About me

I am a Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Lleida (Spain) with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of A Coruña. My academic journey has included visiting researcher roles at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK), Università di Messina (Italy), University of Edinburgh (UK), and Universidad de Concepción (Chile), as well as a postdoctoral position at ICMAB-CSIC in Barcelona.

My research focuses on the environmental behavior and transport of trace metals, organic colloids, microplastics and engineered nanomaterials in natural waters and soils. I am also interested in wastewater treatment methods using adsorption and ion exchange and the study of the thermodynamic properties of ionic liquids, polyelectrolytes, and salt solutions. Currently, my work investigates how Natural Organic Matter (NOM) influences the bioavailability of trace elements and nutrients like phosphorus in waters and soils.

In my lab, we use techniques such as Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT), Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES), alongside numerical simulations to model reaction-diffusion systems and competitive adsorption processes.

Education

University of A Coruña, Spain:

  • M.Sc. in Chemistry | June 1999
  • Ph.D. in Chemistry | July 2004

Experience

CSIC Institute of Materials Science, Barcelona, Spain:

  • Postdoc researcher | April 2005 - Aug 2006

University of Lleida, Spain:

  • Lecturer | Sept 2006 - July 2011
  • Associate Professor | Aug 2011 - Sept 2021
  • Full Professor | Oct 2021 - present

Publications

Here is a list of my publications including journal articles and book chapters. Download it as a BibTeX file here

Pedroza, R. H. P., David, C., Barriada, J. L., Rey-Castro, C., & Lodeiro, P. (2025). The role of photooxidation and organic matter in Cr(III) and Cr(VI) interactions with poly(lactic acid) microplastics in aqueous solution. Science of The Total Environment, 963, 178431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178431
Galceran, J., Companys, E., David, C. A., Rey-Castro, C., & Puy, J. (2024). AGNES, an equilibrium technique for the robust speciation of metals and metalloids. In Emerging analytical techniques for chemical speciation studies (Vol. 15, pp. 119–174). World Scientific Publishing Co. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811281099_0002
Pedroza, R. H. P., David, C., Lodeiro, P., & Rey-Castro, C. (2024). Interactions of humic acid with pristine poly (lactic acid) microplastics in aqueous solution. Science of The Total Environment, 908, 168366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168366
Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., David, C., Humphreys, M. P., & Gledhill, M. (2023). Proton Binding Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter Extracted from the North Atlantic. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(50), 21136–21144. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c01810
Gao, Y., Zhou, C., Galceran, J., Rey-Castro, C., Puy, J., Baeyens, W., & Leermakers, M. (2022). Developments in the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique for the speciation of oxyanions and platinum group elements in aquatic systems. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 147, 116513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2021.116513
Galceran, J., Gao, Y., Puy, J., Leermakers, M., Rey-Castro, C., Zhou, C., & Baeyens, W. (2021). Speciation of Inorganic Compounds in Aquatic Systems Using Diffusive Gradients in Thin-Films: A Review. Frontiers in Chemistry, 9, 624511. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.624511
Giuffre, O., Napoli, A., & Rey-Castro, C. (2021). Editorial: Advances in Analytical Techniques and Methodology for Chemical Speciation Study. Frontiers in Chemistry, 9, 692144. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.692144
Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., David, C., Puy, J., Achterberg, E. P., & Gledhill, M. (2021). Seasonal Variations in Proton Binding Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter Isolated from the Southwest Baltic Sea. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(23), 16215–16223. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c04773
Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., David, C., Achterberg, E. P., Puy, J., & Gledhill, M. (2020). Acid-base properties of dissolved organic matter extracted from the marine environment. Science of the Total Environment, 729, 138437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138437
Altier, A., Jimenez-Piedrahita, M., Uribe, R., Rey-Castro, C., Galceran, J., & Puy, J. (2019). Time weighted average concentrations measured with Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT). Analytica Chimica Acta, 1060, 114–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2019.01.056
David, C. A., Galceran, J., Quattrini, F., Puy, J., & Rey-Castro, C. (2019). Dissolution and Phosphate-Induced Transformation of ZnO Nanoparticles in Synthetic Saliva Probed by AGNES without Previous Solid-Liquid Separation. Comparison with UF-ICP-MS. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(7), 3823–3831. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b06531
Quattrini, F., Galceran, J., Rey-Castro, C., Puy, J., & Fortin, C. (2019). Assessment of labilities of metal complexes with the dynamic ion exchange technique. Environmental Chemistry, 16(3), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN18202
Altier, A., Jimenez-Piedrahita, M., Uribe, R., Rey-Castro, C., Cecilia, J., Galceran, J., & Puy, J. (2018). Effects of a mixture of ligands on metal accumulation in diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). Environmental Chemistry, 15(3), 183–193. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN17232
Lodeiro, P., Achterberg, E. P., Rey-Castro, C., & El-Shahawi, M. S. (2018). Effect of polymer coating composition on the aggregation rates of Ag nanoparticles in NaCl solutions and seawaters. Science of the Total Environment, 631–632, 1153–1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.131
Garces, J. L., Madurga, S., Rey-Castro, C., & Mas, F. (2017). Dealing with long-range interactions in the determination of polyelectrolyte ionization properties. Extension of the transfer matrix formalism to the full range of ionic strengths. Journal of Polymer Science Part B-Polymer Physics, 55(3), 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1002/polb.24269
Jimenez-Piedrahita, M., Altier, A., Cecilia, J., Puy, J., Galceran, J., Rey-Castro, C., Zhang, H., & Davison, W. (2017). Extending the Use of Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) to Solutions Where Competition, Saturation, and Kinetic Effects Are Not Negligible. Analytical Chemistry, 89(12), 6567–6574. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00704
Puy, J., Galceran, J., & Rey-Castro, C. (2017). Foreword to the Special Issue from the Interfaces Against Pollution 2016 Conference: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities Foreword. Environmental Chemistry, 14(5), I–II. https://doi.org/10.1071/ENv14n5_FO
Quattrini, F., Galceran, J., David, C. A., Puy, J., Alberti, G., & Rey-Castro, C. (2017). Dynamics of trace metal sorption by an ion-exchange chelating resin described by a mixed intraparticle/film diffusion transport model. The Cd/Chelex case. Chemical Engineering Journal, 317, 810–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.02.115
Waite, T. D., Duval, J. F. L., Sander, M., Puy, J., Galceran, J., & Rey-Castro, C. (2017). Foreword to the Special Issue from the Interfaces Against Pollution 2016 Conference: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities (vol 14, pg i, 2017). Environmental Chemistry, 14(5), A–A. https://doi.org/10.1071/ENv14n5_FO_CO
Altier, A., Jimenez-Piedrahita, M., Rey-Castro, C., Cecilia, J., Galceran, J., & Puy, J. (2016). Accumulation of Mg to Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) Devices: Kinetic and Thermodynamic Effects of the Ionic Strength. Analytical Chemistry, 88(20), 10245–10251. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6b02961
Puy, J., Galceran, J., & Rey-Castro, C. (2016). Interpreting the DGT Measurement Speciation and Dynamics. In W. Davison (Ed.), Diffusive Gradients in Thin-Films for Environmental Measurements (pp. 93–122). Cambridge Univ Press. https://www.webofscience.com/wos/alldb/summary/ace73fc0-bdb6-4b49-bcbb-e2ade45d1011-20c16203/relevance/1
Tantra, R., Bouwmeester, H., Bolea, E., Rey-Castro, C., David, C. A., Dogne, J.-M., Jarman, J., Laborda, F., Laloy, J., Robinson, K. N., Undas, A. K., & van der Zande, M. (2016). Suitability of analytical methods to measure solubility for the purpose of nanoregulation. Nanotoxicology, 10(2), 173–184. https://doi.org/10.3109/17435390.2015.1038661
Jimenez-Piedrahita, M., Altier, A., Cecilia, J., Rey-Castro, C., Galceran, J., & Puy, J. (2015). Influence of the settling of the resin beads on diffusion gradients in thin films measurements. Analytica Chimica Acta, 885, 148–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2015.04.054
Galceran, J., Lao, M., David, C., Companys, E., Rey-Castro, C., Salvador, J., & Puy, J. (2014). The impact of electrodic adsorption on Zn, Cd and Pb speciation measurements with AGNES. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 722, 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2014.03.037
Mu, Q., David, C. A., Galceran, J., Rey-Castro, C., Krzeminski, L., Wallace, R., Bamiduro, F., Milne, S. J., Hondow, N. S., Brydson, R., Vizcay-Barrena, G., Routledge, M. N., Jeuken, L. J. C., & Brown, A. P. (2014). Systematic Investigation of the Physicochemical Factors That Contribute to the Toxicity of ZnO Nanoparticles. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 27(4), 558–567. https://doi.org/10.1021/tx4004243
Lopez-Garcia, M., Lodeiro, P., Herrero, R., Barriada, J. L., Rey-Castro, C., David, C., & Sastre de Vicente, M. E. (2013). Experimental evidences for a new model in the description of the adsorption-coupled reduction of Cr(VI) by protonated banana skin. Bioresource Technology, 139, 181–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.04.044
Mongin, S., Uribe, R., Rey-Castro, C., Cecilia, J., Galceran, J., & Puy, J. (2013). Limits of the Linear Accumulation Regime of DGT Sensors. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(18), 10438–10445. https://doi.org/10.1021/es400609y
Reyes, G., Cartes, M., Rey-Castro, C., Segura, H., & Mejia, A. (2013). Surface Tension of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Ethyl Sulfate or 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate with Argon and Carbon Dioxide. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 58(5), 1203–1211. https://doi.org/10.1021/je3013414
David, C. A., Galceran, J., Rey-Castro, C., Puy, J., Companys, E., Salvador, J., Monne, J., Wallace, R., & Vakourov, A. (2012). Dissolution Kinetics and Solubility of ZnO Nanoparticles Followed by AGNES. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 116(21), 11758–11767. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp301671b
Herrero, R., Lodeiro, P., Garcia-Casal, L. J., Vilarino, T., Rey-Castro, C., David, C., & Rodriguez, P. (2011). Full description of copper uptake by algal biomass combining an equilibrium NICA model with a kinetic intraparticle diffusion driving force approach. Bioresource Technology, 102(3), 2990–2997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.007
Madurga, S., Rey-Castro, C., Pastor, I., Vilaseca, E., David, C., Lluis Garces, J., Puy, J., & Mas, F. (2011). A semi-grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation model for ion binding to ionizable surfaces: Proton binding of carboxylated latex particles as a case study. Journal of Chemical Physics, 135(18), 184103. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3658484
David, C., Mongin, S., Rey-Castro, C., Galceran, J., Companys, E., Luis Garces, J., Salvador, J., Puy, J., Cecilia, J., Lodeiro, P., & Mas, F. (2010). Competition effects in cation binding to humic acid: Conditional affinity spectra for fixed total metal concentration conditions. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 74(18), 5216–5227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.06.023
Madurga, S., Lluis Garces, J., Companys, E., Rey-Castro, C., Salvador, J., Galceran, J., Vilaseca, E., Puy, J., & Mas, F. (2009). Ion binding to polyelectrolytes: Monte Carlo simulations versus classical mean field theories. Theoretical Chemistry Accounts, 123(1–2), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00214-009-0550-z
Puy, J., Huidobro, C., David, C., Rey-Castro, C., Salvador, J., Companys, E., Garces, J. L., Galceran, J., Cecilia, J., & Mas, F. (2009). Conditional affinity spectra underlying NICA isotherm. Colloids and Surfaces a-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 347(1–3), 156–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2009.03.053
Rey-Castro, C., Mongin, S., Huidobro, C., David, C., Salvador, J., Lluis Garces, J., Galceran, J., Mas, F., & Puy, J. (2009). Effective Affinity Distribution for the Binding of Metal Ions to a Generic Fulvic Acid in Natural Waters. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(19), 7184–7191. https://doi.org/10.1021/es803006p
David, C., Companys, E., Galceran, J., Lluis Garces, J., Mas, F., Rey-Castro, C., Salvador, J., & Puy, J. (2008). Competitive Cd2+/H+ complexation to polyacrylic acid described by the stepwise and intrinsic stability constants. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 112(33), 10092–10100. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp802571f
David, C., Companys, E., Galceran, J., Lluis Garces, J., Mas, F., Rey-Castro, C., Salvador, J., & Puy, J. (2007). Competitive ion complexation to polyelectrolytes: Determination of the stepwise stability constants. The Ca2+/H+/Polyacrylate system. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 111(35), 10421–10430. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp0741206
Rey-Castro, C., Tormo, A. L., & Vega, L. F. (2007). Effect of the flexibility and the anion in the structural and transport properties of ethyl-methyl-imidazolium ionic liquids. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 256(1–2), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fluid.2006.09.027
Herrero, R., Cordero, B., Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., & Sastre De Vicente, M. E. (2006). Interactions of cadmium(II) and protons with dead biomass of marine algae Fucus sp. Marine Chemistry, 99(1–4), 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2005.05.009
Rey-Castro, C., & Vega, L. F. (2006). Transport properties of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride from equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation. The effect of temperature. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 110(29), 14426–14435. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp062885s
Bretti, C., Crea, F., Rey-Castro, C., & Sammartano, S. (2005). Interaction of acrylic-maleic copolymers with H+, Na+Mg2+ and Ca2+ : Thermodynamic parameters and their dependence on medium. Reactive & Functional Polymers, 65(3), 329–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2005.07.005
Herrero, R., Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., Vilarino, T., & de Vicente, M. E. S. (2005). Removal of inorganic mercury from aqueous solutions by biomass of the marine macroalga Cystoseira baccata. Water Research, 39(14), 3199–3210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2005.05.041
Lodeiro, P., Rey-Castro, C., Barriada, J. L., de Vicente, M. E. S., & Herrero, R. (2005). Biosorption of cadmium by the protonated macroalga Sargassum muticum: Binding analysis with a nonideal, competitive, and thermodynamically consistent adsorption (NICCA) model. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 289(2), 352–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2005.04.002
Rey-Castro, C., Herrero, R., & de Vicente, M. E. S. (2004). Gibbs-Donnan and specific-ion interaction theory descriptions of the effect of ionic strength on proton dissociation of alginic acid. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 564(1–2), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2003.10.023
Rey-Castro, C., Herrero, R., & de Vicente, M. E. S. (2004). Surface charge and permeable gel descriptions of the ionic strength influence on proton binding to seaweed biomass. Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability, 16(1–2), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.3184/095422904782775117
Smith, E. J., Rey-Castro, C., Longworth, H., Lofts, S., Lawlor, A. J., & Tipping, E. (2004). Cation binding by acid-washed peat, interpreted with humic ion-binding model VI-FD. European Journal of Soil Science, 55(3), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2004.00607.x
Smith, E. J., Rey-Castro, C., Longworth, H., Lofts, S., Lawlor, A. J., & Tipping, E. (2004). Cation binding by acid-washed peat, interpreted with Humic Ion-Binding Model VI-FD (vol 55, pg 433, 2004). European Journal of Soil Science, 55(4), 815–815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2004.00684.x
Rey-Castro, C., Castro-Varela, R., Herrero, R., & de Vicente, M. E. S. (2003). Acid-base equilibria of phthalic acid in saline media: Ion association from Pitzer-equations. Talanta, 60(1), 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(03)00040-7
Rey-Castro, C., Lodeiro, P., Herrero, R., & De Vicente, M. E. S. (2003). Acid-base properties of brown seaweed biomass considered as a Donnan gel. A model reflecting electrostatic effects and chemical heterogeneity. Environmental Science & Technology, 37(22), 5159–5167. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0343353
Castro-Varela, R., Rey-Castro, C., Vilarino, T., & de Vicente, M. E. S. (2002). Potentiometric study of acetylsalicylic acid: Solubility and acid-base equilibria in different saline media at 298 K. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 47(6), 1432–1435. https://doi.org/10.1021/je020059g
Tipping, E., Rey-Castro, C., Bryan, S. E., & Hamilton-Taylor, J. (2002). Al(III) and Fe(III) binding by humic substances in freshwaters, and implications for trace metal speciation. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 66(18), 3211–3224. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(02)00930-4
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