Suchergebnisse

The present work evaluated polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and carbohydrates production by wastewater borne cyanobacteria at demonstrative-scale (three photobioreactors (PBR) of 11.7 m3 each), using agricultural runoff as feedstock. Agricultural runoff was fed to PBR1, which was devoted to cyanobacteria selection and biomass growth. In PBR2, inorganic carbon was added in a feast and famine regime to favour PHB-accumulating microorganisms. Finally, inorganic carbon was continuously added in PBR3 to boost PHB accumulation. A high removal efficiency of 95% and 99% for total nitrogen and phosphorus was obtained, respectively. Cyanobacteria were successfully selected and outcompeted green microalgae. Results suggested that a minimum inorganic carbon concentration was needed to accumulate PHB while carbohydrates were accumulated only with CO2 additions. Maximum concentrations of 4.5%VSS and 69%VSS for PHB and carbohydrates were obtained. Overall, this study shows at demonstrative-scale the potential of cyanobacteria to produce PHB within a wastewater biorefinery concept. And it gives insight on the strategies needed to produce PHB with cyanobacteria at massive scale. ; This research was funded by the European Union H2020 Research and Innovation program [INCOVER, GA 689242] and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU), the Research National Agency (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) [AL4BIO, RTI2018-099495-B-C21]. M.J. García and R. Díez-Montero would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for their research grants (IJCI-2017-34601 and FJCI-2016-30997, respectively). Estel Rueda would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU18/04941) for her grant. Authors would like to thank Simone Rossi for his support during the experiment deployment. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (author's final draft)

Purpose Several models are available in the literature to estimate agricultural emissions. From life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective, there is no standardized procedure for estimating emissions of nitrogen or other nutrients. This article aims to compare four agricultural models (PEF, SALCA, Daisy and Animo) with different complexity levels and test their suitability and sensitivity in LCA. Methods Required input data, obtained outputs, and main characteristics of the models are presented. Then, the performance of the models was evaluated according to their potential feasibility to be used in estimating nitrogen emissions in LCA using an adapted version of the criteria proposed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and other relevant studies, to judge their suitability in LCA. Finally, nitrogen emissions from a case study of irrigated maize in Spain were estimated using the selected models and were tested in a full LCA to characterize the impacts. Results and discussion According to the set of criteria, the models scored, from best to worst: Daisy (77%), SALCA (74%), Animo (72%) and PEF (70%), being Daisy the most suitable model to LCA framework. Regarding the case study, the estimated emissions agreed to literature data for the irrigated corn crop in Spain and the Mediterranean, except N2O emissions. The impact characterization showed differences of up to 56% for the most relevant impact categories when considering nitrogen emissions. Additionally, an overview of the models used to estimate nitrogen emissions in LCA studies showed that many models have been used, but not always in a suitable or justified manner. Conclusions Although mechanistic models are more laborious, mainly due to the amount of input data required, this study shows that Daisy could be a suitable model to estimate emissions when fertilizer application is relevant for the environmental study. In addition, and due to LCA urgently needing a solid methodology to estimate nitrogen emissions, mechanistic models such as Daisy could be used to estimate default values for different archetype scenarios. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 713679 and from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (published version)

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability. ; Postprint (published version)

The present study evaluated the capacity of a semi-closed, tubular horizontal photobioreactor (PBR) to remove pesticides from agricultural run-off. The study was carried out in summer (July) to study its efficiency under the best conditions (highest solar irradiation). A total of 51 pesticides, including 10 transformation products, were selected and investigated based on their consumption rate and environmental relevance. Sixteen of them were detected in the agricultural run-off, and the estimated removal efficiencies ranged from negative values, obtained for 3 compounds, namely terbutryn, diuron and imidacloprid, to 100%, achieved for 10 compounds. The acidic herbicide MCPA was removed by 88% in average, and the insecticides 2,4-D and diazinon showed variable removals, between 100% and negative values. The environmental risk associated to the compounds still present in the effluent of the PBR was evaluated using hazard quotients (HQs), calculated using the average and highest measured concentrations of the compounds. HQ values > 10 (meaning high risk) were obtained for imidacloprid (21), between 1 and 10 (meaning moderate risk) for 2,4-D (2.8), diazinon (4.6) and terbutryn (1.5), and <1 (meaning low risk) for the remaining compounds diuron, linuron and MCPA. The PBR treatment yielded variable removals depending on the compound, similarly to conventional wastewater treatment plants. This study provides new data on the capacity of microalgae-based treatment systems to eliminate a wide range of priority pesticides under real/environmental conditions. ; This research was funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program within the framework of the INCOVER project (GA 689242) and WATERPROTECT project (727450); by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Research National Agency (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) within the project AL4BIO (RTI2018-099495-B-C21), and by the Government of Catalonia (Consolidated Research Group 2017 SGR 01404-Water and Soil Quality Unit). M.J. García-Galán, E. Uggetti and R. Díez-Montero would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for their research grants (IJCI-2017-34601, RYC2018-025514-I and FJCI-2016-30997, respectively). ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (author's final draft)

En España, la legislación minera obliga, desde el año 1982, a que todas las actividades mineras realicen trabajos de restauración con el fin de devolver al entorno aquellos terrenos afectados por las actividades extractivas. En la presente tesis doctoral se ha comprobado la aplicabilidad de lodos de depuradora que han sido sometidos a secado térmico o a compostaje, como fuente de materia orgánica (MO) y nutrientes para sustratos minerales de restauración (residuos de extracción y de trituración) de áreas dedicadas a actividades extractivas de piedra caliza a cielo abierto. El contenido de de Carbono orgánico (C), C-biomasa microbiana (CBM), carbohidratos totales (CHT), carbohidratos extractables (CHE), respiración basal (RB) y actividades β-glucosidasa (GLU) y β-galactosidasa (GAL) fueron utilizados como índices de calidad del suelo o indicadores del éxito de la restauración. Suelos naturales no alterados por acción antrópica fueron utilizados como referencia para los indicadores establecidos. Se evaluó el efecto del pre-tratamiento de los suelos (secado al aire o secado al aire y rehumedecimiento) sobre los parámetros bioquímicos con el objeto de dilucidar su validez para las determinaciones analíticas que debían realizarse. El rango de los valores de los parámetros bioquímicos en los suelos naturales se mantuvieron generalmente dentro del rango de valores previamente publicados para suelos nativos bajo condiciones mediterráneas. Las variables C, CHT, CHE, CBM y GLU (directamente relacionadas con el contenido de MO o de biomasa microbiana y de su actividad) fueron apropiadas para caracterizar los diez suelos estudiados. Se evaluó el efecto de la adición de tres lodos sometidos a secado térmico sobre los parámetros bioquímicos seleccionados y sobre las características fisicoquímicas de dos tipos de suelos residuales (de extracción y de trituración), y se comparó con la que proporcionaron tres lodos compostados. El ensayo se realizó en lisímetros que fueron llenados con las mezclas de lodo-suelo residual y con los controles, y los muestreos se realizaron inmediatamente después de la preparación de las mezclas y luego de dejarlos en el campo 13 meses. La adición del lodo mejoró claramente las propiedades fisicoquímicas y biológicas de los suelos residuales y el efecto del tipo de lodo fue mayor que el del tipo de suelo. El efecto de lodo fue generalmente más duradero sobre el suelo de trituración. Según los cambios observados en CBM y RB, no hay pruebas de que los lodos tuvieran efectos tóxicos importantes. La pérdida MO luego de 13 meses de agregada la enmienda fue menor en las mezclas que contenían lodos compostados. El efecto de los lodos disminuyó más en el tiempo en los parámetros asociados a la MO fácilmente degradable (RB, COE, CBM y CHE). El tipo de suelo residual empleado como substrato sólo tuvo efecto sobre los parámetros que caracterizan la composición de la MO del suelo (COE, CHT y CHE), sin embargo no afectó los valores de CBM, RB y de las actividades enzimáticas. Los exudados radiculares y los restos vegetales contribuyeron al incremento de los valores de GLU y GAL. El efecto de los lodos difirió con su post tratamiento: el secado térmico hizo la MO más fácilmente degradable. El secado al aire de las muestras de suelo puede considerarse un pre-tratamiento válido en las evaluaciones de CBM, GLU y GAL tanto en los suelos naturales como en los suelos restaurados estudiados. En contraste, los valores de las actividades GLU y GAL en muestras de suelo secas aire y rehumedecimiento no fueron representativos de los valores a humedad de campo. Los indicadores biológicos evaluados nos permitieron asimilar los suelos restaurados a los suelos naturales con características climáticas y litológicas similares, es decir suelos carbonatados con un contenido de MO menor al 3%, y con pH superiores a 8 correspondientes a la zona más árida. ; Since 1982 Spanish legislation obliges all companies engaged in mining to carry out restoration work with the view to environmentally recuperate those lands affected by their activities. The present thesis has shown the applicability of sewage sludges that had been subjected to thermal drying or composting, as a source of organic matter (OM) and nutrients to restore mineral substrates (extraction and trituration residues) of areas dedicated to limestone quarrying activities in the open. In our work we used chemical and biochemical parameters (organic carbon: C; extractable oorganic carbon: EOC, microbial biomass carbon: MBC; total carbohydrates: TCH; water soluble carbohydrates: ECH; basal respiration; BR; ß-glucosidase activity: GLU, and ß-galactosidase activity: GAL) as soil quality indices or indicators of restoration success. The values obtained in these indicators were compared with those of Catalan soils with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. To facilitate the routine procedures of soil analysis, the effect of pre-treatment of the soil (air drying or air drying and rewetting) on biochemical parameters was evaluated. The studied properties were highly variable among soils but generally remained within the range of values published before for native soils under Mediterranean conditions. C, TCH, ECH, MBC and GLU were found to be suitable for reflecting the main differences among soil type and location. We evaluated the effects of three thermally dried sewage sludges on the before mentioned biological properties and on some physicochemical characteristics when these sludges were added to two types of debris (extraction soil and trituration soil) from a limestone quarry; the effects were compared with those of three composted sewage sludges. Lysimeters previously filled with debris-sludge mixtures and control soils were sampled immediately after preparation and after being left in the open for 13 months. Adding sewage sludge clearly improved the physicochemical and biological properties of the residual soils and the effect of the type of sludge was greater than that of the type of soil. The sludge effect was generally more durable over the trituration soil. Results observed in BMC and MR suggests the sludge did not cause major toxic effects on residual soils. Losses in organic matter after 13 months were lesser in soils amended with composted sludge. The sludge effect decreased the most in BR and EOC followed by MBC and ECH. The soil type effect was significant only in EOC, TCH and ECH. Root exudates and plant debris contributed to ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase activities in the treated soils. The sludge effect differed with the pre and post treatments of the sludges: thermal drying made the sludge organic matter more easily decomposable. The values of MBC and of ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase activities in air-dried soils had the same ranking as in field-moist soils, whereas air-drying plus rewetting led to a change in the ranking of both enzyme activities compared with field-moist samples. The evaluated biological indicators allowed us to assimilate restored soils to natural soils with similar climatic and lithological characteristics, namely carbonate soils with organic content of less than 3%, and pH above 8, which correspond to the most arid zone. ; Postprint (published version)

Water scarcity is an issue of global concern due to the increase of the population and the climate change, which both increase the water demand. Many arid and semiarid countries are facing high water stress and the use of reclaimed water becomes a valuable resource. Many countries' economy is based on the agro-food sector, with amounts ca. the 70% of water demand. For this reason, reclaimed water represents an important component of wise water management. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are designed to remove efficiently some biodegradable compounds, however, they are not able to remove a number of recalcitrant organic coñtamina0nts known as chemical oxygen demand (COD). There are many sources of water pollution, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) including many compounds that they are not legislated and recently some effects to the environment have been observed. For example, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants, microplastics, etc. Consequently, plants are exposed to a huge number of chemical contaminants that are present not only in water, but also in air or soil. For this reason, it is important to understand the dynamics involved in the plant uptake of these CECs and more specifically in crops. In this Thesis, the uptake of some CECs, chosen by their occurrence in the environment and their physical-chemical properties, has been assessed. To elucidate the factors that are involved in the uptake of these contaminants, three different experiments were performed in a greenhouse. Therefore, this Thesis is divided in the three experiments. In the first one, the plant uptake of some CECs with a perlite:sand mixture and its modelling were assessed. Moreover, a mass balance was performed to evaluate the persistence of the CECs in the substrate. Then, by inverse modelling, the half-lives of CECs in the soil-plant system were estimated. In the second experiment, most of the CECs that were added in the irrigation water were taken up by lettuce. Hence, in this experiment, biochar, which is a soil improver, was assessed as a soil amendment to mitigate the uptake of these CECs in lettuce. To confirm this hypothesis, different biochar amendments were performed (O, 2.5 and 5% w/w biochar) to an agricultural soil from the Llobregat's Delta. Finally, it could be observed that the addition of biochar, reduced the concentration of CECs in lettuces. Since these two experiments demonstrated that CECs can be uptaken by crops and translocated to edible parts, and it well known that plants can metabolize xenobiotics through transformation, conjugation and sequestration steps, in the third experiment, an enzymatic digestion was performed to determine the conjugated CECs fraction. Interestingly, the conjugated fraction accounted up to more than 80%, which should be taken into account in risk assessment studies. Finally, in the same experiment, some effects of CECs to lettuce were elucidated. Visual differences between non-exposed and exposed lettuce were observed. For this reason, a metabolomic approach was applied to correlate the presence of CECs with the changes in the metabolome and the changes in chlorophyll content and plant morphology. ; L'escassetat d'aigua és un tema de gran preocupació degut a l'augment de la població i el canvi climàtic, que tan que s'elevi la demanda d'aigua. Molts països amb un clima àrid o semiàrid s'enfronten a un elevat estrès hídric. En aquest context, l'ús d'aigua regenerada es converteix en una practica clau. L'economia de molts passos es basa en el sector agroalimentari, que requereix grans quantitats d'aigua pel seu desenvolupament. Per aquesta raó, l'aigua regenerada representa un component important en la gestió intel·ligent de l'aigua. Les estacions depuradores d'aigües residuals (EDAR) estan dissenyades per eliminar de manera eficient alguns compostos biodegradables. Tot i així, no són capaces d'eliminar una sèrie de contaminants orgànics. Hi ha molts tipus de contaminació en l'aigua i els contaminants emergent (CECs) inclouen molts compostos que no estan legislats i recentment s'han observat alguns efectes en el medi ambient. Alguns exemples de CECs són fàrmacs, productes de cura personal, retardants de flama, microplàstics, etc. En conseqüència, les plantes estan exposades a un gran nombre de contaminants que es troben presents no només en aigua, sinó també en l'aire o el sol. Per aquest motiu, és important entendre la dinàmica implicada en l'absorció d'aquests contaminants en plantes i cercar estratègies per mitigar aquesta possible absorció. Aquest treball de recerca té com a objectiu estudiar l'absorció de diversos CECs en enciams, que han estat seleccionats perla seva presencia en el medi ambient i les seves propietats fisicoquímiques. Per dilucidar els paràmetres que estan implicats en l'absorció d'aquests contaminants en enciams, tres experiments diferents s'han dut a terme en l'estació experimental Agròpolis pertanyent a la UPC. Per tant, aquesta Tesi es pot separar en els 3 experiments duts a terme. En el primer experiment, es va avaluar l'absorció d'alguns CECs en enciams emprant un substrat format per una mescla de sorra i perlita. L'experiment va dilucidar que la majoria deis CECs van ser absorbits pels enciams i translocats a les parts aèries deis enciams. D'altra banda, un balanç;: de masses es va realitzar per avaluar la persistència deis CECs en el substrat. Després, mitjançant models d'incorporació de contaminants en plantes, es van estimar les vides mitjanes deis CEC en el sistema sol-planta. En un següent experiment, l'ús de biocarbó (biochar) es va proposar com una esmena del sol per reduir l'absorció d'aquests CECs als enciams. Per dur confirmar aquesta hipòtesi, es van afegir diferents percentatges de biochar (O, 2,5 i 5% de biochar) en un sol agrícola de la zona agrícola del Delta del Llobregat. Finalment, es va poder observar que l'addició de biochar reduí la concentració deis CECs en els enciams. Aquests dos primers experiments van ser útils per evidenciar que aquests compostos es poden absorbir fàcilment perles plantes i arribar a les parts que comestibles. No obstant, en altres estudis s'ha demostrat que les plantes són capaços de metabolitzar xenobiòtics a través de tres passos: transformació, conjugació i segrest deis CECs. Per aquest motiu, es va realitzar una digestió enzimàtica per determinar la fracció de CECs que podrien ser conjugats. Curiosament i segons el contaminant, la fracció conjugada va representar més del 80% del compost parental, evidenciant que la fracció conjugada s'ha de tenir en compte en els estudis d'avaluació de risc humà. Finalment, en aquest mateix experiment, es varen observar diferencies morfològiques entre els enciams exposats a un còctel de CECs i els no exposats als contaminants. A més, la determinació de clorofil·les també va evidenciar diferencies entre tractaments. Per aquesta raó, es van extreure els metabòlits secundaris deis enciams emprant un enfocament metabolòmic juntament amb tècniques quimiomètriques per correlacionar la presencia d'aquests contaminants amb els canvis morfològics i en el contingut de clorofil·la i dels metabòlits secundaris ; Postprint (published version)

Water scarcity is an issue of global concern due to the increase of the population and the climate change, which both increase the water demand. Many arid and semiarid countries are facing high water stress and the use of reclaimed water becomes a valuable resource. Many countries' economy is based on the agro-food sector, with amounts ca. the 70% of water demand. For this reason, reclaimed water represents an important component of wise water management. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are designed to remove efficiently some biodegradable compounds, however, they are not able to remove a number of recalcitrant organic coñtamina0nts known as chemical oxygen demand (COD). There are many sources of water pollution, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) including many compounds that they are not legislated and recently some effects to the environment have been observed. For example, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants, microplastics, etc. Consequently, plants are exposed to a huge number of chemical contaminants that are present not only in water, but also in air or soil. For this reason, it is important to understand the dynamics involved in the plant uptake of these CECs and more specifically in crops. In this Thesis, the uptake of some CECs, chosen by their occurrence in the environment and their physical-chemical properties, has been assessed. To elucidate the factors that are involved in the uptake of these contaminants, three different experiments were performed in a greenhouse. Therefore, this Thesis is divided in the three experiments. In the first one, the plant uptake of some CECs with a perlite:sand mixture and its modelling were assessed. Moreover, a mass balance was performed to evaluate the persistence of the CECs in the substrate. Then, by inverse modelling, the half-lives of CECs in the soil-plant system were estimated. In the second experiment, most of the CECs that were added in the irrigation water were taken up by lettuce. Hence, in this experiment, biochar, which is a soil improver, was assessed as a soil amendment to mitigate the uptake of these CECs in lettuce. To confirm this hypothesis, different biochar amendments were performed (O, 2.5 and 5% w/w biochar) to an agricultural soil from the Llobregat's Delta. Finally, it could be observed that the addition of biochar, reduced the concentration of CECs in lettuces. Since these two experiments demonstrated that CECs can be uptaken by crops and translocated to edible parts, and it well known that plants can metabolize xenobiotics through transformation, conjugation and sequestration steps, in the third experiment, an enzymatic digestion was performed to determine the conjugated CECs fraction. Interestingly, the conjugated fraction accounted up to more than 80%, which should be taken into account in risk assessment studies. Finally, in the same experiment, some effects of CECs to lettuce were elucidated. Visual differences between non-exposed and exposed lettuce were observed. For this reason, a metabolomic approach was applied to correlate the presence of CECs with the changes in the metabolome and the changes in chlorophyll content and plant morphology. ; L'escassetat d'aigua és un tema de gran preocupació degut a l'augment de la població i el canvi climàtic, que tan que s'elevi la demanda d'aigua. Molts països amb un clima àrid o semiàrid s'enfronten a un elevat estrès hídric. En aquest context, l'ús d'aigua regenerada es converteix en una practica clau. L'economia de molts passos es basa en el sector agroalimentari, que requereix grans quantitats d'aigua pel seu desenvolupament. Per aquesta raó, l'aigua regenerada representa un component important en la gestió intel·ligent de l'aigua. Les estacions depuradores d'aigües residuals (EDAR) estan dissenyades per eliminar de manera eficient alguns compostos biodegradables. Tot i així, no són capaces d'eliminar una sèrie de contaminants orgànics. Hi ha molts tipus de contaminació en l'aigua i els contaminants emergent (CECs) inclouen molts compostos que no estan legislats i recentment s'han observat alguns efectes en el medi ambient. Alguns exemples de CECs són fàrmacs, productes de cura personal, retardants de flama, microplàstics, etc. En conseqüència, les plantes estan exposades a un gran nombre de contaminants que es troben presents no només en aigua, sinó també en l'aire o el sol. Per aquest motiu, és important entendre la dinàmica implicada en l'absorció d'aquests contaminants en plantes i cercar estratègies per mitigar aquesta possible absorció. Aquest treball de recerca té com a objectiu estudiar l'absorció de diversos CECs en enciams, que han estat seleccionats perla seva presencia en el medi ambient i les seves propietats fisicoquímiques. Per dilucidar els paràmetres que estan implicats en l'absorció d'aquests contaminants en enciams, tres experiments diferents s'han dut a terme en l'estació experimental Agròpolis pertanyent a la UPC. Per tant, aquesta Tesi es pot separar en els 3 experiments duts a terme. En el primer experiment, es va avaluar l'absorció d'alguns CECs en enciams emprant un substrat format per una mescla de sorra i perlita. L'experiment va dilucidar que la majoria deis CECs van ser absorbits pels enciams i translocats a les parts aèries deis enciams. D'altra banda, un balanç;: de masses es va realitzar per avaluar la persistència deis CECs en el substrat. Després, mitjançant models d'incorporació de contaminants en plantes, es van estimar les vides mitjanes deis CEC en el sistema sol-planta. En un següent experiment, l'ús de biocarbó (biochar) es va proposar com una esmena del sol per reduir l'absorció d'aquests CECs als enciams. Per dur confirmar aquesta hipòtesi, es van afegir diferents percentatges de biochar (O, 2,5 i 5% de biochar) en un sol agrícola de la zona agrícola del Delta del Llobregat. Finalment, es va poder observar que l'addició de biochar reduí la concentració deis CECs en els enciams. Aquests dos primers experiments van ser útils per evidenciar que aquests compostos es poden absorbir fàcilment perles plantes i arribar a les parts que comestibles. No obstant, en altres estudis s'ha demostrat que les plantes són capaços de metabolitzar xenobiòtics a través de tres passos: transformació, conjugació i segrest deis CECs. Per aquest motiu, es va realitzar una digestió enzimàtica per determinar la fracció de CECs que podrien ser conjugats. Curiosament i segons el contaminant, la fracció conjugada va representar més del 80% del compost parental, evidenciant que la fracció conjugada s'ha de tenir en compte en els estudis d'avaluació de risc humà. Finalment, en aquest mateix experiment, es varen observar diferencies morfològiques entre els enciams exposats a un còctel de CECs i els no exposats als contaminants. A més, la determinació de clorofil·les també va evidenciar diferencies entre tractaments. Per aquesta raó, es van extreure els metabòlits secundaris deis enciams emprant un enfocament metabolòmic juntament amb tècniques quimiomètriques per correlacionar la presencia d'aquests contaminants amb els canvis morfològics i en el contingut de clorofil·la i dels metabòlits secundaris ; Postprint (published version)

En España, la legislación minera obliga, desde el año 1982, a que todas las actividades mineras realicen trabajos de restauración con el fin de devolver al entorno aquellos terrenos afectados por las actividades extractivas. En la presente tesis doctoral se ha comprobado la aplicabilidad de lodos de depuradora que han sido sometidos a secado térmico o a compostaje, como fuente de materia orgánica (MO) y nutrientes para sustratos minerales de restauración (residuos de extracción y de trituración) de áreas dedicadas a actividades extractivas de piedra caliza a cielo abierto. El contenido de de Carbono orgánico (C), C-biomasa microbiana (CBM), carbohidratos totales (CHT), carbohidratos extractables (CHE), respiración basal (RB) y actividades β-glucosidasa (GLU) y β-galactosidasa (GAL) fueron utilizados como índices de calidad del suelo o indicadores del éxito de la restauración. Suelos naturales no alterados por acción antrópica fueron utilizados como referencia para los indicadores establecidos. Se evaluó el efecto del pre-tratamiento de los suelos (secado al aire o secado al aire y rehumedecimiento) sobre los parámetros bioquímicos con el objeto de dilucidar su validez para las determinaciones analíticas que debían realizarse. El rango de los valores de los parámetros bioquímicos en los suelos naturales se mantuvieron generalmente dentro del rango de valores previamente publicados para suelos nativos bajo condiciones mediterráneas. Las variables C, CHT, CHE, CBM y GLU (directamente relacionadas con el contenido de MO o de biomasa microbiana y de su actividad) fueron apropiadas para caracterizar los diez suelos estudiados. Se evaluó el efecto de la adición de tres lodos sometidos a secado térmico sobre los parámetros bioquímicos seleccionados y sobre las características fisicoquímicas de dos tipos de suelos residuales (de extracción y de trituración), y se comparó con la que proporcionaron tres lodos compostados. El ensayo se realizó en lisímetros que fueron llenados con las mezclas de lodo-suelo residual y con los controles, y los muestreos se realizaron inmediatamente después de la preparación de las mezclas y luego de dejarlos en el campo 13 meses. La adición del lodo mejoró claramente las propiedades fisicoquímicas y biológicas de los suelos residuales y el efecto del tipo de lodo fue mayor que el del tipo de suelo. El efecto de lodo fue generalmente más duradero sobre el suelo de trituración. Según los cambios observados en CBM y RB, no hay pruebas de que los lodos tuvieran efectos tóxicos importantes. La pérdida MO luego de 13 meses de agregada la enmienda fue menor en las mezclas que contenían lodos compostados. El efecto de los lodos disminuyó más en el tiempo en los parámetros asociados a la MO fácilmente degradable (RB, COE, CBM y CHE). El tipo de suelo residual empleado como substrato sólo tuvo efecto sobre los parámetros que caracterizan la composición de la MO del suelo (COE, CHT y CHE), sin embargo no afectó los valores de CBM, RB y de las actividades enzimáticas. Los exudados radiculares y los restos vegetales contribuyeron al incremento de los valores de GLU y GAL. El efecto de los lodos difirió con su post tratamiento: el secado térmico hizo la MO más fácilmente degradable. El secado al aire de las muestras de suelo puede considerarse un pre-tratamiento válido en las evaluaciones de CBM, GLU y GAL tanto en los suelos naturales como en los suelos restaurados estudiados. En contraste, los valores de las actividades GLU y GAL en muestras de suelo secas aire y rehumedecimiento no fueron representativos de los valores a humedad de campo. Los indicadores biológicos evaluados nos permitieron asimilar los suelos restaurados a los suelos naturales con características climáticas y litológicas similares, es decir suelos carbonatados con un contenido de MO menor al 3%, y con pH superiores a 8 correspondientes a la zona más árida. ; Since 1982 Spanish legislation obliges all companies engaged in mining to carry out restoration work with the view to environmentally recuperate those lands affected by their activities. The present thesis has shown the applicability of sewage sludges that had been subjected to thermal drying or composting, as a source of organic matter (OM) and nutrients to restore mineral substrates (extraction and trituration residues) of areas dedicated to limestone quarrying activities in the open. In our work we used chemical and biochemical parameters (organic carbon: C; extractable oorganic carbon: EOC, microbial biomass carbon: MBC; total carbohydrates: TCH; water soluble carbohydrates: ECH; basal respiration; BR; ß-glucosidase activity: GLU, and ß-galactosidase activity: GAL) as soil quality indices or indicators of restoration success. The values obtained in these indicators were compared with those of Catalan soils with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. To facilitate the routine procedures of soil analysis, the effect of pre-treatment of the soil (air drying or air drying and rewetting) on biochemical parameters was evaluated. The studied properties were highly variable among soils but generally remained within the range of values published before for native soils under Mediterranean conditions. C, TCH, ECH, MBC and GLU were found to be suitable for reflecting the main differences among soil type and location. We evaluated the effects of three thermally dried sewage sludges on the before mentioned biological properties and on some physicochemical characteristics when these sludges were added to two types of debris (extraction soil and trituration soil) from a limestone quarry; the effects were compared with those of three composted sewage sludges. Lysimeters previously filled with debris-sludge mixtures and control soils were sampled immediately after preparation and after being left in the open for 13 months. Adding sewage sludge clearly improved the physicochemical and biological properties of the residual soils and the effect of the type of sludge was greater than that of the type of soil. The sludge effect was generally more durable over the trituration soil. Results observed in BMC and MR suggests the sludge did not cause major toxic effects on residual soils. Losses in organic matter after 13 months were lesser in soils amended with composted sludge. The sludge effect decreased the most in BR and EOC followed by MBC and ECH. The soil type effect was significant only in EOC, TCH and ECH. Root exudates and plant debris contributed to ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase activities in the treated soils. The sludge effect differed with the pre and post treatments of the sludges: thermal drying made the sludge organic matter more easily decomposable. The values of MBC and of ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase activities in air-dried soils had the same ranking as in field-moist soils, whereas air-drying plus rewetting led to a change in the ranking of both enzyme activities compared with field-moist samples. The evaluated biological indicators allowed us to assimilate restored soils to natural soils with similar climatic and lithological characteristics, namely carbonate soils with organic content of less than 3%, and pH above 8, which correspond to the most arid zone. ; Postprint (published version)

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a major environmental concern that requires immediate attention. The large volumes of CDW produced and its associated environmental effects have led to explore new alternatives addressing this problem in more sustainable ways. In this context, the Circular Economy (CE) paradigm emerged as an innovative solution for creating more sustainable production and consumption patterns, fostering economic growth, and providing environmental protection and social welfare. At the global level, the concept of CE has gained increasing interest from government bodies, business organizations and academics. This has resulted in multiple political agendas including CE as a core driver, as well as an emerging trend of research exploring its concept and applications. However, because of the novelty and dynamism of the concept, research developments on practical applications and quantitative assessments are at an early stage. The main aim of this study was to propose an approach to integrate the CE concept in the construction and demolition sector, as well as providing the basis for evaluating the environmental and economic effects of circularity strategies and to monitor their implementation. For this purpose, an integrative framework of strategies for CE adoption in the CDW sector is proposed. This together with a methodological proposal to evaluate and compare the environmental and economic performance of different circularity alternatives incorporating multi-criteria decision analysis. In addition, this work proposes a system of indicators for measuring CE features for CDW products. The proposed framework identifies 14 influential strategies for the circularity of the CDW sector and describes their interaction throughout its lifecycle stages. The methodological proposal incorporates the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology to assess the environmental dimension., while the economic criteria adopt a complex cost method. The multicriteria VIKOR method was used to perform the multi-criteria analysis. The methodology is applied to evaluate the use of concrete waste in high-grade applications, specifically the production of structural and non-structural concrete mixes in the region of Catalonia, Spain. The indicators framework incorporates a systematic approach considering the most relevant factors and parameters for successful measurement of CE interventions. It consists of 22 measures within the three dimensions of environment, economic and innovation/materials. Preconstruction strategies are highlighted as the most influential in the circularity of the sector. CE strategies presented better environmental and economic performance; however, results are conditioned by the particular context of the study. Transportation and landfilling are identified as the most conditioning parameters affecting both environmental and economic performance. ; Los residuos de construcción y demolición (RCD) son un grave problema medio ambiental que requiere atención inmediata. Los grandes volúmenes de RCD producidos y sus efectos ambientales han llevado a buscar nuevas alternativas para resolver esta problemática de forma más sostenible. En ese contexto, la Economía Circular (EC) ha emergido como una solución innovadora para crear patrones de producción y consumo más sostenibles, fomentar el crecimiento económico, asegurar la protección medio ambiental y la protección social. A nivel global, el concepto de la EC ha ganado interés entre organismos gubernamentales, sector empresarial y académicos. Ello ha resultado en la incorporación de la EC como eje conductor en múltiples agendas políticas y con una tendencia emergente en la investigación de su concepto y aplicaciones. Sin embargo, la investigación de las potenciales aplicaciones y su evaluación se encuentran en una fase temprana de desarrollo debido a la novedad y dinamismo del concepto. El objeto principal de este estudio fue el de desarrollar una propuesta de integración del concepto de EC en el sector de la construcción y la demolición, así como proveer las bases para evaluar los efectos económicos y ambientales de estrategias de circularidad y monitorear su implementación. Para ello, se propone un marco integrativo de estrategias para la adopción de la EC en el sector de los RCD, además de una propuesta metodológica para evaluar y comparar el desempeño económico y ambiental de diferentes alternativas de circularidad incorporando análisis de decisión multi-criterio. Asimismo, este trabajo propone un sistema de indicadores para medir características de circularidad de los RCD. El sistema propuesto identifica 14 estrategias de influencia para la circularidad del sector de los RCD, describiendo su interacción a lo largo de sus etapas de ciclo de vida. La propuesta metodológica de evaluación incorpora la metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) para el criterio ambiental, y el análisis de costes complejos para el criterio económico. Mientras que para el desarrollo del análisis multi-criterio fue utilizado el método VIKOR. La metodología es aplicada en la evaluación del uso de residuos de concreto en aplicaciones de alto grado, específicamente en la producción de hormigón estructural y no estructural en la región de Cataluña, España. El marco de indicadores incorpora un enfoque sistémico que considera los factores y parámetros más relevantes para la adecuada medición de estrategias de EC. Este consiste en 22 medidas contenidas en tres grupos o dimensiones: ambiental, económica y de innovación/materiales. Las estrategias durante la etapa pre-constructiva son identificadas como las más influyentes en la circularidad del sector. Resultados de la evaluación muestran un mejor desempeño económico y ambiental de las alternativas de EC, sin embargo, éstos son condicionados por el contexto específico de la zona de estudio. En particular, el transporte y el vertido son identificados como los parámetros más condicionantes tanto para el aspecto ambiental, como el económico. ; Els residus de construcció i demolició (RCD) són un greu problema mediambiental que requereix atenció immediata. Els grans volums de RCD produïts i els seus efectes ambientals han conduit a buscar noves alternatives per resoldre aquesta problemàtica en formes més sostenibles. En aquest context, l'Economia Circular (EC) ha emergit com una solució innovadora per a crear patrons de producció i de consum més sostenibles, impulsar el creixement econòmic, assegurar la protecció del medi ambient i la protecció social. A nivell global, el concepte de l'EC ha guanyat l'interès d'organismes governamentals, del sector empresarial i d'acadèmics. Això ha resultat en la incorporació de l'EC com eix conductor en múltiples agendes polítiques i amb una tendència emergent en la investigació del seu concepte i aplicacions. No obstant això, la investigació de les potencials aplicacions i la seva avaluació es troben en fase primerenca de desenvolupament degut a la novetat i dinamisme del concepte. L'objectiu principal d'aquest estudi va ser el desenvolupar una proposta d'integració de l'EC en el sector de la construcció i la demolició, així com proporcionar les bases per avaluar els efectes econòmics i ambientals d'estratègies de circularitat i monitoritzar la seva implementació. Per això, es proposa un marc integratiu d'estratègies per a l'adopció de l'EC en el sector dels RCD. A més, d'una proposta metodològica per avaluar i comparar el rendiment econòmic i ambiental de diferents alternatives de circularitat incorporant un anàlisi de decisió multi-criteri. Seguidament, aquest treball proposa un sistema d'indicadors per mesurar característiques de circularitat dels RCD. Aquest sistema identifica 14 estratègies d'influència per la circularitat del sector dels RCD, descrivint la seva interacció al llarg de les etapes de cicle de vida. La proposta metodològica d'avaluació incorpora la metodologia d'Anàlisis de Cicle de Vida (ACV) per al criteri ambiental, i l'anàlisi de costos complexos per al criteri econòmic. Mentre que per al desenvolupament de l'anàlisi multi-criteri s'ha utilitzat el mètode VIKOR. La metodologia s'aplica en l'avaluació del ús de residus de formigó en aplicacions d'alt grau, específicament en la producció de formigó estructural i no estructural en la regió de Catalunya, Espanya. El marc d'indicadors incorpora un enfocament sistèmic que considera els factors i paràmetres mes rellevants per a l'adequada mesura d'estratègies d'EC. Aquest consisteix en 22 mesures agrupades en 3 grups o dimensions: ambiental, econòmica i d'innovació/materials. S'identifica que les estratègies de l'etapa pre-constructiva són les més influents en la circularitat del sector. Els resultats de l'avaluació demostren que les alternatives d'EC presenten millor rendiment econòmic i ambiental, però, aquests són influenciats per les condicions particulars de la zona d'estudi. Particularment, el transport i abocament són identificats com els paràmetres més condicionants tan per el criteri ambiental, com per l'econòmic. ; Postprint (published version)

The international economic crisis has had a severe impact on the Spanish economy. Alongside, political changes have also occurred in Catalonia the recent years. Data from two identical Discrete Choice Experiments performed in two different times (2008 and 2010) show how these changes did affect consumers' wine preferences. The Generalized Multinomial Logit model (GMNL) has been applied as it allows determining consumers' degree of certainty and heterogeneity in the choice making. The results showed that the scale and the taste heterogeneities have decreased significantly after the economic crisis, which may imply that external common circumstances had a homogenising influence in consumer choices by decreasing the level of randomness of consumers' selection. The consumers' preferences for a Catalan origin of the wine also increased ; Postprint (published version)

The international economic crisis has had a severe impact on the Spanish economy. Alongside, political changes have also occurred in Catalonia the recent years. Data from two identical Discrete Choice Experiments performed in two different times (2008 and 2010) show how these changes did affect consumers' wine preferences. The Generalized Multinomial Logit model (GMNL) has been applied as it allows determining consumers' degree of certainty and heterogeneity in the choice making. The results showed that the scale and the taste heterogeneities have decreased significantly after the economic crisis, which may imply that external common circumstances had a homogenising influence in consumer choices by decreasing the level of randomness of consumers' selection. The consumers' preferences for a Catalan origin of the wine also increased ; Postprint (published version)

Air pollution is an environmental challenge that has an important influence on the life of human beings. Therefore, the development, implementation, and evaluation of new statistical approaches will improve the numerical modeling of the spatial distribution of air pollutants and their socio-economic impact. Demography statistically evaluates the change in human populations over time (temporal models). Mortality is a factor that influences the human population, and its definition in the short, medium and long term is of utmost importance for government health and economic plans. Air pollution directly influences human mortality, and it should be incorporated into the structure of demographic mortality models. Air pollution data is collected from satellite information or ground-level monitoring, which needs statistical models to obtain pollution levels in places with no monitoring stations. Air pollution data description uses the aggregate form (mean values over a large geographical level) and the spatially-structured form (values at local territories). In addition, air pollution data could be statistically treated using both traditional and compositional approaches. This thesis assesses the addition of air pollution data using both forms of descriptions separately under both statistical treatment approaches on the useful demographic Farrington-Like model. For this purpose, a generalized linear modelling framework was proposed assuming that the human mortality data has a negative binomial distribution. The mortality data used both total and disaggregated forms. The disaggregation used three demographic aspects sex, age, and location. Air pollutants were modelled using Dynamic Linear Models (DLM) and spatially extended with Gaussian and Gaussian-Mattern Fields under traditional and compositional approaches. For instance, the spatial distribution of concentration of PM2.5 in wildfires event with a limited number of monitoring stations was featured with a Gaussian-Mattern Field; and the spatial distribution of concentrations of SO2, CO, O3, NO2, and PM2.5 was featured using a Gaussian Field. The results obtained in each stage of this doctoral thesis presented adequate quality-model indexes (NSE = 0.5, RMSE ˜0, and Pearson correlation coefficients ˜ 1) ; La contaminación del aire es un desafío ambiental que tiene una influencia en la vida de los seres humanos. Por lo tanto, el desarrollo, implementación y evaluación de nuevos enfoques estadísticos mejorará el modelado numérico de la distribución espacial de los contaminantes del aire y su impacto socioeconómico. En el ámbito de la demografía, es común evaluar estadísticamente el cambio en las poblaciones humanas a lo largo del tiempo (modelos temporales). La mortalidad es un factor que influye en la población humana, y su definición en el corto, mediano y largo plazo es de suma importancia para los planes de salud y económicos del gobierno. La contaminación del aire influye directamente en la mortalidad humana y debe incorporarse a la estructura de los modelos demográficos de mortalidad. Los datos de contaminación del aire se recopilan a partir de información satelital o monitoreo a nivel del suelo que necesita modelos estadísticos para obtener los niveles de contaminación en lugares sin estaciones. La descripción de los datos de contaminación del aire se realiza de forma agregada (valores medios en una gran escala geográfica) y de forma espacialmente estructurada (territorios locales). Además, los datos de contaminación del aire se tratan estadísticamente utilizando enfoques tanto tradicionales como de composición. Esta tesis evalúa la adición de datos de contaminación del aire utilizando ambas formas de descripciones por separado bajo ambos enfoques de tratamiento estadístico en el modelo demográfico Farrington-Like. Para este propósito, se propuso un marco de modelado lineal generalizado asumiendo que los datos de mortalidad humana tienen una distribución binomial negativa. Los datos de mortalidad se usaron como totales y desagregados. La desagregación utilizó tres aspectos demográficos: sexo, edad y ubicación. Los contaminantes del aire se modelaron utilizando modelos lineales dinámicos (DLM) y se ampliaron espacialmente con los campos Gaussiano-Mattern y Gaussiano bajo enfoques tradicionales y de composición. Por ejemplo, la distribución espacial de la concentración de PM2.5 en un evento de incendios forestales con un número limitado de estaciones de monitoreo se presentó con un campo Gaussian-Mattern; y la distribución espacial de las concentraciones de SO2, CO, O3, NO2 y PM2.5 se presentó utilizando un campo gaussiano. Los resultados obtenidos en cada etapa de esta tesis doctoral presentaron índices de calidad de modelado adecuados (NSE = 0,5, RMSE ≈0 y coeficientes de correlación de Pearson ≈1). ; Postprint (published version)

For a few decades, systems for supervising structures have become increasingly irnportant. In origin, the strategies had as a goal only the detection of damages. Furthermore, now monitor­ing the civil or military structures permanently and offering sufficient and relevant information helping make the right decisions. The SHM is applicable, carrying out preventive or corrective maintenance decisions, reducing the possibility of accidents, and promoting the reduction of costs that more extensive repairs imply when the damage is detected early. The current work focused on three elements of diagnosis of structural damage: detection, classification, and loca­tion, either in metaltic or cornposite material structures, given their wide use in air, land, rnar­itime transport vehicles, aerospace, wind turbines, civil and military infrastructure. This work used the tools offered by machine leaming and bio-inspired computing. Given the right results to solve complex problems and recognizing pattems. It also involves changes in temperature since it is one of the parameters that influence real environments' structures. Information of a statistical nature applied to recognizing pattems and reducing the size of the information was used with tools such as PCA (principal component analysis), thanks to the experience obtained in works developed by the CoDAlab research group. The document is divided into five parts. The first includes a general description of the problem, the objecti.-es, and the results obtained, in addition to a brief theoretical introduction. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 include articles published in different joumals. Chapter 5 shows the results and conclusions. Other contributions, such as a book chapter and sorne papers presented at conferences, are included in appendix A. Finally, appendix B presents a multiplexing system used to develop the experiments carried out in this work. ; Desde hace algunas décadas los sistemas para supervisar estructuras han tenido cada vez más relevancia. En esta evolución se ha pasado de estrategias que tenían como meta sólo la detec­ción de fallas a otras que buscan monitorizar permanentemente las estructuras bien sean éstas civiles o militares, ofreciendo información suficiente y pertinente que incide positivamente en el momento de tomar buenas decisiones, dentro de las cuales cabe destacar por ejemplo, las ori­entadas a realizar mantenimientos preventivos o correctivos si es del caso, reduciendo la posi­bilidad de accidentes, además de propiciar la disminución de costos que implican las repara­ciones más extensas cuando el daño se logra detectar de manera temprana. El presente trabajo se enfocó en tres elementos de diagnóstico de daños en estructuras, siendo estos en particular la detección, clasificación y localización, bien sea en estructuras metálicas o de material com­puesto, dado su amplio uso en vehículos de transporte aéreo, terrestre, marítimo, aeroespacial, aerogeneradores, infraestructura civil y militar. Se utilizaron las herramientas que ofrecen el aprendizaje automático (machine leaming) y la computación bio-inspirada, dados los buenos resultados que han ofrecido en la solución de problemas complejos y el reconocimiento de pa­trones. Involucrando cambios de temperatura dado que es uno de los parámetros a los que se ven enfrentadas las estructuras en ambientes reales. Se utilizó información de naturaleza estadística aplicada al reconocimiento de patrones y reducción del tamaño de la información con herramientas como el PCA (análisis de componentes principales), gracias a la experiencia lograda en trabajos desarrollados por el grupo de investigación CoDAlab. El documento está dividido en cinco capítulos. En el primerio se incluye una descripción general del problema, los objetivos y los resultados obtenidos, además de un breve introduc­ción teórica. Los Capítulos 2,3 y 4 incluyen los artículos publicados en diferentes revistas. En el Capítulo 5 se realiza una presentación de los resultados y conclusiones. En el Anexo A se incluyen otras contribuciones tales como un capítulo de libro y algunos trabajos presentados en conferencias. Finalmente en el anexo B se presenta el diseño de un sistema de multipliexación utilizado en el desarrollo de los experimentos realizados en el presente trabajo. ; Postprint (published version)

Tesi en modalitat de compendi de publicacions ; Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) are now consolidated tools for ground movement detection and monitoring. Sentinel-1 (S1) is the first satellite providing free data access and ensuring a regular acquisition worldwide, every 6 days, increasing its potential for long-term monitoring applications. Several regional and national ground motion services are already active, providing products based on S1 data. Soon in 2022 the first European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) will be available and freely provide a displacement map over the whole Europe, with annual updates. This implies a strong expansion of availability of PSI-based displacement maps and an easy access for anyone, with an increasing interest among a wider range of users, including public or governmental institutions, academia, industry, and citizens. The analysis and interpretation of this amount of data is difficult and time consuming, mostly for non-expert InSAR users. The objective of this work is developing methodologies to simplify the operational use of PSI displacement maps, generating derived products with a clear message, easy-to-interpret, and fast to read. We propose a method to be applied over regional scale PSI displacement maps, to fast detect the most significant Active Deformation Areas (ADAs). The ADA map is a first product that allows a fast focusing on the active areas, to prioritize further analysis and investigation. Starting from the ADAs, the potential phenomena are attributed to each area through a preliminary interpretation based on auxiliary data, to derive the Geohazard Activity Map. In this work, a methodology to include the ADA information in the Civil Protection Activities is proposed, with the main output called Vulnerable Elements Activity Maps (VEAM). An application of the VEAM is illustrated in the Canary Islands. Furthermore, the ADA map is used in the Valle d'Aosta Region (Northern of Italy) to generate ...