Pesticides and toxic elements are deliberately or accidentally introduced into the environment due to increased agricultural, industrial or urban activities that contribute negatively to the sustainable development of natural systems.

The main objective of the Group is to deepen the knowledge of the processes and factors involved in the dynamics of these compounds in soils subjected to different management practices, which is essential to apply rational prevention measures or remediation techniques to avoid soil and water contamination.

We work in lines such as:

⇒ Assessment and diagnosis of soil and water contamination by pesticides in intensive agricultural areas or by toxic elements in agricultural areas affected by different polluting activities.

⇒ The evaluation of the behaviour of pesticides in soils amended with organic residues and their effects on soil microbial communities.

⇒ The evaluation of the transfer of toxic elements from contaminated soils through the trophic chain and the establishment of management tools for contaminated soils.

⇒ The development of physicochemical technologies for the prevention of surface and groundwater pollution based on the immobilisation and stabilisation of pollutants using organic and inorganic absorbents.

⇒ The application of simulation models of pesticide transport in soils to predict the behavior in the environment and prevent the risk caused by these compounds.