SHORT SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC LIFE

Elena Eijo Río (San Cibrao-Lugo, 1986) is currently Researcher in Training (PIF) in the Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, research group Sustainability and Environmental Prevention (Sostenipra, 2014 SGR 1412) and PhD Candidate at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She was trained as a Chemical Engineer at the University of Santiago de Compostela and she holds a master's degree in Management Systems. Her doctoral thesis entitled “Quantification of CH₄, H₂S and N₂O in Municipal Sewer Networks” focuses on formation pathways and emission of these gases in urban sewer systems. The thesis is advised by Dr. Gara Villalba (Sostenipra) and Dr. María Eugenia Suárez-Ojeda (GENOCOV), with the mentoring of Dr. Xavier Gabarrell (Sostenipra). 

Her research will highlight the contribution of these gases to the entire urban water cycle and it will help to apply Life Cycle Assessment for environmental analysis of the wastewater networks in order to improve the wastewater management and also to contribute to sustainability in cities.

Elena’s current research interests are:

• Understanding the chemical and biological processes occurring in urban sewer networks to make them more efficient and sustainable.
• Quantification of direct gas emissions in a municipal sewer systems performing sampling campaigns.
• Development of modelling tools for a better understanding of gas formation in sanitary networks.
• Integration of direct emissions in the LCA of sewer networks to highlight their contribution to the entire water cycle.

As a result of her research, she has participated in a project funded by the LIFE+ Programme of the European Comission: AQUAENVEC (LIFE10 ENV/ES/520) “Assessment and improvement of the urban water cycle eco-efficiency use LCA and LCC”.

She is, nowadays, beginning a research stay as occupational trainee in the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC) at the University of Queensland (Australia) until 30th April of 2016, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Yuan.

Beyond her research work, she also participates in abstract translation for the Journal of Industrial Ecology, and carries out teaching tasks in different Bachelor’s Degrees for the Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at UAB.

PUBLICATIONS

1. E. Eijo-Rio, A. Petit-Boix, G. Villalba, M.E. Suárez-Ojeda, F. Marin, M. J. Amores, X. Aldea, J. Rieradevall, X. Gabarell, (2015). Municipal sewer networks as dources of nitrous oxide, methane and hydrogen sulphide emissions: a review and case studies of Atlantic and Mediterranean-climate Spanish cities, J. Env. Chem. Eng. (2015) 2084–2094.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS IN CONFERENCES

1. “Gas emissions in municipal sewer networks in two climatic regions” at SETAC Europe 25th Annual Meeting, May3rd-7th 2015, Barcelona.
2. Managing the integrated direct and indirect life-cycle impacts of sewers and WWTPs in Mediterranean and Atlantic cities” at SETAC Europe 25th Annual Meeting, May 3rd -7th 2015, Barcelona.
3. “Direct gas emissions in urban sewer networks. Case study of two climatic regions” at ISIE Conference 2015, July 4th-10th 2015, Surrey (UK).