The Facsa Chair of Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló held its sixth annual awards ceremony today, recognizing the best academic research applied to the integrated water cycle. The ceremony was presided over by the Mayor of Benicàssim, Susana Marqués; the Director of the Facsa-UJI Chair, Sergio Chiva; the General Director of Facsa, José Claramonte; and Jesús Lancis, Vice-Rector for Research at the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón.
During her speech, Claramonte congratulated the award winners and thanked them for their interest in addressing the challenges posed by the chair. She also highlighted the work of the chair, which, “in addition to meeting expectations in the field of research and innovation, has simultaneously developed socio-cultural initiatives that emphasize water as an essential and critical resource for the development of activity.”.
This event served to analyze future challenges in water management in Spain through a guest of honor, Teodoro Estrela, Director General of Water at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. In this regard, it is worth noting that this year, as a new feature, the first edition of the Hereter Award was held—its objective being to recognize outstanding careers—and Estrela was the first recipient for his significant contribution to the sector.
His presentation was followed by a round table discussion in which the Director General of Water at the Ministry was joined by Ignacio Sangüesa, Head of the Infrastructure Department of the Castellón Provincial Council, José Claramonte, and Sergio Chiva. During this discussion, they delved into important topics in the sector such as the circular economy, water governance, and artificial intelligence.
As for the award winners, this year's competition has recognized outstanding young researchers such as Laura Flores Rosell in the Doctoral Thesis category for her work "Constructed wetlands for winery wastewater treatment. Sustainability and circular economy in the wine sector"; Emma Company Masó in the Master's Thesis category for her project "Recovery of k-struvite from the liquid fraction of pig slurry treated through nitrification-denitrification"; and Rocío López Rodríguez for her Bachelor's Thesis "Energy valorization of waste within the framework of the circular economy: development of anaerobic biodegradability tests".
Once again, this initiative has reaffirmed Facsa's commitment to research, innovation, and knowledge transfer related to the integrated water cycle.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that the event, moderated by Marta Fullera, a journalist from Onda Cero in Castellón, brought together representatives from the main public administrations, companies and associations of the province.
