LIFE16 ENVT/IT/000345
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Waste2Neo-Alginate aims to demonstrate an innovative and highly-replicable technology for turning wastewater solids (granular sludge) into a valuable material that will be commercialised under the registered trade mark, Neo-Alginate. The SAVING-E project will demonstrate how urban WWTPs can be redesigned so that they become energy producers rather than energy consumers. The performance of the redesigned WWTP will compare favourably to current standards. SAVING-E technology works by using most of the organic matter that enters the WWTP for biogas production. Waste water passes through a biological treatment step with low oxygen consumption and high biomass production. The biomass produced in this step has very favourable methane production potential, greater than that achieved by the current generation of urban WWTPs. In a second step, SAVING-E technology biologically removes nitrogen from waste water without the need for organic matter. SAVING-E uses the autotrophic biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process for this, but with a novel two-step approach. This consists of two reactors: an aerobic partial nitritation reactor followed by an Anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) reactor. The application of autotrophic BNR significantly cuts aeration costs compared with current urban WWTPs. The novel two-step approach to autotrophic BNR represents an improvement compared to one-step autotrophic BNR because it can work stably at very low temperatures (10 ºC). The SAVING-E technology will be tested at pilot scale. The pilot plant will be installed in the Rubí (Barcelona) urban WWTP. The pilot plant will operate for 30 months at different temperatures, including 10 ºC to demonstrate the stability of the process. A technical and economic analysis of the impact of the implementation of the technology in different types of urban WWTPs will also be carried out. Expected results: The project will demonstrate that the use of SAVING-E technology compared to current WWTP technologies will result in: (i) energy savings, (ii) reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and (iii) reduced operational costs. Compared to current WWTP technologies, SAVING-E will generate the following benefits: A 50% increase in biogas production; A 10% reduction of nitrogen discharges; Some 30% energy savings in the nitrogen removal process;Some 40% energy savings in the overall treatment process; and 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants can be significantly reduced by optimising treatment steps and lowering energy requirements. This project is targeting improvements in the energy consumption of industrial treatment plants and their direct greenhouse gas emissions. It will develop and implement a new tool for assessing the contribution that the aerated compartments of a treatment plant make to its overall carbon footprint. The tool will be demonstrated in the wastewater treatment units of six tanneries, located in Italy and the Netherlands. The Digital Foam project develops an innovative process for preparing and finishing textile substrates intended for digital printing, based on the use of the foaming technology exploited for the controlled administration of nitrogen-based functionalizing substances. This process is able to guarantee extremely higher production efficiencies compared to the technologies used today and very low environmental impacts in terms of lowered use of water (-70%), reduced quantity of chemicals needed for preparation and functionalization (-40 -50%) and, consequently, of energy (from 0.2 kWh to less than 0.05 kWh per m2 of treated fabric). Finally, the content of nitrogenous substances in the production wastewater is reduced by an order of magnitude (from about 1000 mg / l to 100 mg / l.) The Partners of the project are Stamperia di Lipomo Spa (coordinator), Alta Chemicals Srl, Innovhub – Stazioni Sperimentali per l’Industria, Meccanica Tessile Lariana Srl, Ratti Spa. Funded within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020 and the Lombardy Region call “Accordi per la Ricerca e l’Innovazione”. PerFORM WATER 2030 intends to create a long-term experimental platform for research, development and validation of innovative technologies, processes and decision-making tools, in order to assure an increasingly efficient management of the public urban water. The project will create a living lab of strategic importance for the public water management sector. Innovative technologies and practices will promote a more efficient and sustainable future for the Integrated urban water management. The project aims to support water utility managers, so that they can act as key players and promoters of innovation in the water sector. The project will take place in various wastewater treatment plants managed by CAP Group in the Metropolitan City of Milan and it will focus on 4 main thematic areas. water, biosolid valorization, recovery of energy and materials, economic and social issues.
To do this it will use a double mechanical-chemical process of extraction, followed by refining. The technology will be implemented in a semi-industrial plant producing around 1 000 tonnes/year of NeoAlginate from granular sludge. The general aim is to develop a production process for bio-based products from wastewater. This will generate new market opportunities, and reduce the environmental impacts of wastewater treatment in terms of sludge production, transportation and energy consumption.
By turning a waste product into a secondary raw material, the project will directly contribute to the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. The proposed technology also fosters the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, as it will improve the quality of EU water bodies. The project objectives are also in line with the Sewage Sludge Directive and the Urban Waste Water Directive, which encourage the use of sludge as long as it is not a threat to the environment or human health.
Expected results:
Implementation of a full-scale demonstration plant to deliver some 1 000 tonnes/year of NeoAlginate;
Full-scale demonstration and monitoring of the recovery of NeoAlginate from granular sludge for 24 months;
Dissemination of results to raise awareness and promote market uptake;
A direct contribution to European policies concerning the circular economy and waste management, through the recovery and commercialisation of valuable resources from sewage sludge;
A 35% reduction in granular sewage;
An energy footprint reduction of 18.4 TJ/year;
A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of some 1 140 tonnes CO2 eq/year;
Demonstration of high replication potential, with an attractive cost-benefit ratio and a short payback period (4-5 years) for the demonstration plant. The payback period for dedicated full-scale installations is expected to be around three years;
Contribution to the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on water;
A life-cycle analysis (LCA) of the Neo-Alginate production cycle; and
An environmental impact report on the complete value chain.
LIFE14 ENV/ES/000633
LIFE SAVING-E – Two-Stage Autotrophic N-remoVal for maINstream sewaGe trEatment
LIFE16 ENV/IT/000486
LIFE LESSWATT – Cutting the carbon footprint of industrial wastewater treatment
DIGITAL FOAM
FINANCING CALL: Regione Lombardia – Smart Fashion and Design
PerFORM WATER 2030