe. Most
of the energy used comes from fossil fuels. Heat storage can contribute
to the extension of low-carbon heat sources by providing flexibility in
the management of supply and demand of heat. Underground Thermal Energy
Storage (UTES) technologies store energy by injecting heat into the
underground. The variation of temperature applied to the underground can
lead to chemical reactions. These reactions can reduce the efficiency of
the UTES and modify the properties of soils and rocks. We propose a
semi-analytical solution in order to verify numerical models and to
understand the thermo-hydro-chemical processes in UTES. The solution is
a combination of the thermo-hydraulic results obtained with CODE_BRIGHT
and the chemicals results from PRHEEQC. We assume that there are only
aqueous and mineral reactions in equilibrium. The solution has been
applied to a HEATSTORE benchmark inspired by a UTES pilot project in
Bern. The project consists in injecting hot water into a deep aquifer
during summer and extracting hot water during winter. The solution
provides information about the precipitation and dissolution of minerals
in the aquifer and the governing processes: mixing, heat retardation and
heat conduction.

Next Seminar: Thursday 18 nov at 12:15h

Room: UPC, Building D2 2º Floor, Room 212

Meet: https://meet.google.com/snb-qdkn-eex

Presenter: Sonia Jou, PhD Student

Title: Evaluating the fate of benzophenone-UV filters and transformation products during managed aquifer recharge: the role of reactive barriers and the biofilm as an environmental compartment

Abstract:

The fate of selected UV filters (UVFs) in two Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) systems was investigated by determining their concentration in the water source, along the flow paths, and in the aquifer material and biofilm. Overall, our recharge systems improved the degradation of UV filters with higher rates in the recharge system implemented with a reactive barrier made up of compost. Three transformation products (TPs) of benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone, BP-3) were also detected and quantified (benzophenone-1 (BP-1), 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone (4-DHB), and 2,2’-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (DHMB)). Similar to BP-3, their degradation was higher in the compost system, which could be associated to a higher variability of the redox conditions produced by the reactive barrier. Indeed, in the system operated with the reactive barrier, another metabolite of BP-3, 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4-HB), was detected. Interestingly, only this compound was found in both the biofilm and the soil. Its accumulation in the biofilm can be explained by its lipophilicity (logKow= 3.02). The other UVFs, benzophenone-4 (BP-4) and avobenzone (AVO) were found at low concentration in waters, however, AVO was also detected in the biofilm, probably due to its high lipophilicity (logKow= 4.51) . BP-4 concentration in water was quite high, which could be associated with a low degradability in the WWTP, low lipophilicity (logKow= 0.88) and weak acidic character (pKa 2.4). Despite that, this compound was also adsorbed onto the sediment and biofilm. Overall, this work demonstrates that the implementation of a reactive barrier in MAR systems improves substantially the degradation extent of UVFs, specially of BP-3 and its TPs, and that biofilm can be considered as a key environmental compartment favoring the retention and further degradation of the UVFs in porous media.