Mira Petrovic

Institut Català de Recerca de l'Aigua (ICRA)

Experimental Sciences & Mathematics

ICREA Research Professor since December 2005. PhD in Chemistry (1995), Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Croatia. From 1999-2011 research scientist at the Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona. Since July 2011 senior researcher at the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain. At ICRA she is responsible for the research line "Pollutants in wastewater". She has participated in 16 EU projects since 1999; published 171 papers in SCI journals (Hirsch Index 52); edited 7 books and published 34 book chapters. Coordinator of a MSCA EID project TreatREC (H2020).


Research interests

My main expertise is in the field of analytical environmental chemistry, specifically analysis of trace organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupting compounds and surfactants by advanced mass spectrometric techniques (liquid chromatography-tandem and hybrid MS) and the study of their fate and behaviour in the aquatic environment and during wastewater and drinking water treatment. Specific research lines are: (i) non-target analysis and fingerprinting of organic substances in wastewater and receiving environment, (ii) the study of biotic and abiotic transformation of emerging contaminants, identification of transformation products, elucidation of transformation pathways; (iii) the study of occurrence and distribution of emerging contaminants in aquatic environment and environmental risk assessment and (iv) sustainable wastewater management; application of innovative wastewater treatment technologies; innovative practices for reuse of reclaimed waters.

Selected publications

– Radjenovic J & Petrovic M 2016, ‘Sulfate-mediated electrooxidation of X-ray contrast media on boron doped diamond anode’, Water Research, 94, 128 – 135.

– Aristi I, Casellas M, Elosegi A, Insa S, Petrovic M, Sabater S & Acuna V 2016, ‘Nutrients versus emerging contaminants-Or a dynamic match between subsidy and stress effects on stream biofilms’, Environmental Pollution, 212, 208 – 215.

– Sabater S, Barcelo D, De Castro-Catala N, Ginebreda A, Kuzmanovic M, Petrovic M, Pico Y, Ponsati L, Tornes E & Munoz I 2016, ‘Shared effects of organic microcontaminants and environmental stressors on biofilms and invertebrates in impaired rivers’, Environmental Pollution, 210, 303 – 314.

– Aymerich I, Acuna,V, Barcelo D, Garcia MJJ, Petrovic M, Poch M, Rodriguez-Mozaz S, Rodriguez-Roda I, Sabater S, von Schiller D & Corominas Ll 2016, ‘Attenuation of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products in a wastewater treatment plant and its receiving river ecosystem’, Water Research, 100, 126 – 136.

– Ekowati Y, Buttiglieri G, Ferrero G, Valle-Sistac J, Diaz-Cruz MS, Barcelo D, Petrovic M, Villagrasa M, Kennedy MD & Rodriguez-Roda I 2016, ‘Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and UV filters in swimming pools and spas’, Environmental Science And Pollution Research, 23, 14, 14431 – 14441.

– Kuzmanović M, López-Doval JC, De Castro-Català N, Guasch H, Petrović M, Muñoz I, Ginebreda A & Barceló D 2016, ‘Ecotoxicological risk assessment of chemical pollution in four Iberian river basins and its relationship with the aquatic macroinvertebrate community status, Sci. Total Environ. 540: 324-333

– Gabarron S, Gernjak W, Valero F, Barcelo A, Petrovic M & Rodriguez-Roda I 2016, ‘Evaluation of emerging contaminants in a drinking water treatment plant using electrodialysis reversal technology’, Journal Of Hazardous Materials, 309, 192 – 201.