Cristina Álvarez Alonso

@umh.es

Department of Agrochemistry and Environment
Miguel Hernández University

Cristina Álvarez Alonso


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https://researchid.co/alvarezalonsocristina

EDUCATION

- Graduate in Environmental Sciences (Extraordinary Prize for the best academic record)
- Master's Degree in Management, Treatment and Recovery of Organic Waste
7

Scopus Publications

43

Scholar Citations

4

Scholar h-index

2

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Effectiveness of composts from decentralised composting scenarios to promote degraded soil restoration and R. officinalis drought resilience
    Chiara De Carolis, Anna Barra Caracciolo, Cristina Álvarez-Alonso, Maria Angeles Bustamante, Paola Grenni, Ludovica Rolando, Alessandra Narciso, Isabel Nogués
    New Biotechnology, 2026
    Soil degradation and water scarcity affect crop productivity and ecosystem resilience. Biotechnological strategies based on organic waste valorisation offer promising tools for restoring soil fertility and increasing stress tolerance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of four composts produced under different decentralized composting schemes: community (CA), decentralized urban (SO), small-scale agrocomposting from poultry manure (UP), and medium-scale agrocomposting from olive pomace and pig manure (TO), in improving a degraded soil and enhancing rosemary tolerance to drought. Soil microcosms were set up with a degraded soil and amended with different composts. Half of the microcosms were subjected to well-watered conditions and half to water-stress (75% and 20% of the soil water holding capacity, respectively). Composts promptly increased microbial abundance and dehydrogenase activity. With the TO compost plant grew better than other conditions, presumably due to its phosphorus and labile compound enrichment. Under drought stress, CA and SO composts mitigated biomass losses, demonstrating a protective role against drought-induced stress. Soil amended with pig and poultry-derived composts (TO and UP) introduced antibiotic resistance genes and, in the case of UP, the soil water extracts had significant ecotoxicological effects on both Daphnia magna and Lepidium sativum. In contrast, the CA compost - from organic fraction of municipal solid waste, yard trimmings and donkey manure - displayed the best overall performance, enhancing plant tolerance and soil microbial functionality without ecotoxicological effects. These findings highlight the biotechnological potential of community-scale composting as a circular and effective approach for degraded soil recovery and crop management under water-limited conditions.
  • Impact of composts from decentralized composting models on R. officinalis physiology and nutrient contents under abiotic stress
    C. Álvarez-Alonso, I. Nogues, E. Pallozzi, W. Stefanoni, F. Pietrini, L. Sosa, N. Manrique-Cordoba, M.D. Perez-Murcia, R. Moral, M.A. Bustamante
    Journal of Environmental Management, 2025
    The loss of organic matter in soils, in conjunction with water scarcity and salinization constitutes a grave problem in the Mediterranean region. The utilization of composts derived from novel decentralized models, such as agrocomposting, community composting and decentralized urban composting, is hypothesized as an effective strategy with the potential to enhance the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. The application of compost has been demonstrated to enhance the resilience of plants to abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity. In this context, eight decentralized model composts were employed as organic amendments in a degraded soil to assess whether they could mitigate the stress experienced by the Mediterranean shrub R. officinalis under conditions of drought or salinity for one month. Therefore, measurements of gas exchange, emission of volatile organic compounds and reflectance during stress were performed in order to determine the degree of adaptation of the plants. Composts from community composting were found to be more effective in alleviating the effects of abiotic stress, while the ineffectiveness of composts from decentralized urban composting depended on their characteristics (e.g. humic substances and electrical conductivity). An initial increase in monoterpene emission rates was observed, which decreased at the end of the experimental time in a positive correlation with leaf RWC. Stress also led to a reduction in photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (gs). Reflectance was more affected under drought conditions and by the application of compost with a high electrical conductivity, which likely hindered chlorophyll synthesis. Thus, the present results have enabled the selection of appropriate composts for utilization in agriculture under stress conditions considering plant biomass values and compost characteristics (EC, humic substances content, and the K/Na ratio).
  • Agronomic Use of Urban Composts from Decentralized Composting Scenarios: Implications for a Horticultural Crop and Soil Properties
    Cristina Álvarez-Alonso, María Dolores Pérez-Murcia, Natalia Manrique, F. Javier Andreu-Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel Mira-Urios, Ignacio Irigoyen, Marga López, Luciano Orden, Raúl Moral, Isabel Nogués, María Ángeles Bustamante
    Agronomy, 2025
    Circular economy in the context of municipal organic waste management has boosted the emergence of novel composting scenarios, such as community composting and decentralized urban composting in small installations, which favors localized management and valorization of organic waste streams. However, there is little information about the agronomic use of the composts obtained from these new organic waste management systems as an alternative for inorganic fertilization in crop production. In this work, municipal solid waste-derived composts from two decentralized composting scenarios (CM1 and CM2 from community composting, and CM3 and CM4 from decentralized urban small-scale composting plants) were applied and mixed in the top layer of a calcareous clayey-loam soil to assess their effects as alternative substitutes for conventional soil inorganic fertilization (IN) during two successive cultivation cycles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in pots with the amended soils. These treatments were also compared with an organic waste (goat–rabbit manure, E) and a control treatment without fertilization (B). The effects of the fertilizing treatments on the crop yield and quality, as well as on the properties of the soil considered were studied. In general, the application of the different composts did not produce negative effects on lettuce yield and quality. The compost-derived fertilization showed similar lettuce yields compared to the inorganic and manure-derived fertilizations (IN and E, respectively), and higher yields than the soil without amendment (B), with increases in the initial yield values of B, for the first cycle from 34.2% for CM1 to 53.8% for CM3, and from 20.3% for CM3 to 92.4% for CM1 in the second cycle. Furthermore, the organically amended soils showed a better crop development, obtaining higher values than the control treatment in the parameters studied. In addition, the incorporation of the organic treatments improved the soil characteristics, leading to 1.3 and 1.2 times higher organic matter contents in the soils with CM2 and in the soils with CM1, CM3, and E, respectively, compared to the control soil without fertilizing treatment (B), and 2.0 and 1.8 times greater organic matter contents, respectively, compared to soil with inorganic fertilization (IN). Therefore, the use of municipal solid waste-derived composts from these new organic waste management systems, such as the decentralized composting scenarios studied (community composting and urban decentralized small-scale composting plants), is presented, not only as a sustainable valorization method, but also as an alternative for the use of inorganic fertilizers in lettuce cultivation, while enhancing soil properties, contributing to increasing the circularity of agriculture.
  • Integrated Biowaste Management by Composting at a University Campus: Process Monitoring and Quality Assessment
    Cristina Álvarez-Alonso, María Dolores Pérez-Murcia, Encarnación Martínez-Sabater, Ignacio Irigoyen, Joseba Sánchez-Arizmendiarrieta, Ramón Plana, Marga López, Isabel Nogués, María Ángeles Bustamante
    Applied Sciences Switzerland, 2025
    The sustainable management of biowaste, mainly food and pruning waste, is currently a challenge due to the increase in its production. The CaMPuSTAJE program, which has been implemented on the campus of the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) since 2019, is an excellent example of how the institution is addressing its strategic interests in sustainable waste management. The principal aim of this program is to manage the biowastes generated by the campus canteens through a simple community composting facility, involving UPNA students and graduates. This program aims to promote experiential learning and applied research in sustainability and circular economy, managing their own waste in a circular and local way. Thus, four composting sets of the CaMPuSTAJE program were evaluated by monitoring the process and the main chemical properties of the composting samples. Also, final composts were fully characterized to ensure the process reproducibility and efficiency and the absence of any hazard in the end-products. The final composts showed a significant agronomic quality, had low content of potentially toxic elements, and were free from phytotoxicity, thus being able to be reintroduced as an organic amendment at the university campus itself.
  • Effects of sulfamethoxazole and copper on the natural microbial community from a fertilized soil
    Alessandra Narciso, Paola Grenni, Francesca Spataro, Chiara De Carolis, Jasmin Rauseo, Luisa Patrolecco, Gian Luigi Garbini, Ludovica Rolando, Maria Adelaide Iannelli, Maria Angeles Bustamante, Cristina Alvarez-Alonso, Anna Barra Caracciolo
    Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2024
    Cattle manure or its digestate, which often contains antibiotic residues, can be used as an organic fertilizer and copper (Cu) as a fungicide in agriculture. Consequently, both antibiotics and Cu are considered soil contaminants. In this work, microcosms were performed with soil amended with either manure or digestate with Cu and an antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole, SMX) co-presence and the planting of Lactuca sativa. After the addition of the organic amendments, a prompt increase in the microbial activity and at the same time of the sul1 and intI1 genes was observed, although ARGs generally decreased over time. In the amended and spiked microcosms, the microbial community was able to remove more than 99% of SMX in 36 days and the antibiotic did not bioaccumulate in the lettuce. Interestingly, where Cu and SMX were co-present, ARGs (particularly sul2) increased, showing how copper had a strong effect on resistance persistence in the soil. Copper also had a detrimental effect on the plant-microbiome system, affecting plant biomass and microbial activity in all conditions except in a digestate presence. When adding digestate microbial activity, biodiversity and lettuce biomass increased, with or without copper present. Not only did the microbial community favour plant growth, but lettuce also positively influenced its composition by increasing bacterial diversity and classes (e.g., Alphaproteobacteria) and genera (e.g., Bacillus), thus indicating a good-quality soil. KEY POINTS: • Cattle digestate promoted the highest microbial activity, diversity, and plant growth • Cattle digestate counteracted detrimental contaminant effects • Cu presence promoted antibiotic cross-resistance in soil.
  • Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Decentralized Composting Scenario: Assessment of the Process Reproducibility and Quality of the Obtained Composts
    Cristina Álvarez-Alonso, María Dolores Pérez-Murcia, Silvia Sánchez-Méndez, Encarnación Martínez-Sabater, Ignacio Irigoyen, Marga López, Isabel Nogués, Concepción Paredes, Luciano Orden, Ana García-Rández, María Ángeles Bustamante
    Agronomy, 2024
    Over the last several years, the models for organic waste management have changed to implement circular economy in the productive cycle. In this context, new scenarios have emerged, where the management of different organic waste streams by composting is conducted with decentralized models that manage organic wastes in a more local way. However, in these new models, the standardization of the process control and of the end-product characteristics is necessary to guarantee the quality and agronomic value of the compost obtained, avoiding potential risks for human health and the environment. Thus, the aim of this work was to study two different scenarios of community composting of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste separately collected in order to guarantee the effectiveness and reproducibility of the composting processes and the quality of the composts obtained. For this, the development of the process and the characteristics of the composts at agronomic, hygienic–sanitary and environmental levels were assessed in real conditions and during three cycles of the process. The results obtained show high similarity among the different composting cycles, indicating an important degree of reproducibility among the processes. In addition, the composts obtained showed a good sanitary quality, absence of phytotoxicity and low contents of potentially toxic elements, which guarantee their use in agriculture without posing any risk to human health and to the environment.
  • Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralisation in Soils and Nutrient Efficiency of Digestates from Fruit and Vegetable Wastes
    Cristina Álvarez-Alonso, Rafael Clemente, María Pilar Bernal
    Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2022
    A significant amount of fruit and vegetable wastes is generated annually in markets, supermarkets, restaurants and households. Anaerobic digestion allows their appropriate management and helps to complete the cycle of the circular economy as it converts wastes into resources: biogas, a renewable source of energy, and digestate, rich in nutrients of interest for agriculture. The aim of this study was to define the agronomic value of digestate from fruit and vegetable wastes. Two digestates from fruit and vegetable residues were used in incubation experiments for C and N mineralisation in the soil, and in a pot experiment with crops (cardoon and maize), to calculate their fertiliser potential in comparison with a mineral fertiliser. The digestate quickly mineralised in the soil and nitrification processes led to fast formation of NO3−-N. However, increasing the digestate application rate enhanced N-immobilisation and reduced N-mineralisation in the soil. The addition of digestates to the soil resulted in adequate plant growth and nutrient composition, without any negative effects on the plants or soil. However, special attention should be paid to the salt accumulation in the soil for long-term digestate application. The nutrient recovery efficiency indicated that digestate could replace mineral fertiliser completely in cardoon crops and partially (44.5–82.6%) for maize, with an associated economic benefit. The salinity of the digestates limits their quality and their agricultural use to salt-sensitive crops should be limited.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Assessment of Composted Pig Slurry Pellets as a Sustainable Nitrogen Supply: Soil Properties and Wheat Performance in Mediterranean Farming
    J Aviñó-Calero, S Sánchez-Méndez, L Orden, E Santateresa, ...
    Nitrogen 7 (2), 41 , 2026
    2026.0
  • Effectiveness of composts from decentralised composting scenarios to promote degraded soil restoration and R. officinalis drought resilience
    BC Anna, ÁA Cristina, BM Ángeles, G Paola, R Ludovica, N Alessandra, ...
    New Biotechnology , 2026
    2026.0
  • Impact of composts from decentralized composting models on R. officinalis physiology and nutrient contents under abiotic stress
    C Álvarez-Alonso, I Nogues, E Pallozzi, W Stefanoni, F Pietrini, L Sosa, ...
    Journal of Environmental Management 392, 126935 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 1
  • Agronomic use of urban composts from decentralized composting scenarios: implications for a horticultural crop and soil properties
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, N Manrique, FJ Andreu-Rodríguez, ...
    Agronomy 15 (7), 1520 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 3
  • Integrated biowaste management by composting at a university campus: Process monitoring and quality assessment
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, E Martínez-Sabater, I Irigoyen, ...
    Applied Sciences 15 (6), 2910 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 5
  • New composting scenarios for municipal organic waste management in the circular economy framework: evaluation of the processes and quality of the final composts
    CA Álvarez Alonso
    Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche , 2025
    2025.0
  • Effects of sulfamethoxazole and copper on the natural microbial community from a fertilized soil
    A Narciso, P Grenni, F Spataro, C De Carolis, J Rauseo, L Patrolecco, ...
    Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 108 (1), 516 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 6
  • Aplicación agronómica de compost procedentes de compostaje comunitario y urbano descentralizado en el cultivo de lechuga I: obtención de compost
    C Álvarez-Alonso, N Manrique, MD Pérez-Murcia, S Sánchez-Méndez, ...
    Jornadas de los grupos de trabajo de horticultura, alimentación y salud … , 2024
    2024.0
  • Municipal solid waste management in a decentralized composting scenario: assessment of the process reproducibility and quality of the obtained composts
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, S Sánchez-Méndez, ...
    Agronomy 14 (1), 54 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 12
  • Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Decentralized Composting Scenario: Assessment of the Process Reproducibility and Quality of the Obtained Composts
    M Pérez Murcia, C Álvarez Alonso, S Sánchez Méndez, ...
    MDPI , 2023
    2023.0
  • Carbon and nitrogen mineralisation in soils and nutrient efficiency of digestates from fruit and vegetable wastes
    C Alvarez-Alonso, R Clemente, MP Bernal
    Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 22 (4), 4473-4486 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 12
  • Caracterización de materiales iniciales en nuevos modelos de compostaje: agrocompostaje, compostaje comunitario y compostaje urbano descentralizado
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Perez-Murcia, C Gómez, E Martínez-Sabater, ...
    Compostaje: Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible, 276-279 , 2022
    2022.0
  • Aplicación agronómica de digeridos procedentes de residuos de frutas y verduras
    C Álvarez Alonso
    2021.0
    Citations: 4
  • Agronomic use of compost from decentralised urban composting models in lettuce production: yield and crop development
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, N Manrique, E Martínez-Sabater, ...
  • La gestión de los residuos orgánicos municipales en el entorno de la economía circular: evaluación del proceso y calidad de los compost obtenidos en zonas rurales de la …
    C Álvarez-Alonso, C Gómez, E Martínez-Sabater, E Agulló, ...

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Municipal solid waste management in a decentralized composting scenario: assessment of the process reproducibility and quality of the obtained composts
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, S Sánchez-Méndez, ...
    Agronomy 14 (1), 54 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 12
  • Carbon and nitrogen mineralisation in soils and nutrient efficiency of digestates from fruit and vegetable wastes
    C Alvarez-Alonso, R Clemente, MP Bernal
    Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 22 (4), 4473-4486 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 12
  • Effects of sulfamethoxazole and copper on the natural microbial community from a fertilized soil
    A Narciso, P Grenni, F Spataro, C De Carolis, J Rauseo, L Patrolecco, ...
    Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 108 (1), 516 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 6
  • Integrated biowaste management by composting at a university campus: Process monitoring and quality assessment
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, E Martínez-Sabater, I Irigoyen, ...
    Applied Sciences 15 (6), 2910 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 5
  • Aplicación agronómica de digeridos procedentes de residuos de frutas y verduras
    C Álvarez Alonso
    2021.0
    Citations: 4
  • Agronomic use of urban composts from decentralized composting scenarios: implications for a horticultural crop and soil properties
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, N Manrique, FJ Andreu-Rodríguez, ...
    Agronomy 15 (7), 1520 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 3
  • Impact of composts from decentralized composting models on R. officinalis physiology and nutrient contents under abiotic stress
    C Álvarez-Alonso, I Nogues, E Pallozzi, W Stefanoni, F Pietrini, L Sosa, ...
    Journal of Environmental Management 392, 126935 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 1
  • Assessment of Composted Pig Slurry Pellets as a Sustainable Nitrogen Supply: Soil Properties and Wheat Performance in Mediterranean Farming
    J Aviñó-Calero, S Sánchez-Méndez, L Orden, E Santateresa, ...
    Nitrogen 7 (2), 41 , 2026
    2026.0
  • Effectiveness of composts from decentralised composting scenarios to promote degraded soil restoration and R. officinalis drought resilience
    BC Anna, ÁA Cristina, BM Ángeles, G Paola, R Ludovica, N Alessandra, ...
    New Biotechnology , 2026
    2026.0
  • New composting scenarios for municipal organic waste management in the circular economy framework: evaluation of the processes and quality of the final composts
    CA Álvarez Alonso
    Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche , 2025
    2025.0
  • Aplicación agronómica de compost procedentes de compostaje comunitario y urbano descentralizado en el cultivo de lechuga I: obtención de compost
    C Álvarez-Alonso, N Manrique, MD Pérez-Murcia, S Sánchez-Méndez, ...
    Jornadas de los grupos de trabajo de horticultura, alimentación y salud … , 2024
    2024.0
  • Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Decentralized Composting Scenario: Assessment of the Process Reproducibility and Quality of the Obtained Composts
    M Pérez Murcia, C Álvarez Alonso, S Sánchez Méndez, ...
    MDPI , 2023
    2023.0
  • Caracterización de materiales iniciales en nuevos modelos de compostaje: agrocompostaje, compostaje comunitario y compostaje urbano descentralizado
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Perez-Murcia, C Gómez, E Martínez-Sabater, ...
    Compostaje: Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible, 276-279 , 2022
    2022.0
  • Agronomic use of compost from decentralised urban composting models in lettuce production: yield and crop development
    C Álvarez-Alonso, MD Pérez-Murcia, N Manrique, E Martínez-Sabater, ...
  • La gestión de los residuos orgánicos municipales en el entorno de la economía circular: evaluación del proceso y calidad de los compost obtenidos en zonas rurales de la …
    C Álvarez-Alonso, C Gómez, E Martínez-Sabater, E Agulló, ...