Water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth, and fresh, non-contaminated water can be a finite resource. So, concern for proper management of watersheds is justified. The Water Framework Directive specifically expresses concern about the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems located near the coast and estuaries and the quality of inland waters where they abound.

The activities carried out focus on i) modeling tools for water quality management in river basins, enabling the prediction of allowable pollution loads and predicting impacts on water uses and ecosystems; ii) methodologies for selecting indicator contaminants of emerging concern in the case of reuse of reclaimed water for irrigation; iii) innovative methods to assess the occurrence, impact, and removal of pollutants, in real environmental compartments, contributing to water sustainability with close collaboration of water management entities.

Funding from GIATEX supports the research on new adsorbents and coagulants obtained from plant residues with a research trainee contract with Ricardo Ferreira. Isabella Tomasi is a PhD student financed by FCT and working on the subject. Several textile industries (e.g. ACATEL, AQUIATEX, ESTAMPARIADALBERTO, RIOPEL, RIFEL, SOMELOS, TINAMAR, TINTEX) are involved in the Project.

Major projects in this research area include:

• Water Quality & Modelling
• Water Pollution Prevention, Mitigation & Sustainability