Environmental Engineering, Multidisciplinary, General Physics and Astronomy
56
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Post-fire short-term treatments on a hillslope burnt soil: a case in the NW Iberian Atlantic transition region M. Fernández-Raga, S. Alcalde-Aparicio, F. Serrano-Bernardo, A. Kavian, A. Cerda, J. Rodrigo-Comino Small Scale Forestry, 2026 Forest fires pose a significant threat to rural areas, affecting ecosystems, property, infrastructure, and human lives. Effective post-fire management strategies are crucial for short-term ecosystem and community recovery. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three post-fire interventions in reducing soil erosion and runoff within a temperate Atlantic–transition climate, focusing on a shrubland hillslope near organic vineyards in Corullón, NW Spain, after a moderate-severity fire. The research aimed to (i) compare the effects of plowing, straw mulching, and no intervention (control) on post-fire soil recovery, and (ii) assess the cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts of these treatments. Ten experimental plots were randomly assigned to plowing (n = 4), straw mulching (n = 4), or control (n = 2). Seventeen rainfall events were monitored between 15 days and six months post-fire. Results showed no significant differences in erosion or runoff reduction among treatments. Natural vegetation recovery, assessed visually, was rapid across all plots, with erosion and runoff stabilizing within two months. These findings suggest that, under the specific conditions of this temperate climate and moderate fire severity, early intervention techniques may not be necessary. The study concludes that natural regeneration can be a viable and cost-effective post-fire management strategy in regions with favorable environmental conditions for soil recovery, potentially reducing the need for intensive interventions.
Spectral characterization for the evaluation of a protective coating on dolomite by visible and near infrared spectroscopy David González-Campelo, Víctor Calvo, Indira Rodríguez, Gabriel Búrdalo-Salcedo, José Miguel González-Domínguez, María Fernández-Raga Applied Surface Science Advances, 2025 Calcareous heritage stones are essential to the European cultural heritage but vulnerable to weathering that compromises their structural and aesthetic integrity. Graphene oxide (GO) emerges a promising protective coating, enhancing resistance to climatic aggressions while preserving the stone’s appearance and reducing restoration costs. To ensure effective application and to monitor durability, rapid and consistent on-site analytical methods are needed. This study evaluates infrared spectroscopy as a non-destructive and reliable tool for the characterization and quantification of GO coatings applied to dolomite stones coming from two different Spanish quarries. Using a partial least squares regression, spectral data enabled accurate assessment of the coating presence, concentration (which was tested in the range from 0 to 16.5 µg·cm⁻²), and uniformity. This work establishes vibrational spectroscopy as a powerful in situ technique for monitoring protective coatings on heritage stones, providing a measurable and reliable framework to safeguard cultural assets against environmental degradation.
Integrated Approach to Assess Simulated Rainfall Uniformity and Energy-Related Parameters for Erosion Studies Roberto Caruso, Maria Angela Serio, Gabriel Búrdalo-Salcedo, Francesco Giuseppe Carollo, Almudena Ortiz-Marqués, Vito Ferro, María Fernández-Raga Water Switzerland, 2025 Rainfall simulators are crucial devices in erosion research, enabling the controlled reproduction of precipitation characteristics for both laboratory and field investigations. This study presents a comprehensive characterization of a rainfall simulator originally designed to assess the erosive effects of precipitation on heritage surfaces. The simulator, installed at the University of León, was evaluated using volumetric methods and disdrometric techniques, employing a Parsivel2 optical disdrometer. Simulations were conducted with a falling height of 10 m and high-intensity rainfalls. Spatial uniformity was assessed through thematic mapping and the Christiansen Uniformity (CU) coefficient, revealing limited uniformity across the full wetted area, but an improved performance within the central zone (CU up to 80%). Disdrometric data provided detailed insights into drop size and velocity distributions, enabling the estimation of rainfall intensity, kinetic energy, and momentum, as well as the spatial uniformity of the energetic parameters. Empirical models to estimate the raindrop’s fall velocity were tested against disdrometric measurements, confirming the simulator’s ability to generate rainfall with velocity characteristics comparable to those of natural precipitation. Moreover, the findings underscore the importance of integrating multiple measurement approaches to enhance the reliability and accuracy of rainfall simulator characterization.
Classification Framework for Hydrological Resources for Sustainable Hydrogen Production with a Predictive Algorithm for Optimization Mónica Álvarez-Manso, Gabriel Búrdalo-Salcedo, María Fernández-Raga Hydrogen Switzerland, 2025 Given the urgent need to decarbonize the global energy system, green hydrogen has emerged as a key alternative in the transition to renewables. However, its production via electrolysis demands high water quality and raises environmental concerns, particularly regarding reject water discharge. This study employs an experimental and analytical approach to define optimal water characteristics for electrolysis, focusing on conductivity as a key parameter. A pilot water treatment plant with reverse osmosis and electrodeionization (EDI) was designed to simulate industrial-scale pretreatment. Twenty water samples from diverse natural sources (surface and groundwater) were tested, selected for geographical and geological variability. A predictive algorithm was developed and validated to estimate useful versus reject water based on input quality. Three conductivity-based categories were defined: optimal (0–410 µS/cm), moderate (411–900 µS/cm), and restricted (>900 µS/cm). Results show that water quality significantly affects process efficiency, energy use, waste generation, and operating costs. This work offers a technical and regulatory framework for assessing potential sites for green hydrogen plants, recommending avoidance of high-conductivity sources. It also underscores the current regulatory gap regarding reject water treatment, stressing the need for clear environmental guidelines to ensure project sustainability.
Porosity and Permeability in Construction Materials as Key Parameters for Their Durability and Performance: A Review Almudena Ortiz-Marqués, Pablo Caldevilla, Eryk Goldmann, Małgorzata Safuta, María Fernández-Raga, Marcin Górski Buildings, 2025 This review provides a comprehensive examination of porosity and permeability as key parameters governing the durability and performance of construction materials, including natural stone, mortar, concrete, and other cementitious composites. It highlights the pivotal role of pore structure in transport phenomena and degradation mechanisms, examining how the variations in pore architecture, encompassing total vs. effective porosity, pore size distribution, and pore connectivity, dictate a material’s response to environmental stressors. A comparative evaluation of advanced pore characterization techniques is presented, including helium pycnometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), nitrogen adsorption (BET/BJH), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, and imaging methods such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Furthermore, it assesses how these porosity and permeability characteristics influence durability-related processes like freeze–thaw cycling, chloride ingress, sulphate attack, and carbonation. Case studies are discussed in which various additives have been employed to refine the pore structure of cement-based materials, and pervious concrete is highlighted as an example where deliberately high porosity and permeability confer functional benefits (e.g., enhanced drainage). Overall, these insights underscore the importance of tailoring porosity and permeability in material design to enhance durability and sustainability in construction engineering.
Study About the Influence of Diatoms on the Durability of Monumental Limestone Daniel Merino-Maldonado, Rebeca Martínez-García, Víctor Baladrón-Blanco, Jesús de Prado-Gil, Fernando J. Fraile-Fernández, María Fernández-Raga, Covadonga Palencia, Andrés Juan-Valdés Applied Sciences Switzerland, 2025 This study focuses on the evaluation of the effects of a natural treatment of limestone rock samples using microalgae known as diatoms. A total of 18 samples in the form of 50 mm cubes, carved from limestone rock from Boñar (Spain), were analyzed, divided into experimental and control groups with an equal number of samples. Through various tests evaluating porosity, water absorption, frost resistance, and salt crystallization, diatom-treated samples were found to show higher porosity and water absorption compared with the control samples, especially when the entire sample was analyzed as a whole. However, in tests focusing on the surface side most exposed to biodeposition, reduced water absorption was observed in the treated samples, suggesting an improvement in their antiabsorption properties. In addition, slightly higher frost resistance was detected in the treated samples. For this reason, this study provides valuable information on the potential of diatoms to influence the properties of limestone rocks, which can serve as a basis for future research in this field and for the development of more effective treatments to improve the characteristics of rocks used in various applications.
Design, Calibration, and Performance Evaluation of a High-Fidelity Spraying Rainfall Simulator for Soil Erosion Research Vukašin Rončević, Nikola Živanović, Lazar Radulović, Ratko Ristić, Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi, María Fernández-Raga, Sergio A. Prats Water Switzerland, 2025 Rainfall simulators are essential tools in soil research, providing a controlled and repeatable approach to studying rainfall-induced erosion. However, the development of high-fidelity rainfall simulators remains a challenge. This study aimed to design, construct, and calibrate a spraying-type rainfall simulator and validate assessment criteria optimized for soil erosion research. The simulator’s design is based on a modified simulator model previously described in the literature and following the defined criteria. The calibration of the simulator was conducted in two phases, on slopes of 0° and 15°, measuring rainfall intensity, drop size, and its spatial distribution, and calculating drop falling velocity, kinetic energy, and momentum. The simulator consists of structural support, a water tank, a water-moving mechanism, a flow regulation system, and sprayers, contributing to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, durability, rigidity, and stability, ensuring smooth simulator operation. The calibration of the rainfall simulator demonstrated that rainfall intensity increased from 1.4 mm·min−1 to 4.6 mm·min−1 with higher pressure in the hydraulic system (1.0 to 2.0 bar), while spatial uniformity remained within 79–91% across different nozzle configurations. The selected Rain Bird HE-VAN series nozzles proved highly effective in simulating rainfall, achieving drop diameters ranging from 0.8 mm to 1.9 mm, depending on pressure and nozzle type. The rainfall simulator successfully replicates natural rainfall characteristics, offering a controlled environment for investigating soil erosion processes. Drop velocity values varied between 2.5 and 2.9 m·s−1, influencing kinetic energy, which ranged from 0.6 J·min−1·m−2 to 2.9 J·min−1·m−2, and impact momentum, which was measured between 0.005 N·s and 0.032 N·s. The simulator design suggests that it is suitable for future applications in both field and laboratory soil erosion research, ensuring repeatability and adaptability for various experimental conditions. Calibration results emphasized the significance of nozzle selection and water pressure adjustments. These factors significantly affect rainfall intensity, drop size, kinetic energy, and momentum, parameters that are critical for accurate erosion modeling.
Novel Methodology to Assess Salt Movement Between Mortar and Stones from Heritage in Spain Linde Pollet, Andrea Antolín-Rodríguez, Josep Gisbert-Aguilar, Gabriel Búrdalo-Salcedo, Andrés Juan-Valdés, César García-Álvarez, Angel Raga-Martín, Wouter Schroeyers, Víctor Calvo, María Fernández-Raga Materials, 2025 The development of sustainable cementitious materials is crucial to reduce the environmental footprint of the construction industry. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) have emerged as promising environmentally friendly alternatives; however, their compatibility with natural stone in heritage structures remains poorly understood, especially regarding salt migration and related damage to stones. This study presents a novel methodology for assessing salt movement in solid materials between two types of stones—Boñar and Silos—and two types of binders: blended Portland cement (BPC) and an AAM. The samples underwent capillarity and immersion tests to evaluate water absorption, salt transport, and efflorescence behavior. The capillarity of the Silos stone was 0.148 kg·m−2·t−0.5, whereas this was 0.0166 kg·m−2·t−0.5 for the Boñar stone, a ninefold difference. Conductivity mapping and XRD analysis revealed that AAM-based mortars exhibit a significantly higher release of salts, primarily sodium sulfate, which may pose a risk to adjacent porous stones. In contrast, BPC showed lower salt mobility and different salt compositions. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating the compatibility between alternative binders and heritage stones. The use of AAMs may pose significant risks due to their tendency to release soluble salts. Although, in the current experiments, no pore damage or mechanical degradation was observed, additional studies are required to confirm this. A thorough understanding of salt transport mechanisms is therefore essential to ensure that sustainable restoration materials do not inadvertently accelerate the deterioration of structures, a process more problematic when the deterioration affects heritage monuments.
From fields to cities: Innovating assessment of soil quality in Southern Iran's Urban areas Sayyed Mahmoud Enjavinezhad, Seyed Javad Naghibi, Morteza Poozesh Shirazi, Majid Baghernejad, María Fernández-Raga, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino Plos One, 2025 Evaluation of soil quality in urban and peri-urban areas using comparable and reproducible indexes is a necessary step to assess the soil management status and its potential for different uses. The application of quantitative indexes guarantees neutrality and reliability of results, allowing comparisons between areas with similar environmental soil conditions. However, there is no consensus on the application of specific indexes. Therefore, in this research, three indexes (Integrated, Weighted Integrated, and Nemoro´s quality indexes) and two approaches (linear and non-linear methods) were compared to select the most relevant soil properties for evaluating soil quality for different land uses (e.g., agriculture, gardening, parking, rangelands, or bare areas). To this end, an experimental area was selected with a total dataset of 25 physicochemical and biological properties in the Shiraz urban watershed (southern Iran). Nine soil properties were selected using the principal component analysis method as the most informative factors, forming the minimum dataset. The results showed that gardens and bare land had the highest (SQI = 0.34–0.55 across different approaches) and lowest soil quality index (SQI = 0.25–0.44 across different approaches), respectively. The non-linear index calculation approach had better efficiency than the linear one. According to the coefficients of determination (R2 = 0.81–0.89), these key soil variables were suggested as a solution to reduce both the cost and time required for projects carried out by experts and watershed decision-makers to assess soil quality in urban and peri-urban areas.
The Application of Nanotechnology in the Development of Concrete Coatings Andrea Antolín-Rodríguez, Daniel Merino-Maldonado, María Fernández-Raga, José M. González-Domínguez, Rebeca Martínez-García, Andrés Juan-Valdés, Julia García-González Springer Proceedings in Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2023
Responsible Heritage Protection Actions María Fernández-Raga, José Miguel González, Pablo Caldevilla, Gabriel Búrdalo, Almudena Ortíz, Rebeca Martínez, Fernando Jorge Fraile-Fernández, Indira Rodríguez Springer Proceedings in Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2023
Relationship of weather types on the seasonal and spatial variability of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield in the western Mediterranean basin D. Peña-Angulo, E. Nadal-Romero, J.C. González-Hidalgo, J. Albaladejo, V. Andreu, H. Bahri, S. Bernal, M. Biddoccu, R. Bienes, J. Campo, M.A. Campo-Bescós, A. Canatário-Duarte, Y. Cantón, J. Casali, V. Castillo, E. Cavallo, A. Cerdà, P. Cid, N. Cortesi, G. Desir, E. Díaz-Pereira, T. Espigares, J. Estrany, J. Farguell, M. Fernández-Raga, C.S. Ferreira, V. Ferro, F. Gallart, R. Giménez, E. Gimeno, J.A. Gómez, A. Gómez-Gutiérrez, H. Gómez-Macpherson, O. González-Pelayo, O. Kairis, G.P. Karatzas, S. Keesstra, S. Klotz, C. Kosmas, N. Lana-Renault, T. Lasanta, J. Latron, R. Lázaro, Y. Le Bissonnais, C. Le Bouteiller, F. Licciardello, J.A. López-Tarazón, A. Lucía, V.M. Marín-Moreno, C. Marín, M.J. Marqués, J. Martínez-Fernández, M. Martínez-Mena, L. Mateos, N. Mathys, L. Merino-Martín, M. Moreno-de las Heras, N. Moustakas, J.M. Nicolau, V. Pampalone, D. Raclot, M.L. Rodríguez-Blanco, J. Rodrigo-Comino, A. Romero-Díaz, J.D. Ruiz-Sinoga, J.L. Rubio, S. Schnabel, J.M. Senciales-González, A. Solé-Benet, E.V. Taguas, M.T. Taboada-Castro, M.M. Taboada-Castro, F. Todisco, X. Úbeda, E.A. Varouchakis, L. Wittenberg, A. Zabaleta, M. Zorn Atmosphere, 2020
Spatial variability of the relationships of runoff and sediment yield with weather types throughout the Mediterranean basin D. Peña-Angulo, E. Nadal-Romero, J.C. González-Hidalgo, J. Albaladejo, V. Andreu, V. Bagarello, H. Barhi, R.J. Batalla, S. Bernal, R. Bienes, J. Campo, M.A. Campo-Bescós, A. Canatario-Duarte, Y. Cantón, J. Casali, V. Castillo, A. Cerdà, A. Cheggour, P. Cid, N. Cortesi, G. Desir, E. Díaz-Pereira, T. Espigares, J. Estrany, M. Fernández-Raga, C.S.S. Ferreira, V. Ferro, F. Gallart, R. Giménez, E. Gimeno, J.A. Gómez, A. Gómez-Gutiérrez, H. Gómez-Macpherson, O. González-Pelayo, P. Hueso-González, O. Kairis, G.P. Karatzas, S. Klotz, C. Kosmas, N. Lana-Renault, T. Lasanta, J. Latron, R. Lázaro, Y. Le Bissonnais, C. Le Bouteiller, F. Licciardello, J.A. López-Tarazón, A. Lucía, C. Marín, M.J. Marqués, J. Martínez-Fernández, M. Martínez-Mena, J.F. Martínez-Murillo, L. Mateos, N. Mathys, L. Merino-Martín, M. Moreno-de las Heras, N. Moustakas, J.M. Nicolau, A. Novara, V. Pampalone, D. Raclot, M.L. Rodríguez-Blanco, J. Rodrigo-Comino, A. Romero-Díaz, E. Roose, J.L. Rubio, J.D. Ruiz-Sinoga, S. Schnabel, J.M. Senciales-González, V. Simonneaux, A. Solé-Benet, E.V. Taguas, M.M. Taboada-Castro, M.T. Taboada-Castro, F. Todisco, X. Úbeda, E.A. Varouchakis, D. Vericat, L. Wittenberg, A. Zabaleta, M. Zorn Journal of Hydrology, 2019
Splash erosion: A review with unanswered questions María Fernández-Raga, Covadonga Palencia, Saskia Keesstra, Antonio Jordán, Roberto Fraile, Marta Angulo-Martínez, Artemi Cerdà Earth Science Reviews, 2017
