Project description
Energetic bacteria remove both organic carbon and nitrogen from wastewater
Biological wastewater treatment is not a new idea. It harnesses the natural ability of some bacteria and other microorganisms to degrade organic matter. Over the last decade, many scientists have turned their attention to microbial electrogenesis in which the decomposition of organic or inorganic carbon is paired with the release of electrons extracellularly. Microbial electrogenesis can be harnessed by wastewater treatment facilities to generate electricity or to produce fuels. The Spanish SME METfilter has developed a technology based on microbial electrogenesis that significantly enhances wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands (engineered wetlands designed to treat waterborne pollutants). Within the scope of the EU-funded ELECTRAMMOX project, scientists are identifying electrogenic microbes that additionally remove nitrogen from wastewater for a holistic biological wastewater treatment process.
Objective
In the last decade, the field of microbial electro catalysis has given birth to a wide variety of microbial electrochemical technologies (MET). MET use the extraordinary ability of some microorganisms to transfer electrons from a substrate in wastewater to a solid-state anode, which allows for different applications e.g. production of H2 , CH4, or electricity, desalination or simply wastewater treatment. Recently, electroactive microorganisms were integrated in constructed wetlands (CW) for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater in a new technology called METland®. METlands allow for intensification of (previously considered extensive) CW for decentralized wastewater treatment. Although METlands perform 10-times better than conventional CW in terms of removal of organic C, about 50% of the NH4+ in the wastewater remains untouched and is discharged to surface waters contributing to N pollution and high risk of eutrophication. The majority of studies about MET focus on heterotrophic microorganisms but few works have studied anaerobic NH4+ oxidizing-, anode respiring microorganisms. The feammox reaction (anaerobic oxidation of ammonium using insoluble Fe3+ as electron acceptor) has been shown in natural environments but has yet not been exploited for wastewater treatment. Integration of feammox in wastewater treatment by replacing the iron by an anode will enable anaerobic nitrification, minimizing the most problematic issue for treating wastewater in thousands of European small populations: the costs derived from energy-intensive aeration for conventional nitrification. In ELECTRAMMOX we will enrich and characterize anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing, anode-respiring microorganisms (electrammox bacteria) and integrate them in METlands for N removal from sewage. The project outlines a research trajectory that includes fundamental investigation of the metabolism of electrammox bacteria and their application for wastewater treatment at a pilot scale.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- engineering and technology chemical engineering separation technologies desalination
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
41820 CARRION DE LOS CESPEDES
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.