Assist. Prof. Dr. Manuel Toledo Padrón | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

University of Cordoba | Spain

Manuel is a young and internationally recognized researcher specializing in odour emissions from organic waste and wastewater treatment. His scientific career began in 2015 with a competitive F.P.I. pre-doctoral contract at the University of Córdoba, where he launched a pioneering research line on odour impact assessment in waste management. During his doctoral studies, he published six JCR-indexed papers, presented at multiple international congresses, and undertook two research stays abroad, advancing knowledge on sulphur compound behaviour in air-sampling materials. His work represented a significant step forward in odour quantification and minimisation, essential for sustainable waste treatment. In 2018, he continued as a postdoctoral researcher at Córdoba, contributing to odour mitigation strategies in co-composting plants, with three additional JCR publications. A subsequent postdoctoral stay at Ghent University focused on biofiltration of volatile organic compounds and novel analytical methods for water odorant detection, resulting in two high-impact articles. Since 2021, Manuel has been a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the University of Valladolid and a member of the Institute of Sustainable Processes (ISP), focusing on odour prevention in sewage networks and treatment plants. He has participated in national and international projects, research contracts with companies, and teaching innovation initiatives, while supervising degree, master’s, and doctoral theses. With 21 scientific publications, 16 conference participations, editorial roles, and prestigious awards—including the extraordinary thesis prize and the Abbás Ibn Firnás award—Manuel has established himself as a leading researcher. His medium- and long-term goals center on advancing sustainable odour and GHG mitigation strategies for environmental protection and industrial application.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

• Odour prevention strategies in wastewater treatment and composting plants: A review  – Journal of Environmental Management, 2025.

• Activated sludge process versus rotating biological contactors in WWTPs: Evaluating the influence of operation and sludge bacterial content on their odor impact  – Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2022.

• Optimization of activated sludge recycling and oxidized ammonium recycling as odour control strategies in wastewater treatment plants  – Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2022.

• Enhanced removal of hydrophobic volatile organic compounds in biofilters and biotrickling filters: A review on the use of surfactants and the addition of hydrophilic compounds  – Chemosphere, 2021.

• Study of the Tagus River and Entrepeñas reservoir ecosystem around the Trillo nuclear power plant using chemometric analysis: Influence on water, sediments, algae and fish  – Chemosphere, 2021.

• Biofiltration of butyric acid: Monitoring odor abatement and microbial communities – Environmental Research, 2020.

• Co-composting of chicken manure, alperujo, olive leaves/pruning and cereal straw at full-scale: Compost quality assessment and odour emission  – Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2020.