Degradation of Emerging Contaminants in Water Samples by Biological Treatments (Phase 3)

This project addresses the growing concern regarding water resource contamination due to the presence of emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones, which conventional treatments do not efficiently remove. The main goal is to develop and evaluate biological treatments for the effective degradation of these persistent compounds in water. The methodology focuses on two main objectives: first, the identification and isolation of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) from natural sources with an intrinsic capacity to utilize ECs as a carbon source. This involves morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization (DNA sequencing). Second, batch degradation assays will be conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the selected microorganisms, including acclimatization and potential cell immobilization to optimize stability and concentration. The measurement of contaminant removal will be performed using spectrophotometric or chromatographic techniques. This research is expected to contribute to the development of new biological technologies for the bioremediation of water contaminated with pharmaceutical and hormonal compounds.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>To degrade emerging contaminants, specifically pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones, present in water samples by applying biological treatments based on the use of microorganisms.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Modeling and simulation of bioprocesses