Blanca Antizar-ladislao
University of Edinburgh, School of Engineering, Faculty Member
- Dr Blanca Antizar was appointed Head of Water Consulting at Isle Utilities (Isle) in April 2015, where her role is to... moreDr Blanca Antizar was appointed Head of Water Consulting at Isle Utilities (Isle) in April 2015, where her role is to lead the Isle consultancy team through the successful sourcing and delivering of water consultancy projects. She joined Isle from the University of Edinburgh where she was a Senior Lecturer (eq. Assoc. Prof.) in Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering, Chair of Health and Safety and International Exchange Coordinator after working as a Lead Process Engineer at Emerald Energy.
Blanca studied Chemical Engineering at the Universidad de Cantabria (Spain), Environmental Chemistry at Coventry University (UK) and completed a MSc in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment at Coventry University and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. She joined the Imperial College London (UK) as a Research Associate in 2002 and held academic posts at University College London (UK) and University of Edinburgh where she was promoted to Assoc. Professor in 2011. In 2006 she moved to the Universidad de Cantabria (Spain) to take up the highly competent and prestigious Ramon y Cajal Fellowship to conduct research in environmental remediation. It is worth mention that while she held the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship, she published the paper “Environmental levels, toxicity and human exposure to tributyltin (TBT)-contaminated marine environment. A review” and a sole author, which has attracted a huge international attention with almost 400 citations to date. From initial research on the development of environmental technologies to clean-up aquifers, soils and sediments, Blanca’s research has expanded into the cross-disciplinary aspects of resource recovery, applications and implications of emerging technologies (i.e., nanotechnology) in the water and waste sectors. This has led to funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, H2020 Work Programme amongst others. Blanca has published over 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences and has edited the book “Water Production and Wastewater Treatment” (ISBN: 978-1-61728-503-5) in 2011 (h-index=20). Her innovative approach has been recognised through various international awards such as the Lady Davis Prize (Canada), Rieger JNF Fellowship in Environmental Studies (USA), Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (Spain), Water Engineering Award (UK) and most recently she has become a Fellow of the Young Academy of Scotland.
Blanca's work has had a strong international focus. In addition to time spent working in Israel, Spain, and the UK, she has worked on collaborative projects in Portugal, Chile, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Cambodia, China and India. Blanca is a member of the International Water Association (IWA)since 2004, Secretary of the Specialist Group (SG) in Nano and Water – Application of Nanoparticles, Nanoengineered Materials and Nanotechnology; Member of the Management Committee of the Environmental Engineering Education SG, and previously Member of the Sanitation Connection SG and Young Water Professional. Blanca is a member of the Editorial Board for the international journals ‘Environment International’ (Elsevier; IF=5.9), ‘Water Science and Technology’ (IWA; IF=1.2), ‘Environmental Technology and Innovation’ (Elsevier; IF=0.2) and ‘WST: Water Supply’ (IWA; IF=1.2)edit
The ability of Phragmites australis to take up heavy metals (Co, Ni, Mo, Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Hg) and other trace elements (As, Se, Ba), from estuarine sediments was investigated using a pilot plant experimental approach.... more
The ability of Phragmites australis to take up heavy metals (Co, Ni, Mo, Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Hg) and other trace elements (As, Se, Ba), from estuarine sediments was investigated using a pilot plant experimental approach. Bioaccumulation (BCF) and translocation factors (TF) were calculated in vegetative and senescence periods for two populations of P. australis, from contaminated (MIC) and non-contaminated (GAL) estuarine sediments, respectively, both growing in estuarine contaminated sediment (RIA) from ría del Carmen y Boo, Santander Bay, Spain. The highest BCF values were obtained for Ni (0.43), Ba (0.43) Mo (0.36), Cr (0.35) and Cd (0.31) for plants collected from site GAL following the senescence period. The highest BCF values recorded for plants collected from MIC following the senescence period were for Mo (0.22) and Cu (0.22). Following senescence, plants collected from GAL and MIC presented TF>1 for Ni, Mo, Se and Zn, and in addition plants collected from MIC presented TF>1 for Ba, Cr and Mn. A substantial increase of Micedo's rhizosphere, six times higher than Galizano's rhizosphere, suggested adaptation to contaminated sediment. The evaluated communities of P. australis demonstrated their suitability for phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated estuarine sediments.
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The interview Awards Information YWP Events About the YWP 6 Around the World Welcome to the second edition of the YWP Newsletter. Over the last six months Adrian Puigarnau and the YWP Committee has worked tirelessly to implement the many... more
The interview Awards Information YWP Events About the YWP 6 Around the World Welcome to the second edition of the YWP Newsletter. Over the last six months Adrian Puigarnau and the YWP Committee has worked tirelessly to implement the many initiatives of the YWP Programme and we are starting to see the fruits of these labours. Our recent YWP member's survey has furthermore given us invaluable feedback on ways that we can continually improve the YWP Programme. As you may be aware the YWP Programme is now recognised within the governance structure of IWA and we are now represented at meetings of the IWA Board as well as the Strategic Council, so we rely on this feedback to ensure that the Programme has a voice within the organisation and remains relevant to its members. At the IWA "Meeting Tomorrow's Challenges" workshop in Pretoria, South Africa in February we launched our alliance with IWA's Global Development Solutions Programme and since then the response we ha...
A world of opportunities working in the international water sector A world of opportunities working in the international water sector Contents
The work investigated concentration of trace metals in surface sediments (0-10cm; < 63μm grain size) from 15 sampling sites of diverse environmental stresses covering Hugli River Estuary (HRE) and Sundarban Mangrove... more
The work investigated concentration of trace metals in surface sediments (0-10cm; < 63μm grain size) from 15 sampling sites of diverse environmental stresses covering Hugli River Estuary (HRE) and Sundarban Mangrove Wetland (SMW), eastern coastal part of India. The trace metal concentrations in sediments exhibited an overall decreasing trend as follows: Cr (21.2-60.9)>Cu (11.60-102.47)>Ni (19.10-52.60)>Pb (7.09-183.88)>As (4.41-11.46)>Cd (0.02-4.4)>Ag (0.02-0.87). Both the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF) values revealed significant pollution by Ag, Cd and Pb at Nurpur of HRE. Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI) (61.21±112.40) showed wide range of variations from low (19.76) to serious (463.20) ecological risk. A positive significant correlation was found between metals and organic carbon in sediments. The ecological risk associated with the trace metals in sediment was considered on the consensus based Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). The work suggests that the trace metals present in sediments posed adverse effects on the sediment-dwelling organisms.
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The biodegradation of 16 USEPA-listed PAHs (SigmaPAHs) during simulated in-vessel composting-bioremediation of an aged coal-tar-contaminated soil amended with fresh green waste compost (FGWC) collected from two landfill sites in the... more
The biodegradation of 16 USEPA-listed PAHs (SigmaPAHs) during simulated in-vessel composting-bioremediation of an aged coal-tar-contaminated soil amended with fresh green waste compost (FGWC) collected from two landfill sites in the United Kingdom (UK) were studied over 56 days. The experimental design compared three constant temperature profiles (TC=38, 55 and 70 degrees C) with one variable temperature profile including treatment at 70 degrees C to comply with regulatory requirements (TP1). The highest disappearance of SigmaPAHs was observed in the soil amended with FGWC (53.2% and 48.1% SigmaPAHs disappearance in soil amended with FGWC-Site 1 and FGWC-Site 2, respectively) containing lower initial organic mater (TOM) (Initial TOM(FGWC-Site 1)=25.6+/-0.6%<Initial TOM(FGWC-Site 2)=32.5+/-0.1%). Compared with previous investigations, higher disappearance of SigmaPAHs occurred when the same coal-tar soil was amended with fresh green waste (56.0% SigmaPAHs disappearance in soil ame...
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Kinetics of biodegradation of chlorophenols were studied in six sandy aquifer columns (0.06 m I.D.; 1.00 m L). Remediation of chlorophenols was enhanced by using a "closed-loop" configuration system, where local groundwater was... more
Kinetics of biodegradation of chlorophenols were studied in six sandy aquifer columns (0.06 m I.D.; 1.00 m L). Remediation of chlorophenols was enhanced by using a "closed-loop" configuration system, where local groundwater was recirculated through the polluted site in a controlled manner. Consecutive accidental spills of phenol, 2-monochlorophenol (2-MCP) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) as single pollutants were removed following first order kinetics. The removal of chlorophenols increased by one order of magnitude following consecutive accidental spills demonstrating adaptation of the resident micro flora. The biodegradation rate constants in this study were in the same range and agreed with those reported in the literature for biodegradation in aerobic aquifers. Following the fate of the resident micro flora (enhanced by adding NH4Cl and KH2PO4 at a ratio C/N/P equal to 120:10:1), biomass growth was observed in the sandy aquifer columns and particle size analyses ...
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Research Interests: Environmental Engineering, Kinetics, Population Dynamics, Waste Management, Bacteria, and 11 moreTemperature, Activation Energy, First-Order Logic, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Contaminated soil, Theoretical Models, Moisture Content, Bioreactors, Microbial Activity, and Soil Pollutants
Research Interests: Engineering, Soil, Fungi, Experimental Design, Fatty acids, and 16 moreGram Positive, Bacteria, Humic Substances, Temperature, Hazardous Materials, Fulvic acid, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Contaminated soil, Gram-negative bacteria, Hazardous, Bioreactors, Microbial Activity, Coal Tar, Microbial Community Structure, and Soil Pollutants
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In-vessel composting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in contaminated soil from a manufactured gas plant site was investigated over 98 days using laboratory-scale in-vessel composting reactors. The composting reactors... more
In-vessel composting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in contaminated soil from a manufactured gas plant site was investigated over 98 days using laboratory-scale in-vessel composting reactors. The composting reactors were operated at 18 different operational conditions using a 3-factor factorial design with three temperatures (T, 38 degrees C, 55 degrees C and 70 degrees C), four soil to green waste ratios (S:GW, 0.6:1, 0.7:1, 0.8:1 and 0.9:1 on a dry weight basis) and three moisture contents (MC, 40%, 60% and 80%). PAH losses followed first order kinetics reaching 0.015 day(-1) at optimal operational conditions. A factor analysis of the 18 different operational conditions under investigation indicated that the optimal operational conditions for degradation of PAHs occurred at MC 60%, S:GW 0.8:1 and T 38 degrees C. Thus, it is recommended to maintain operational conditions during in-vessel composting of PAH-solid waste close to these values.
Research Interests: Soil, Kinetics, Environmental Pollution, Multidisciplinary, Factorial Design, and 14 moreSolid waste, Humic Substances, Temperature, First-Order Logic, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Contaminated soil, Time Factors, Humidity, Operant Conditioning, Moisture Content, Industrial Waste, Coal Tar, and Soil Pollutants
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Abstract Soil bioremediation is a complex and costly process that aims to restore contaminated sites to environmentally sustainable conditions using microorganisms. The process relies upon the ability of microorganisms to degrade organic... more
Abstract Soil bioremediation is a complex and costly process that aims to restore contaminated sites to environmentally sustainable conditions using microorganisms. The process relies upon the ability of microorganisms to degrade organic molecules, but it also depends on the microorganisms coming into contact with the contaminants, and the environment in the contaminated soil being conducive to the survival of the bacteria. A wide variety of techniques have been developed to ensure that these latter two constraints are ...
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Five different genotypic cultivars of Ipomoea aquatica commonly grown in Southeast Asia were cultivated to investigate their accumulation variation of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and their potential for phytoremediation of three soils... more
Five different genotypic cultivars of Ipomoea aquatica commonly grown in Southeast Asia were cultivated to investigate their accumulation variation of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and their potential for phytoremediation of three soils contaminated with DBP (4.5, 10.3 and 22.5 mgkg− 1). The results indicated different cultivar tolerance to DBP. DBP concentration in the shoots of the cultivars and residual DBP concentration in the soil were proportional to initial DBP concentrations in the soil and significantly different with different genotypic cultivars, ...
This chapter will provide a comprehensive review of research on the use of landfill covers for the minimization of the emissions of the green-house-gas CH4. Traditionally, municipal solid waste (MSW) has been buried in landfills, and its... more
This chapter will provide a comprehensive review of research on the use of landfill covers for the minimization of the emissions of the green-house-gas CH4. Traditionally, municipal solid waste (MSW) has been buried in landfills, and its biodegradable fractions decomposed via a complex series of biotic and abiotic reactions, producing mainly methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). CH4 has a global warming potential 23 times higher than CO2, and the largest source of CH4 emission is from landfill ...
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Since early 1900s, with the beginning of mining operations and especially in the last decade, small, although repetitive spills of fuel oil had occurred frequently in the Chilean mining desert industry during reparation and maintenance of... more
Since early 1900s, with the beginning of mining operations and especially in the last decade, small, although repetitive spills of fuel oil had occurred frequently in the Chilean mining desert industry during reparation and maintenance of machinery, as well as casual accidents. Normally, soils and sawdust had been used as cheap readily available sorbent materials of spills of fuel oil, consisting of complex mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Chilean legislation considers these fuel oil contaminated mixtures of soil and sawdust as hazardous wastes, and thus they must be contained. It remains unknown whether it would be feasible to clean-up Chilean desert soils with high salinity and metal content, historically polluted with different commercial fuel oil, and contained during years. Thus, this study evaluated the feasibility of aerated in-vessel composting at a laboratory scale as a bioremediation technology to clean-up contaminated desert mining soils (fuel concentration > 50,000 mg kg−1) and sawdust (fuel concentration > 225,000 mg kg−1) in the Atacama Region. The composting reactors were operated using five soil to sawdust ratios (S:SD, 1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1, on a dry weight basis) under mesophilic temperatures (30–40 °C), constant moisture content (MC, 50%) and continuous aeration (16 l min−1) during 56 days. Fuel oil concentration and physico-chemical changes in the composting reactors were monitored following standard procedures. The highest (59%) and the lowest (35%) contaminant removals were observed in the contaminated sawdust and contaminated soil reactors after 56 days of treatment, respectively. The S:SD ratio, time of treatment and interaction between both factors had a significant effect (p < 0.050) on the contaminant removal. The results of this research indicate that bioremediation of an aged contaminated mixture of desert mining soil and sawdust with fuel oil is feasible. This study recommends a S:SD ratio 1:3 and a correct nutrient balance in order to achieve a maximum overall hydrocarbon removal of fuel oil in the weathered and aged contaminated wastes.