Field work will consist on managing the six pilot MAR systems located at Palamós. The Systems provide an ideal frame for study recharge water quality evolution under different operational conditions. The student will evaluate the effectiveness of the reactive barriers installed in the recharge areas of the system to improve the performance of MAR removing EOCs, pathogens, and ARGs. Since one of the goals of the reactive barriers is to promote the development and diversity of the microbial community, the student will investigate the interrelation between EOCs and ARGs with these parameters.
The systems are equipped with sensors for the continuous monitoring of oxygen, heads, conductivity, temperature, water content of the unsaturated zone, and flow into and out of each system. The characterization of the flow and transport parameters will be done using numerical models. In addition, the performance of MAR systems in the removal of infectious viruses and antibiotic resistant bacteria, involves the application and optimization of sampling and concentration methods, followed by several molecular techniques, which will allow the detection, quantification and classification of these biological elements (nucleic acid extraction of field samples, quantitative real time PCR, 16S sequencing).