Introducing the PhD themes of our young researchers - Elvira Colmenarejo Calero
The Occurrence and Transport of Microplastics in Groundwater
Elvira Colmenarejo Calero graduated in Environmental Sciences from the University of Madrid, Spain. She then went on to complete a Master's degree in Water Management at the University of Cádiz, where she specialised in the exploitation, maintenance and management of water facilities and services. Elvira's PhD thesis studies the presence and transport of microplastics in groundwater in Slovenia, with a focus on inter-granular and karst aquifers. Using innovative monitoring and tracking methods, she investigates the occurrence of microplastics in groundwater and analyses their transport through the gravel unsaturated zone. The study follows a two-step approach: field sampling and chemical analysis of microplastic particles in Slovenian aquifers, and controlled tracer experiments in lysimeters to assess transport factors influencing microplastic movement. The results will contribute to a better understanding of microplastic contamination of groundwater and to the development of standardised methods for its detection and monitoring.
The supervisors of the PhD thesis are Dr Nina Mali and Dr Manca Kovač Viršek.