From 3 to 15 February 2026, Ouijdane El Ouali, a third-year doctoral researcher at Mohammed V University in Rabat, partner of the NPP-SOL project, completed a short research stay at the Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC) in Murcia, Spain, within the Plant Nutrition Department. The stay provided an opportunity for scientific exchange and knowledge transfer between Mohammed V University and CEBAS-CSIC in the fields of water quality, nitrate pollution, nature-based solutions and sustainable approaches for the treatment of agricultural drainage waters.
Scientific discussions addressed the environmental challenges associated with agricultural drainage and nitrate pollution, with particular attention to approaches for improving water quality and reducing nutrient losses. The potential contribution of nature-based solutions, including wetlands, to the sustainable treatment of agricultural drainage water was also discussed.
An additional component of the scientific exchange concerned Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool for evaluating the environmental performance and sustainability of water-treatment systems. LCA can provide a broader perspective by considering environmental impacts associated with treatment processes, materials, energy requirements, operation and maintenance. Its application can support the comparison of natural wetland-based treatment with conventional or engineered alternatives and contribute to identifying more sustainable treatment strategies.
A key achievement of the stay was the strengthening of scientific collaboration between Mohammed V University in Rabat and CEBAS-CSIC. The experience contributed to international knowledge exchange and supported the development of expertise relevant to nitrate-pollution mitigation, sustainable water-resource management, nature-based treatment approaches and environmental assessment through LCA.
NPP-SOL is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union.