On the search of a low cost treatment of complex industrial wastewaters trough advanced oxidation processes and biological treatment: proof of concept
First name: Sergio
Last name: Ponsa Salas
Email: sergio.ponsa@uab.cat
Name of the organization: Universitat Autònomoa de Barcelona
Type of organization: Other
Other: University
Brief description of the organization: The organization preapraing the proposal is the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain and in particular, the BIO-GLS Technological Center, at the Department of Chemical Engineering, UAB. The BIO-GLS Technological Center (TECNIO Network of the Generalitat de Catalunya) is the union of two research groups, recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya, as Consolidated Research Groups (GENOCOV: 2009 SGR 00815 and GICOM: 2009 SGR 95). BIO-GLS is a center funded by the UAB and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Department of Industry) and is part of the TECNIO, a network integrating those technology centers with a recognized reputation, and having activity in the field of technology transfer and development. BIO-GLS bases its activity on the technology transfer and development in the area of waste management, in whatever physical state in which wastes are generated. Specifically there are three key areas: - Treatment of gaseous emissions. - Treatment of liquid effluents. - Treatment of solid waste. In any case, BIO-GLS is always looking for the most sustainable and safe alternatives, at the lowest capital and operational costs. The most used technologies that meet these requirements usually include biological processes, although on certain occasions there are other technologies having major advantages, as is the case presented. BIO-GLS possesses deep expertise and proven experience in the field of water treatment, using all available technologies and has worked for years in the development and transfer of new technologies which are more efficient, safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Similarly, BIO-GLS has excellent relationships with public and private organizations in the industrial and administrative sectors both at a regional, national and international levels. In addition, the Centre has adequate dissemination channels (TECNIO Network) and is part of the Group Connect-EU Water integrating the most important Catalan entities in the sector.
Telephone: +34 93 581 21 43
Website:
Location: Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona) (Spain)
Project title: On the search of a low cost treatment of complex industrial wastewaters trough advanced oxidation processes and biological treatment: proof of concept
Brief description of the project: The chemical industry is a vital sector of the European economy; in particular, in the South West of Europe, the businesses figures for the agrochemical market are around 600 million Euros per year or more than 100.000 tons of products per year (AEPLA, 2011). The agrochemical industries employ complex synthetic routes leading to high volumes of wastewater that are generally considered difficult to treat biologically. The main reasons to present this proposal are the following: (i) Some agrochemical industries produce wastewaters containing both high ammonium concentrations and aromatic hydrocarbons; (ii) The treatment of these effluents is partial and costly, since the solution used is often a physic-chemical treatment which does not remove completely the contaminants; (iii) Up to date, there is not a well established low cost treatment for such complex industrial wastewaters. (iv) Moreover, the industry frequently refuses to use of fully biological treatments. It is often the case that either scenarios of sequentially alternating pollutants, periods without wastewater production (long term starvation) or shock loading episodes are seen as weak point of this type of technologies. Our initial hypothesis is that a low cost treatment, for this type of industrial wastewaters, is only possible in the case of an advanced oxidation process followed by a biological treatment based on granular biomass. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to prove that a new, cheap and more efficient treatment process is available for the remediation of these wastewaters. This process should have a lower environmental footprint, mainly in terms of energy requirements, than the current technologies. The proposal is based on a combined treatment of a photo-Fenton step followed by biological degradation at pilot scale. Main scientific contributions: 1) Getting better knowledge of the influence of the photo-Fenton operating conditions on the removal efficiency at pilot scale. 2) Identification of the most important operational parameters in the combined treatment. 3) Establishing a criteria for the formation, development and maturity of granular aerobic sludge under several stressing conditions and in the presence of several toxic/inhibitory compounds. Main technical contributions: 1) To demonstrate at pilot scale and under different working conditions that a stable and continuous operation of the combined treatment is feasible. 2) To demonstrate at pilot scale that stable operation of granular reactors treating complex industrial wastewater with high-strength ammonium concentrations and recalcitrant/toxic compounds is feasible. 3) Use of these results both, for the upgrading of overloaded WWTPs treating industrial wastewaters and for establishing a novel design criteria to build new treatment plants. 4) To establish the applicability of this technology with the appropriated stakeholders.
Priority: Priority 2 - Promotion of environmental sustainability at the basin level
Measure: 2.2 Promotion of renewable energies use and improvement of energy efficiency contributing to addressing, among other challenges, climate change
Partners already involved:
Partners searched: Public bodies Universities and/or Research Centers
Last name: Ponsa Salas
Email: sergio.ponsa@uab.cat
Name of the organization: Universitat Autònomoa de Barcelona
Type of organization: Other
Other: University
Brief description of the organization: The organization preapraing the proposal is the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain and in particular, the BIO-GLS Technological Center, at the Department of Chemical Engineering, UAB. The BIO-GLS Technological Center (TECNIO Network of the Generalitat de Catalunya) is the union of two research groups, recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya, as Consolidated Research Groups (GENOCOV: 2009 SGR 00815 and GICOM: 2009 SGR 95). BIO-GLS is a center funded by the UAB and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Department of Industry) and is part of the TECNIO, a network integrating those technology centers with a recognized reputation, and having activity in the field of technology transfer and development. BIO-GLS bases its activity on the technology transfer and development in the area of waste management, in whatever physical state in which wastes are generated. Specifically there are three key areas: - Treatment of gaseous emissions. - Treatment of liquid effluents. - Treatment of solid waste. In any case, BIO-GLS is always looking for the most sustainable and safe alternatives, at the lowest capital and operational costs. The most used technologies that meet these requirements usually include biological processes, although on certain occasions there are other technologies having major advantages, as is the case presented. BIO-GLS possesses deep expertise and proven experience in the field of water treatment, using all available technologies and has worked for years in the development and transfer of new technologies which are more efficient, safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Similarly, BIO-GLS has excellent relationships with public and private organizations in the industrial and administrative sectors both at a regional, national and international levels. In addition, the Centre has adequate dissemination channels (TECNIO Network) and is part of the Group Connect-EU Water integrating the most important Catalan entities in the sector.
Telephone: +34 93 581 21 43
Website:
Location: Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona) (Spain)
Project title: On the search of a low cost treatment of complex industrial wastewaters trough advanced oxidation processes and biological treatment: proof of concept
Brief description of the project: The chemical industry is a vital sector of the European economy; in particular, in the South West of Europe, the businesses figures for the agrochemical market are around 600 million Euros per year or more than 100.000 tons of products per year (AEPLA, 2011). The agrochemical industries employ complex synthetic routes leading to high volumes of wastewater that are generally considered difficult to treat biologically. The main reasons to present this proposal are the following: (i) Some agrochemical industries produce wastewaters containing both high ammonium concentrations and aromatic hydrocarbons; (ii) The treatment of these effluents is partial and costly, since the solution used is often a physic-chemical treatment which does not remove completely the contaminants; (iii) Up to date, there is not a well established low cost treatment for such complex industrial wastewaters. (iv) Moreover, the industry frequently refuses to use of fully biological treatments. It is often the case that either scenarios of sequentially alternating pollutants, periods without wastewater production (long term starvation) or shock loading episodes are seen as weak point of this type of technologies. Our initial hypothesis is that a low cost treatment, for this type of industrial wastewaters, is only possible in the case of an advanced oxidation process followed by a biological treatment based on granular biomass. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to prove that a new, cheap and more efficient treatment process is available for the remediation of these wastewaters. This process should have a lower environmental footprint, mainly in terms of energy requirements, than the current technologies. The proposal is based on a combined treatment of a photo-Fenton step followed by biological degradation at pilot scale. Main scientific contributions: 1) Getting better knowledge of the influence of the photo-Fenton operating conditions on the removal efficiency at pilot scale. 2) Identification of the most important operational parameters in the combined treatment. 3) Establishing a criteria for the formation, development and maturity of granular aerobic sludge under several stressing conditions and in the presence of several toxic/inhibitory compounds. Main technical contributions: 1) To demonstrate at pilot scale and under different working conditions that a stable and continuous operation of the combined treatment is feasible. 2) To demonstrate at pilot scale that stable operation of granular reactors treating complex industrial wastewater with high-strength ammonium concentrations and recalcitrant/toxic compounds is feasible. 3) Use of these results both, for the upgrading of overloaded WWTPs treating industrial wastewaters and for establishing a novel design criteria to build new treatment plants. 4) To establish the applicability of this technology with the appropriated stakeholders.
Priority: Priority 2 - Promotion of environmental sustainability at the basin level
Measure: 2.2 Promotion of renewable energies use and improvement of energy efficiency contributing to addressing, among other challenges, climate change
Partners already involved:
Partners searched: Public bodies Universities and/or Research Centers
