PSIPW supported leading scientists and students at the 4th International Conference on Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (ICRAPHE 4), which was held in Barcelona from 9 to 10 October 2023.

This unique conference focuses on a critical area of concern for the water supply, since many pharamceuticals are dangerous emerging contaminants whose far-reaching effects are not fully understood and for which effective means of elimination requires ongoing innovative research.

PSIPW has been an ongoing partner of ICRAPHE since its 2nd iteration in 2019.

PSIPW, through its Prince Sultan Water Specialist Event Parcicipation Grant, sponsored three well-known specialists in the field to present their research at ICRAPHE 4 as keynote speakers. They were:

Teresa Rocha-Santos, Department of Chemistry & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal

She presented: “Physiochemical interactions of microplastics and pharmaceutical residues”


Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece

He presented: “WBE of pharmaceuticals dreing COVID-19 using targeted and non-targeted approaches”


Paola Verlicchi, Associate Professor of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering at the Department of Engineering of the University of Ferrara, Italy

She presented: “Reclaimed wastewater:treatments and risk assessment”


PSIPW also supported three young researchers to present their research at the conference. The three young researcher recipinents were:

Rocío Inés Bonansea, Faculty of Chemical Science, National University of Córdoba (UNC), Argentina

She presented: “Estimation of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs consumption in low-medium-high income neighborhoods by wastewater analysis”

Rodrigo Braz Carneiro, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC), University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil

He presented: “Biotransformation products of pharmaceuticals compounds in a two-phase (acidogenic-methanogenic) anaerobic bioreactor”

Valentina Guimarães da Silva, University of Aveiro, Portugal

She presented: “TiO2/Carbon Dots nanocomposites: Solar driven photocatalysts for the removal of antibiotics from aquaculture effluents”.


To the right is pictured the young researcher participant Rocío Inés Bonansea being honoured in the presence of PSIPW laureates Damià Barceló (5th Award Water Management Prizewinner) and Dionysios Dionysiou (10th Award Creativity Prizewinner).