Descripción del proyecto
Los residuos de lodos activados como recurso
Las instalaciones de tratamiento de aguas residuales producen grandes cantidades de residuos de lodos activados (RLA), un desecho semisólido no deseado. La mejora de los procesos de aguas residuales es un paso necesario para alcanzar los objetivos del Pacto Verde de la Unión Europea. Para ello, resulta fundamental contemplar los RLA como un recurso y no como un subproducto no deseado. El equipo del proyecto CAVIPHY, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, desarrollará un dispositivo exclusivo que aprovecha la cavitación para el pretratamiento de RLA industriales o domésticos antes de que se produzca la digestión anaerobia. Sin embargo, este proceso debe estar totalmente modernizado y perfeccionado para alcanzar todo su potencial. El proyecto se basará en los conocimientos adquiridos por el proyecto ERC-CoG CABUM, el cual desarrolló un generador rotativo rentable para la cavitación hidrodinámica que funciona de forma simultánea como generador de cavitación y como bomba. El proyecto CAVIPHY mejorará el tratamiento de los residuos y producirá metano.
Objetivo
One of the most pressing global problems is the increasing pollution of surface and groundwater, which threatens the world's clean water supply and public health. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the last barrier between ever-increasing human activities and the environment, produce huge amounts, up to 13 million tonnes per year in the EU alone1, of unwanted semi-solid by-product - waste activated sludge (WAS). Therefore, upgrading wastewater (WW) processes with new circular economy approaches is crucial to achieve the goals of the EU Green Deal. Considering WAS as a resource rather than an unwanted end-product is the first step towards sustainable WW treatment. CAVIPHY will address this need directly by developing a unique device that exploits cavitation to pre-treat industrial or domestic WAS prior to anaerobic digestion (AD). However, this process, simple in its fundamentals, will never be sufficient to make a substantial contribution to current and future energy needs unless it is extensively modernized and refined to reach its full potential. Based on the knowledge gained within the ERC-CoG CABUM, we have developed a rotating generator for hydrodynamic cavitation (RGHC) - a scalable and cost-effective device that works simultaneously as a cavitation generator and a pump. With CAVIPHY, we will improve the disintegration, settleability and dewatering of WAS, resulting in synergistic effects in terms of lower costs associated with reduced volumes of WAS and environmental burden from its disposal, while producing methane – a renewable bioenergy source. This will have a direct impact on the economics of WWTPs, as the WAS associated costs already account for nearly half of the total WWTP operation expenses and will continue to increase.
Ámbito científico
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic health
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybioremediationbioreactors
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compounds
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-AG-LS - HORIZON Lump Sum GrantInstitución de acogida
1000 Ljubljana
Eslovenia