The CALAGUA group works on characterising wastewaters from different origins as well as different WWTP flows (affluent, effluent, sludge, recirculations, etc.)

The measured parameters include COD, BOD, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, orthophosphates, total phosphorus, sulphur, sulphate, total and volatile suspended solids, particle size distribution, fatty acids, alkalinity, etc. besides anaerobic degradability and methanogenic activity tests.

In this line of research we can highlight the micropollutant analyses (pesticides, herbicides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, volatile organic compounds, TBT, etc.), including the development of new measuring techniques, tuning measurement methods, application of technical analyses to detect, characterise, quantify and monitor these compounds in WWTP water and sludge lines and the environment (coastal waters, transition waters, sediments, etc.).

CALAGUA develops procedures and protocols to evaluate data quality, guaranteeing the quality, repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements. For this, we analyse the methods applied in WWTPs and the programming of QA/QC procedures (quality assurance/quality control) and implement algorithms to check data quality, lab measurements, online algorithms and expert knowledge in real time.