Shipping is one of the major vectors of aquatic pollutants, transferring them through ballast waters. Currently, ballast waters have been considered as one of the main causes of introduction of aquatic invasive species, considering it within the four global threats for the oceans. At a global scale, shipping is estimated to transfer three to five billion tons of ballast water annually, which contains not only biological pollutants, but also other chemical pollutants present in harbor areas that are susceptible to be transferred.
With the aim of avoiding the transfer of aquatic pollutants via maritime traffic, we propose to study different treatment technologies and strategies that could be able to decontaminate these transferring waters, mainly based on UV-based technologies.
Optimization of different technologies for the inactivation of potentially harmful phytoplankton or bacteria, including:
- Start-up and operation of UV reactors.
- Validation of photochemical treatments in different water matrices.
- Study of possible reactivation phenomena after treatment.
Laboratory skills, microbial analysis, phytoplankton analysis techniques, kinetic and growth modelling. Handling of different equipment for water treatment and water quality.
Compensation:
Erasmus + grant available depending on eligibility criteria of your home university
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
