The 12th European Conference on Pesticides and Related Organic Micropollutants in the Environment and the 18th Symposium on Chemistry and Fate of Modern Pesticides (PESTIPOLL2025) took place in Almería, Spain, from 12th to 14th November 2025.
The joint conferences focused on critical topics such as the determination of pesticides and organic micropollutants in the environment using advanced analytical techniques, modeling tools, and theoretical approaches. It also addressed related emerging issues, including the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment and their impact on agroecosystems.
PESTIPOLL2025 was organized by the Department of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Almería (UAL) and the Department of Desertification and Geoecology at the Experimental Station of Arid Zones-Spanish National Research Council (EEZA – CSIC). It succeeded in showcasing cutting-edge research advancements in food and environmental safety across Europe and Mediterranean countries.
The Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) supported this innovation by sponsoring three distinguished researchers as keynote speakers and two young researchers to present their research at the event. PSIPW was represented at PESTIPOLL by its 2012 Water Management & Protection Prize laureate Damià Barceló.
The three distingushed researchers were:
Dimitra Lambropoulou from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
She presented: “LC-HRMS-based suspect and non-target strategies for screening per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and their transformation products in environmental samples.”
Andrés Pérez Parada from Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
He addressed the conference with: “Disinfection by-products in drinking water during normal conditions and a water emergency: a case study in Uruguay.”
Lucía Pareja, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay.
She presented: “Assessment of emerging contaminants in wastewater treatment plants and surface waters from Uruguay.”
The two young researchers were:
Ana Castiñeira Landeira of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
She spoke on: “Photodegradation studies of maize crop herbicides in water and identification of main transformation products.”
Elena Sdoukou from the University of Ioannina, Greece.
She presented: “Ciprofloxacin transformation products, toxicity, and mineralization in water matrices by nitrogen-deficient g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts.”