Green tech for water treatment
Integrated water resource management will be key in securing both water quality and quantity in Europe, hence the Water Framework Directive (WFD). There are however a number of technology gaps that hinder compliance with this Directive. While attempting to fill some of these gaps, the EU-funded 'Advanced technologies for water resource management' (ATWARM) project up-skilled 16 young researchers. Each fellow participated in summer schools and an international conference, and benefited from secondments to academic, research and industrial partners. Their work contributed to a number of new technologies, including a chemical-free water treatment process that relies on an underwater electrical discharge. Sustainable water purification using sunlight and a titanium oxide nanomaterial was achieved as well. Researchers also investigated the use of algae to purify water while producing energy, and explored cheap methods to produce chemicals that remove arsenic from groundwater. In addition, they produced a faecal matter sensor to rapidly detect contamination in recreational marine water and freshwater. These and other advancements of the 16 related research projects will benefit the environment, as well as the water industry and other related sectors. Many of the products and services developed also offer opportunities for companies to partner with the researchers in bringing them to market.
Keywords
Water treatment, wastewater, water resource management, advanced technologies, water purification
