WASABI

Integrating WAter-Soil chemical speciation and AvailaBIlity modelling for smarter monitoring of nutrients and pollutants

A 3-year project (2026-2029) integrating chemical speciation techniques (AGNES, DGT) and mechanistic modelling to improve the monitoring of trace metals and phosphorus in waters and soils. Funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI).

Status · Active Duration · September 2026 – August 2029 (3 years) Reference · PID2025-168467NB-I00 Call · Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) / State Research Agency (AEI) Principal Investigator · Carlos Rey-Castro Host institution · University of Lleida

Summary

WASABI develops and integrates chemical speciation techniques with mechanistic modelling to better predict how trace metals and phosphorus behave, and become available to organisms, in waters and soils. The project combines two complementary electroanalytical and passive-sampling methods – Absence of Gradients and Nernstian Equilibrium Stripping (AGNES) and Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) – with numerical simulations to build models that can be applied to real, complex environmental matrices such as wastewater and agricultural soils.

Objectives

• O1. Build a panel of representative model systems for the speciation of trace metals, dissolved organic matter (DOM), and phosphorus.
• O2. Advance AGNES-based methods for equilibrium speciation, including low-volume implementations.
• O3. Develop advanced DGT methods for assessing metal and phosphorus availability in waters.
• O4. Implement DGT/DET approaches to study metal and phosphorus dynamics in soils.
• O5. Integrate multiscale mechanistic models of dynamic speciation and chemical availability.

Approach

The project combines experimental and computational work across five work packages: characterisation of model systems (isolation and characterisation of soil-derived organic matter, determination of equilibrium and kinetic constants), equilibrium speciation by AGNES, dynamic speciation by DGT in waters – including field validation at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Lleida – DGT/DET applications in agricultural soils, and mechanistic modelling linking molecular simulations, affinity-spectrum analysis, and reaction-diffusion models.

Collaborators

• Amphos 21 Consulting, Spain
• Università di Messina, Italy
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Funding

Funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, grant PID2025-168467NB-I00.