Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RECYCLES (Recovering carbon from contaminated matrices by exploiting the nitrogen and sulphur cycles)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-07-01 al 2025-10-31
Modern societies produce increasing amounts of waste and wastewater, putting growing pressure on treatment plants, natural resources and the environment. Traditional waste treatment systems mainly focus on removing and destroying pollutants, often using large amounts of energy and losing valuable resources in the process. This approach is increasingly unsustainable, especially in the context of climate change. RECYCLES addresses this challenge by exploring new ways to treat waste that both protect the environment and recover value from waste streams.
The RECYCLES project aimed to rethink waste treatment by placing resource recovery and sustainability at the core of everyday waste and wastewater treatment, rather than treating them as additional benefits. The project brought together universities and companies to develop biological solutions that make waste treatment more efficient, resilient and sustainable. RECYCLES focused on innovative biological processes to manage liquid and gaseous waste streams from wastewater treatment plants, municipal solid waste facilities and landfills. Instead of relying on energy-intensive methods that destroy organic matter, the project studied innovative biological technologies and combined them into integrated treatment trains for wastewater treatment and biogas upgrading. In these systems, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were treated not as pollutants to be eliminated, but as resources that can be recovered, demonstrating that waste treatment itself can play a central role in the circular economy by reducing emissions, saving resources and supporting long-term sustainability.
To achieve these goals, RECYCLES adopted a holistic approach that simultaneously considered economic viability, environmental performance and engineering and process performance (the 3E concept). The project showed that truly sustainable solutions require balancing all three aspects, rather than optimising only one. To support practical application, RECYCLES developed a Decision Support Tool to help identify optimal treatment configurations by jointly considering technical, economic and environmental factors, helping bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation.
RECYCLES demonstrated that modern waste treatment can be both sustainable and resource-efficient when circular economy principles are embedded directly into treatment processes. By combining innovative biological technologies, a holistic 3E approach and strong collaboration between science and industry, the project delivered solutions that are environmentally responsible, economically realistic and technically robust. At the same time, RECYCLES made a lasting investment in people and skills, supporting innovation in waste treatment and contributing to Europe’s transition towards a more circular, sustainable and climate-resilient society.
The RECYCLES project aimed to rethink waste treatment by placing resource recovery and sustainability at the core of everyday waste and wastewater treatment, rather than treating them as additional benefits. The project brought together universities and companies to develop biological solutions that make waste treatment more efficient, resilient and sustainable. RECYCLES focused on innovative biological processes to manage liquid and gaseous waste streams from wastewater treatment plants, municipal solid waste facilities and landfills. Instead of relying on energy-intensive methods that destroy organic matter, the project studied innovative biological technologies and combined them into integrated treatment trains for wastewater treatment and biogas upgrading. In these systems, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were treated not as pollutants to be eliminated, but as resources that can be recovered, demonstrating that waste treatment itself can play a central role in the circular economy by reducing emissions, saving resources and supporting long-term sustainability.
To achieve these goals, RECYCLES adopted a holistic approach that simultaneously considered economic viability, environmental performance and engineering and process performance (the 3E concept). The project showed that truly sustainable solutions require balancing all three aspects, rather than optimising only one. To support practical application, RECYCLES developed a Decision Support Tool to help identify optimal treatment configurations by jointly considering technical, economic and environmental factors, helping bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation.
RECYCLES demonstrated that modern waste treatment can be both sustainable and resource-efficient when circular economy principles are embedded directly into treatment processes. By combining innovative biological technologies, a holistic 3E approach and strong collaboration between science and industry, the project delivered solutions that are environmentally responsible, economically realistic and technically robust. At the same time, RECYCLES made a lasting investment in people and skills, supporting innovation in waste treatment and contributing to Europe’s transition towards a more circular, sustainable and climate-resilient society.
The RECYCLES project was organised into seven work packages, five of which delivered key technical results focused on developing innovative treatment systems for liquid and gaseous waste streams combined with resource recovery.
WP1 successfully developed and operated innovative bench-scale bioreactors with high transformative potential, integrating nitrogen and sulphur cycles and converting carbon and sulphur in waste streams into value-added products using microbial and enzymatic systems. WP2 applied advanced monitoring and molecular biology tools to understand the role and dynamics of microorganisms in these processes, providing essential knowledge to optimise biological treatment.
WP3 delivered a Decision Support Tool (DST) combining harmonised technical, economic and environmental data, mathematical models, life-cycle assessment and multicriteria decision-making tools. This allowed different treatment configurations to be quantitatively compared for real industrial case studies. In WP4, the DST was used to design and assess integrated treatment trains for wastewater and gas treatment, evaluating effluent quality, environmental impacts and cost–benefit performance to rank the most sustainable solutions.
In WP5, one of the best-performing solutions was successfully demonstrated at pilot scale through a biogas desulphurisation unit operated in a real facility, validating both the treatment approach and the usefulness of the DST for practical implementation and future upscaling.
RECYCLES also had a strong training and capacity-building impact, fully aligned with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. More than 60 early-stage and senior researchers participated through international and intersectoral secondments, gaining new skills and experience across academia and industry. The project resulted in over 13 scientific publications, its participation in more than 10 international conferences, and the organisation of four international workshops, contributing to long-term knowledge transfer and expertise development in sustainable waste and wastewater treatment.
WP1 successfully developed and operated innovative bench-scale bioreactors with high transformative potential, integrating nitrogen and sulphur cycles and converting carbon and sulphur in waste streams into value-added products using microbial and enzymatic systems. WP2 applied advanced monitoring and molecular biology tools to understand the role and dynamics of microorganisms in these processes, providing essential knowledge to optimise biological treatment.
WP3 delivered a Decision Support Tool (DST) combining harmonised technical, economic and environmental data, mathematical models, life-cycle assessment and multicriteria decision-making tools. This allowed different treatment configurations to be quantitatively compared for real industrial case studies. In WP4, the DST was used to design and assess integrated treatment trains for wastewater and gas treatment, evaluating effluent quality, environmental impacts and cost–benefit performance to rank the most sustainable solutions.
In WP5, one of the best-performing solutions was successfully demonstrated at pilot scale through a biogas desulphurisation unit operated in a real facility, validating both the treatment approach and the usefulness of the DST for practical implementation and future upscaling.
RECYCLES also had a strong training and capacity-building impact, fully aligned with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. More than 60 early-stage and senior researchers participated through international and intersectoral secondments, gaining new skills and experience across academia and industry. The project resulted in over 13 scientific publications, its participation in more than 10 international conferences, and the organisation of four international workshops, contributing to long-term knowledge transfer and expertise development in sustainable waste and wastewater treatment.
The RECYCLES project delivered important socio-economic and societal impacts by advancing innovative and reliable biological solutions for wastewater and gas treatment that support the transition towards a circular and sustainable economy.
The development of new bioreactors capable of simultaneously removing nitrogen and sulphur from liquid and gaseous waste streams, together with enzyme-based technologies for biogas upgrading and product recovery, demonstrated how waste treatment plants can reduce emissions while recovering valuable resources. By addressing critical operational challenges in advanced biological reactors, including efficiency, robustness, stability and reliability, RECYCLES strengthened the readiness of biological technologies for real-world deployment.
The project further strengthened decision-making through the development of a Decision Support Tool that integrates technical performance, economic viability and environmental impacts, helping stakeholders select the most sustainable treatment solutions. Pilot-scale demonstrations confirmed the feasibility of integrating wastewater treatment, biogas desulphurisation and carbon recovery in a single system, showing clear potential for cost savings, emission reductions and improved resource efficiency. Beyond the technical results, RECYCLES established a medium- to long-term exploitation strategy for both academic and industrial partners, supporting innovation, competitiveness and job creation. Finally, through effective communication, dissemination and knowledge transfer activities, the project helped increase public awareness and trust in biological waste treatment solutions, contributing to a broader societal acceptance of sustainable technologies that protect the environment while delivering economic and social benefits.
The development of new bioreactors capable of simultaneously removing nitrogen and sulphur from liquid and gaseous waste streams, together with enzyme-based technologies for biogas upgrading and product recovery, demonstrated how waste treatment plants can reduce emissions while recovering valuable resources. By addressing critical operational challenges in advanced biological reactors, including efficiency, robustness, stability and reliability, RECYCLES strengthened the readiness of biological technologies for real-world deployment.
The project further strengthened decision-making through the development of a Decision Support Tool that integrates technical performance, economic viability and environmental impacts, helping stakeholders select the most sustainable treatment solutions. Pilot-scale demonstrations confirmed the feasibility of integrating wastewater treatment, biogas desulphurisation and carbon recovery in a single system, showing clear potential for cost savings, emission reductions and improved resource efficiency. Beyond the technical results, RECYCLES established a medium- to long-term exploitation strategy for both academic and industrial partners, supporting innovation, competitiveness and job creation. Finally, through effective communication, dissemination and knowledge transfer activities, the project helped increase public awareness and trust in biological waste treatment solutions, contributing to a broader societal acceptance of sustainable technologies that protect the environment while delivering economic and social benefits.