Scientific Results

This catalogue is obtained by conducting a systematic literature review of scientific studies and reviews related to monitoring, forecasting, and simulating the inland water cycle. The analysis maps scientific expertise across research groups and classifies findings by the type of inland water studied, application focus, and geographical scope. A gap analysis will identify missing research areas and assess their relevance to policymaking.

ID â–Č Type Year Authors Title Venue/Journal DOI Research type Water System Technical Focus Abstract Link with Projects Link with Tools Related policies ID
publications-2381 Peer reviewed articles 2023 Elham Eslami, Emad Abdurrahman, Giovanna Ferrari, Gianpiero Pataro Enhancing resource efficiency and sustainability in tomato processing: A comprehensive review Journal of Cleaner Production 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138996 Uncategorized Irrigation Systems No abstract available 958266
publications-2382 Peer reviewed articles 2022 Elham Eslami, Serena Carpentieri, Gianpiero Pataro and Giovanna Ferrari A Comprehensive Overview of Tomato Processing By-Product Valorization by Conventional Methods versus Emerging Technologies Foods 2023 10.3390/foods12010166 Data Management & Analytics Uncategorized The tomato processing industry can be considered one of the most widespread food manufacturing industries all over the world, annually generating considerable quantities of residue and determining disposal issues associated not only with the wasting of invaluable resources but also with the rise of significant environmental burdens. In this regard, previous studies have widely ascertained that tomato by-products are still rich in valuable compounds, which, once recovered, could be utilized in different industrial sectors. Currently, conventional solvent extraction is the most widely used method for the recovery of these compounds from tomato pomace. Nevertheless, several well-known drawbacks derive from this process, including the use of large quantities of solvents and the difficulties of utilizing the residual biomass. To overcome these limitations, the recent advances in extraction techniques, including the modification of the process configuration and the use of complementary novel methods to modify or destroy vegetable cells, have greatly and effectively influenced the recovery of different compounds from plant matrices. This review contributes a comprehensive overview on the valorization of tomato processing by-products with a specific focus on the use of “green technologies”, including high-pressure homogenization (HPH), pulsed electric fields (PEF), supercritical fluid (SFE-CO2), ultrasounds (UAE), and microwaves (MAE), suitable to enhancing the extractability of target compounds while reducing the solvent requirement and shortening the extraction time. The effects of conventional processes and the application of green technologies are critically analyzed, and their effectiveness on the recovery of lycopene, polyphenols, cutin, pectin, oil, and proteins from tomato residues is discussed, focusing on their strengths, drawbacks, and critical factors that contribute to maximizing the extraction yields of the target compounds. Moreover, to follow the “near zero discharge concept”, the utilization of a cascade approach to recover different valuable compounds and the exploitation of the residual biomass for biogas generation are also pointed out. 958266
publications-2383 Peer reviewed articles 2020 Enrique Fernandez Escalante, Jose David Henao Casas, Ana MarĂ­a Vidal Medeiros, Jon San SebastiĂĄ Sauto San SebastiĂĄn Sauto Regulations and guidelines on water quality requirements for Managed Aquifer Recharge. International comparison Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater 10.7343/as-2020-462 Uncategorized Irrigation Systems Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a promising set of techniques to cope with a variety of water management-related issues. In recent years MAR implementations have witnessed an expansion and greater social acceptance. Nonetheless, there are still some gaps in the scientific, economic and governance dimensions of MAR which need to be addressed. One of these gaps is the lack in many countries of clear regulations addressing MAR. In this paper eighteen regulations and twelve guidelines on water quality standards from around the world have been reviewed to favour the advancement of the legal framework concerning MAR. The review has demonstrated that the existing MAR regulatory frameworks are implemented at different levels (i.e. from regional to international) and consider different aspects such as planning, permitting and monitoring as well as the risk assessment. Most regulations take into account some of these aspects, but seldom all of them. The detailed study and comparison of the water quality standards enabled to define conclusions regarding the differences in maximum allowable concentrations (MACs). Furthermore, this comparison made visible the different approaches to encompass the variability of MAR systems, and also the natural conditions prevailing in the receiving groundwater body. Based on the review of the selected regulations, their advantages and shortcomings, a series of recommendations are proposed for the development of future legal framework entailing the MAR technique. 814066
publications-2384 Peer reviewed articles 2022 Rodrigo PĂ©rez-Illanes, Daniel FernĂ ndez-Garcia Multiprocessing for the Particle Tracking Model MODPATH Groundwater 10.1111/gwat.13279 Uncategorized Irrigation Systems AbstractParticle tracking has several important applications for solute transport studies in aquifer systems. Travel time distribution at observation points, particle coordinates in time and streamlines are some practical results providing information of expected transport patterns and interaction with boundary conditions. However, flow model complexity and simultaneous displacement of multiple particle groups leads to rapid increase of computational requirements. MODPATH is a particle tracking engine for MODFLOW models and source code displays potential for parallel processing of particles. This article addresses the implementation of this feature with the OpenMP library. Two synthetic aquifer applications are employed for performance tests on a desktop computer with increasing number of particles. Speed up analysis shows that dynamic thread scheduling is preferable for highly heterogeneous flows, providing processing adaptivity to the presence of slow particles. In simulations writing particles position in time, thread exclusive output files lead to higher speed up factors. Results show that above a threshold number of particles, simulation runtimes become independent of flow model grid complexity and are controlled by the large number of particles, then parallel processing reduces simulation runtimes for the particle tracking model MODPATH.Article impact statement: Parallel particles processing for MODPATH using the OpenMP library 814066
publications-2385 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Fernández Escalante, Enrique; Henao Casas, Jose David; Calero Gil, Rodrigo Water quality aspects from Spanish sites to support managed aquifer recharge (MAR) guidelines not based on maximum allowable concentration standards Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater 10.7343/as-2024-751 Uncategorized Irrigation Systems Most countries that have technical guidelines or regulations for artificial recharge or managed aquifer recharge (MAR), that include water quality aspects are based on the establishment of standards or Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MACs) to regulate the quality of the water percolated or injected into an aquifer. The number of parameters in these guidelines vary considerably (from 6 in Spain to 156 in the USA) and often apply to all aquifers within administrative boundaries (e.g., national territory), regardless of the nature of the receiving medium, the depth of the water table, and other key factors. Eleven MAR systems in Spain have been studied (eight operational and three experimental, with limited number of data from three sites), characterising both, the recharge water quality and the water resulting from the interaction processes recharge water-soil-unsaturated zone-saturated zone of the aquifer. In all cases, an improved effect on groundwater quality is observed, even though some parameters in the recharge water don’t comply with the standards employed in some European countries, where this article focuses. The article suggests that regulating water quality for MAR through MACs at national level gives room for another alternative approach specific for each site. It might be recommendable to establish local standards at the regional or aquifer-wide level to better reflect the diversity of groundwater occurrence. As per the article, sectoral water authorities could receive more decision-making power on granting permits for MAR based on the quality of the hydrogeological and risk studies for each request. This would help reduce the application of the precautionary principle when in granting permission. 814066
publications-2386 Peer reviewed articles 2021 JosĂ© David Henao Casas, Fritz Kalwa, Marc Walther, Randolf Rausch Stormwater harvesting in ephemeral streams: how to bypass clogging and unsaturated layers Hydrogeology Journal 10.1007/s10040-021-02345-9 Data Management & Analytics Water Distribution Networks AbstractTo cope with water scarcity in drylands, stormwater is often collected in surface basins and subsequently stored in shallow aquifers via infiltration. These stormwater harvesting systems are often accompanied by high evaporation rates and hygiene problems. This is commonly a consequence of low infiltration rates, which are caused by clogging layers that form on top of the soil profile and the presence of a thick vadose zone. The present study aims to develop a conceptual solution to increase groundwater recharge rates in stormwater harvesting systems. The efficiency of vadose-zone wells and infiltration trenches is tested using analytical equations, numerical models, and sensitivity analyses. Dams built in the channel of ephemeral streams (wadis) are selected as a study case to construct the numerical simulations. The modelling demonstrated that vadose-zone wells and infiltration trenches contribute to effective bypassing of the clogging layer. By implementing these solutions, recharge begins 2250–8100% faster than via infiltration from the bed surface of the wadi reservoir. The sensitivity analysis showed that the recharge rates are especially responsive to well length and trench depth. In terms of recharge quantity, the well had the best performance; it can infiltrate up to 1642% more water than the reservoir, and between 336 and 825% more than the trench. Moreover, the well can yield the highest cumulative recharge per dollar and high recharge rates when there are limitations to the available area. The methods investigated here significantly increased recharge rates, providing practical solutions to enhance aquifer water storage in drylands. 814066
publications-2387 Peer reviewed articles 2022 German Rudnik, Avinoam Rabinovich, Hagar Siebner, Yoram Katz, Daniel Kurtzman Exploring Predictive Uncertainty at a Double-Source Managed Aquifer Recharge Site via Stochastic Modeling Water Resources Research 10.1029/2021wr031241 Computer Architectures Water Management AbstractIn Menashe Streams managed aquifer recharge (MAR) site (Israel) desalinated seawater (DSW) is recharged since 2015, alongside ephemeral stream flows. This study quantifies the uncertainty of predictions of the mixing of these two water sources in the aquifer. Mixing estimations are based on the significant difference in the content of stable water isotopes between the water sources. Uncertainties driven from aquifer heterogeneity and climate variability are compared. We use realistic flow and isotope‐transport models in a multiple‐realization stochastic approach considering space and time for the two drivers of uncertainty. Predictive uncertainty is evaluated via comparison of the temporal coefficient of variation of four realization ensembles. Results show that the impact of subsurface structure uncertainty on the predictions is small, compared to the uncertainty resulting from variability related to future hydrometeorological conditions. A generalized conclusion from this result is the difficulty to make long‐term predictions of the mixing ratios, regardless of the level of certainty in the subsurface structure interpretation, when one source of recharge water has significant annual fluctuations. Implication on prediction of magnesium concentration is demonstrated as an example for prediction uncertainty of concentration of a solute of interest in one of the MAR sources. Furthermore, we show that considering a single source MAR site, uncertainty in mixing of the MAR water and native groundwater in wells upgradient of the recharge location is higher than prediction uncertainty in wells located downgradient. Insights are also drawn regarding the change in uncertainty with distance from the recharge pond of the DSW. 814066
publications-2388 Peer reviewed articles 2023 Edinsson Muñoz-Vega; Stephan Schulz; Paula Rodriguez-Escales; Vera Behle; Lucas Spada; Alexander L. Vogel; Xavier Sanchez-Vila; Christoph SchĂŒth Role of Soil Biofilms in Clogging and Fate of Pharmaceuticals: A Laboratory-Scale Column Experiment Environ. Sci. Technol. 10.1021/acs.est.3c02034 Data Management & Analytics Natural Water Bodies No abstract available 814066
publications-2389 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Rodrigo PĂ©rez-Illanes, Maarten W. Saaltink, Daniel FernĂ ndez-Garcia Nonlinear Formulation of Multicomponent Reactive Transport With Species-Specific Dispersion Properties Water Resources Research 10.1029/2023wr036358 Simulation & Modeling Groundwater AbstractThe modeling of reactive transport through porous media is a challenging numerical problem. Methods of solution have leveraged the stoichiometry of chemical reactions to address the transport of multiple aqueous species by expressing them in terms of an equivalent, linearly independent variable (component). This approach effectively decouples advection‐dispersion transport from the source terms associated with equilibrium reactions. A common assumption found in the literature is that all species disperse with the same transport coefficients. Recent experimental studies have discussed that this is not necessarily the case, particularly for transverse mixing, which is limited by the species‐specific molecular diffusion. This article presents a formulation of multicomponent reactive transport that takes into account the differences in dispersion coefficients. These differences lead to a nonlinear transport equation for the components, from where an expression for evaluating reaction rates is derived. It is demonstrated that this expression simplifies to the well‐known equations assuming the same dispersion for all species. Numerical simulations of a binary chemical system under diffusion‐ and advection‐dominated transport conditions are used to evaluate the influence that differential transport coefficients have upon the output of chemical reactions. Results indicate that differences in transport coefficients are particularly relevant when the chemical signature of the input solutions is not strongly dominated by one of the species in the component. Unexpectedly, this opens the possibility to mineral dissolution coexisting with precipitation during the mixing of two waters in equilibrium. This phenomenon can be explained by nonlinear mixing processes proportional to the differences in transport coefficients. 814066
publications-2390 Peer reviewed articles 2022 José David Henao Casas, Enrique Fernandez Escalante, Francisco Ayuga Increasing groundwater storage and maintaining irrigation through managed aquifer recharge Groundwater for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100842 Simulation & Modeling Precipitation & Ecological Systems No abstract available 814066