Who we are

The Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA) is a research group of the University of Girona (UdG) devoted to the development of eco-innovative water solutions. LEQUIA is a part of the UdG’s Institute of the Environment (IMA) and participates actively in the Euro-Mediterranean Toruism and Water Campus of International Excellence (e-MTA). LEQUIA is a “consolidated research group” recognised by the Catalan Government (2014-SGR-1168) and a member of TECNIO, a network that brings together leading experts in applied research and technology transfer in Catalonia.

The team

LEQUIA has a team of 40 people, including university professors, post-doctoral and pre-doctoral researchers, and technical and management support staff. Because our work is multidisciplinary, LEQUIA projects currently involve environmental scientists, chemists, biologists, engineers and computer scientists.

Research lines

• Design, operation and control of advanced processes for the biological treatment of urban and industrial wastewaters

• Valorisation of resources within the water-energy nexus

• Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSS)

• Advanced adsorption/oxidation processes for the treatment of gas and liquid effluents

Facilities

The group is based in the Faculty of Sciences of the UdG (Montilivi Campus) and a 550m² area in the Jaume Casademont building of the UdG’s Science and Technology Park. We have an analytical chemistry laboratory; fully instrumented pilot plants with different configurations for wastewater treatment at laboratory/semi-industrial scale; photoreactors for advanced oxidation processes; and software for environmental modelling and life cycle assessment (LCA) studies.

Projects

Research activity is carried out with funds from national and international R&D projects, and technology transfer contracts with public and private organisations. Between 2011 and 2015, LEQUIA had an average turnover of 1.3 million euros (of which, 19% came from privated funds).

Post-graduate education

LEQUIA professor Dr Marilós Balaguer has been the coordinator of the UdG’s Master’s in Water Science and Technology since its creation. LEQUIA’s PhD students study in the Doctoral Programme in Experimental Sciences and Sustainability, which has received a quality award from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, and in the recently created Doctoral Programme in Water Science and Technology.