Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WalNUT (Closing waste water cycles for nutrient recovery)
Período documentado: 2021-09-01 hasta 2023-02-28
United Nations (UN) projections estimate that the world’s population will reach 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050. Then, population and consumption will add a huge pressure on food industry to increase its production. To meet this additional demand requires an increase of the intensive agricultural practices, leading to a high land, water, energy, and fertilisers use. Therefore, a demand on plant nutrients is expected. Non-renewable mineral fertilisers, base current agricultural system and presents a number of problems:
•Nutrient inefficiencies cause accumulation of nutrients in soil and water sources contributing to the acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems
•The resulting emissions of NOx, CO2 and NH3 etc. poses in serious environmental threats like global warming and tropospheric ozone formation
•The discharge of high amounts of nutrients causes coastal eutrophication, which removes oxygen from water. Waste water (WW) also conduct mercury, lead, emerging pollutants and marine litter
•The EU is highly dependent on imports of raw materials for fertilising purposes. Furthermore, their transport requires high amounts of fuel consumption
•European soils are an invaluable and limited resource which are suffering N and P surplus or deficit due to agricultural practices leading to inter and intraregional imbalances
On the other hand, WW is considered a promising resource to recover nutrients for plant fertilising purposes. Large-scale nutrient recovery (NR) from these streams and their processing as bio-based fertilisers (BBFs) will offer a new, circular and sustainable model tackling both, the limited nutrient-mineral reserves, and their crucial environmental issues. Conventional waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) consume high amounts of energy for nutrient removal and represents a linear approach, and it is necessary to urgently shift it towards a circular one.
WalNUT addresses the current gaps in nutrient cycles of different European WWTPs and their related environmental problems by implementing optimised management systems whilst having a positive trade–off with productivity, quality and environmental impact.
The overall objective of WalNUT is to develop, assess and test 5 new integrated and sustainable technological solutions for highly efficient and effective NR from 5 WW streams (urban, industrial, food, sewage sludge, brine from water desalination and demineralisation plants). Thus, by the cutting-edge sustainable innovations proposed in terms of techno-economic feasible solutions and safe and high-quality products (BBFs) from different WW streams. WalNUT will assure BBFs' public and regulatory acceptance and market incursion. Promoting a circular economy context towards the replacement of non-renewable mineral fertilisers in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector.
To this end, the WalNUT project aims to address the aforementioned challenges through the following objectives:
•Detailed analysis and evaluation of inter and intraregional nutrient imbalances based on a sustainable transferability model
•Develop sustainable and resource-efficient technological solutions for NR from WW streams
•Comprehensive identification and assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the new proposed solutions for NR through a life-cycle assessment
•Evaluation of agronomic efficiency of BBFs and their potential to replace conventional, non-renewable mineral obtained via more sustainable processes
•Definition of the guidelines for industrialisation and application of the BBFs
•Governance policies, regulatory framework and citizens engagement. Bridge scientists and policymakers
•Dissemination and communication
•Nutrient inefficiencies cause accumulation of nutrients in soil and water sources contributing to the acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems
•The resulting emissions of NOx, CO2 and NH3 etc. poses in serious environmental threats like global warming and tropospheric ozone formation
•The discharge of high amounts of nutrients causes coastal eutrophication, which removes oxygen from water. Waste water (WW) also conduct mercury, lead, emerging pollutants and marine litter
•The EU is highly dependent on imports of raw materials for fertilising purposes. Furthermore, their transport requires high amounts of fuel consumption
•European soils are an invaluable and limited resource which are suffering N and P surplus or deficit due to agricultural practices leading to inter and intraregional imbalances
On the other hand, WW is considered a promising resource to recover nutrients for plant fertilising purposes. Large-scale nutrient recovery (NR) from these streams and their processing as bio-based fertilisers (BBFs) will offer a new, circular and sustainable model tackling both, the limited nutrient-mineral reserves, and their crucial environmental issues. Conventional waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) consume high amounts of energy for nutrient removal and represents a linear approach, and it is necessary to urgently shift it towards a circular one.
WalNUT addresses the current gaps in nutrient cycles of different European WWTPs and their related environmental problems by implementing optimised management systems whilst having a positive trade–off with productivity, quality and environmental impact.
The overall objective of WalNUT is to develop, assess and test 5 new integrated and sustainable technological solutions for highly efficient and effective NR from 5 WW streams (urban, industrial, food, sewage sludge, brine from water desalination and demineralisation plants). Thus, by the cutting-edge sustainable innovations proposed in terms of techno-economic feasible solutions and safe and high-quality products (BBFs) from different WW streams. WalNUT will assure BBFs' public and regulatory acceptance and market incursion. Promoting a circular economy context towards the replacement of non-renewable mineral fertilisers in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector.
To this end, the WalNUT project aims to address the aforementioned challenges through the following objectives:
•Detailed analysis and evaluation of inter and intraregional nutrient imbalances based on a sustainable transferability model
•Develop sustainable and resource-efficient technological solutions for NR from WW streams
•Comprehensive identification and assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the new proposed solutions for NR through a life-cycle assessment
•Evaluation of agronomic efficiency of BBFs and their potential to replace conventional, non-renewable mineral obtained via more sustainable processes
•Definition of the guidelines for industrialisation and application of the BBFs
•Governance policies, regulatory framework and citizens engagement. Bridge scientists and policymakers
•Dissemination and communication
The project has started by investigating the feasibility of NR from a pool of 15 technologies. The technologies have been tested for several months in the 5 sites where the pilot plants will be developed, depending on the types of WW most suitable for each of them. Once the laboratory tests have been completed, the various aspects that most influence the selection of technologies (types of WW, environmental aspects, etc.) have been taken into account using the WalLAB decision-making tool. Once the solutions have been selected for the type of WW and depending on the characteristics of final bioproducts to be obtained, the design of the 5 pilot plants has been started, taking into account the optimal operating parameters obtained at lab scale. In addition, a harmonised protocol for the evaluation of the agronomic efficiency of BBFs for future EU policies (Good Experimental Practice) has been drawn up and, with the BBFs obtained at lab scale; tests will begin to be carried out under controlled conditions.
On the other hand, during the first part of the project, most of the actions for the monitoring and definition of the mapping of the current NR balance in European WW treatment systems have been deployed and carried out. Thanks to these actions, an inventory of the nutrient balance of WW is being developed. In addition, a matrix to assess the economically most important nutrient resource-based products and the current status of recovery technologies from WW streams, as well as a description of the main barriers, has been carried out. Finally, a digital platform has been implemented that will connect and provide all necessary information for stakeholders along the entire agricultural value chain.
Finally, the cross-cutting tasks have started, such as the definition of the environmental and socio-economic impact assessment methodology to be applied later on in the pilot plants, the baseline of the current European and national regulations regarding the production and application of fertilisers, as well as the identification of the different business opportunities of the matured solutions, in order to subsequently define the business models. Last but not least, all the initial Dissemination and Communication activities have been carried out (definition of the Communication, Engagement and Dissemination Plan, project branding, project website and social networks, integration of the platform for agricultural nutrients recovery in the website, etc.).
On the other hand, during the first part of the project, most of the actions for the monitoring and definition of the mapping of the current NR balance in European WW treatment systems have been deployed and carried out. Thanks to these actions, an inventory of the nutrient balance of WW is being developed. In addition, a matrix to assess the economically most important nutrient resource-based products and the current status of recovery technologies from WW streams, as well as a description of the main barriers, has been carried out. Finally, a digital platform has been implemented that will connect and provide all necessary information for stakeholders along the entire agricultural value chain.
Finally, the cross-cutting tasks have started, such as the definition of the environmental and socio-economic impact assessment methodology to be applied later on in the pilot plants, the baseline of the current European and national regulations regarding the production and application of fertilisers, as well as the identification of the different business opportunities of the matured solutions, in order to subsequently define the business models. Last but not least, all the initial Dissemination and Communication activities have been carried out (definition of the Communication, Engagement and Dissemination Plan, project branding, project website and social networks, integration of the platform for agricultural nutrients recovery in the website, etc.).
NR is considered one of the most promising disciplines to transform the agricultural and food industry from a linear economy to a circular and sustainable economy. WalNUT's developments allow for innovative technological solutions for NR from WW at laboratory scale, which will be further optimised at pilot scale.
Current technologies present in WWTPs carry out WW treatment with high economic and energy costs and usually remove nutrients without recovering or valorising them. WalNUT's advances will close this gap by developing NR technologies and validating the BBFs obtained at a relevant scale.
The project will generate knowledge on NR that will be transferred to all sectors of the agricultural and food industry value chain. This will also include a sustainability factor in the production of BBFs, as well as the definition of business models and the promotion of policies that result in the marketing of these bioproducts.
Improved WW treatment systems will make it possible to obtain sustainable BBFs with high agronomic potential, which could replace the non-renewable mineral fertilisers currently on the market. Large-scale adaptation of WalNUT developments will have a positive impact on society and the economy, especially in rural and agricultural areas.
Current technologies present in WWTPs carry out WW treatment with high economic and energy costs and usually remove nutrients without recovering or valorising them. WalNUT's advances will close this gap by developing NR technologies and validating the BBFs obtained at a relevant scale.
The project will generate knowledge on NR that will be transferred to all sectors of the agricultural and food industry value chain. This will also include a sustainability factor in the production of BBFs, as well as the definition of business models and the promotion of policies that result in the marketing of these bioproducts.
Improved WW treatment systems will make it possible to obtain sustainable BBFs with high agronomic potential, which could replace the non-renewable mineral fertilisers currently on the market. Large-scale adaptation of WalNUT developments will have a positive impact on society and the economy, especially in rural and agricultural areas.