Three major driving forces propel this line:

• Freeing freshwater for homes and agriculture.
• Anticipating the “not a single drop of freshwater for industrial processes”.
• Policy and evaluating the use of low-quality metallurgical water, seawater, well water and recycled water to make mining activity more viable in extremely arid regions.

Research works is organized around four projects:

• Use of as-is or partially desalinated seawater in mineral processing.
• Use of partially desalinated seawater in agriculture, development of cost-effective methods to improve water quality for agriculture and use of colloidal clay to clean large bodies of water and control the spread of harmful algae.
• Development of a scientifically rigorous and quantitative methodology for the design of flotation, flocculation and anti-fouling reagents based on molecular modelling.
• Tools and exploration of a methodology that does not involve water for separating mineral particles under the dry or green mining framework.

Contacts:

• Pedro Toledo (petoledo@udec.cl)
• Roberto Urrutia (rurrutia@udec.cl)
• José Luis Arumí (jarumi@udec.cl)

This line of research aims to understand the impact of climate change on water availability and quality in the basins of central Chile. To this end, the development of modeling and monitoring tools that allow deeper study of hydrological processes that control water resources availability and the production and pollution transport processes that affect their quality is proposed.

All this to guarantee water for human consumption and then agricultural and mining production, pollution control, environmental protection and social well-being.

Contacts:

• Roberto Urrutia (rurrutia@udec.cl)
• José Luis Arumí (jarumi@udec.cl)
• Diego Rivera (diegorivera@udd.cl)
• Ricardo Barra (ricbarra@udec.cl)

Some of the technologies addressed in this line of research are aimed at recovering wastewater, improving water retention in degraded soils and closing cycles, recovering valuable compounds, nutrients, energy and/or water, among other elements.

Both intensive and extensive technologies, based on physical, chemical and/or biological processes, are studied. The interdisciplinary life-cycle assessment tool is integrated into evaluation of different scenarios of technology application and its connection with the environment. In addition, the influence of technology acceptance by society is investigated, mainly through studies on its adaptation for implementation in rural communities.

Contacts:

• Gladys Vidal (glvidal@udec.cl)
• M. Cristina Diez (cristina.diez@ufrontera.cl)

This line seeks to develop research that will assure water quality and quantity from a perspective of respect for fundamental rights, alignment with Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations and the conceptual and strategic perspective of water security.

Work is also being done to improve protection of various bodies of water (lakes, wetlands, aquifers, and glaciers, among others) and their associated ecosystem services through environmental conservation and land-use planning instruments. In addition, efforts are being made to promote water governance that fosters more equitable, inclusive, fair and democratic decision making, aimed at preventing and addressing water-related social conflicts and their judicialization.

Contacts:

• José Luis Arumí (jarumi@udec.cl)
• Ricardo Barra (ricbarra@udec.cl)