Montserrat Soliva Torrentó (1 January 1943 - 15 September 2019) was a Catalan doctor of

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. She served as a professor of the Higher School of Agriculture of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

of the

Polytechnic University of Catalonia The Technical University of Catalonia ( ca, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, , es, link=no, Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña; UPC), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech, is the largest engineering university in Catalonia, Spai ...

, and had been a leading authority in Spain on the subject of composting. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Environment Award for the research career.

Biography

Montserrat Soliva Torrento was born in

Torres de Segre Torres de Segre is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is located by the Segre River The Segre ( or ; french: Sègre) is a river tributary to the Ebro (''Ebre'' in Catalan) with a basin comprisin ...

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

, 1943. She received a degree in Chemical Sciences from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities i ...

, and a PhD from the Institute of Fundamental Biology from the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

. She worked for six years at the Laboratorio Químico-Textil de fibras artificiales de la SAFA in Blanes, and was a professor for 32 years at the School of Agriculture of Barcelona where she was responsible for subjects related to Agricultural Chemical Analysis and Management and treatment of

organic waste Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion ...

. She specialized in the characterization, diagnosis and application of organic waste to the soil. After she retired, she continued to collaborate with the Organic Waste Characterization, Diagnosis and Composting group, of the Barcelona School of Agriculture (ESAB-UPC). Soliva's research primarily focused on

composting Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

, with the mission of preserving and improving the environment, protecting the soil and increasing agricultural productivity. She directed more than 150 Ph.D. projects related to these topics, participated in numerous research projects, and advised companies and administrations on issues related to

waste treatment Waste treatment refers to the activities required to ensure that waste has the least practicable impact on the environment. In many countries various forms of waste treatment are required by law. Solid waste treatment The treatment of solid wastes ...

. In addition, she published numerous scientific publications. Soliva died in

Blanes Blanes () is a town and municipality in the comarca of Selva in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. During Roman rule it was named Blanda or Blandae. It is known as the "Gateway to the Costa Brava". Its coast is part of the Costa Brava, which stretches ...

on 15 September 2019. She was the daughter of Napoleó Soliva Moner, a teacher of Blanes, where she worked for 30 years and in which she has a school dedicated to her name (Napoleó Soliva School) in recognition of her teaching career.

Awards

* 2012, Environment Award, Generalitat of Catalonia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soliva Torrento, Montserrat 1943 births 2019 deaths Spanish chemists Spanish women chemists Academic staff of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia University of Barcelona alumni Autonomous University of Barcelona alumni People from Lleida