The DAM Chair has held the ‘5th Scientific-Technical Conference on the use of wastewater as a source of resources’.
During the conference, 7 presentations were given to assess the current situation and the challenges that the wastewater sector is facing.
‘The conference made it clear that the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of the future will be very different from the current ones, as it will be designed according to its own needs and the reality of the environment. Therefore, it is essential to continue research to know more about them and ensure that they optimise the management of their resources, generate opportunities and are self-sufficient in terms of energy’.
This is how the representatives of the DAM Chair for Integral Management and Recovery of Wastewater Resources of the Universitat de València, Alberto Bouzas and Silvia Doñate, expressed themselves during the closing ceremony of the ‘5th Scientific-Technical Conference on the use of wastewater as a source of resources’.
At the meeting, which was attended by about a hundred people, several works were presented. Eduard Borràs (LEITAT) spoke about two projects related to the use of bioelectrochemical technologies for the recovery of ammoniacal nitrogen. Next, Jesús Colprim (LEQUIA-UdG) detailed different processes to extract phosphorus and potassium together. Closing the first part of the conference, Joaquín Serralta (Calagua-UPV) explained how to improve the recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, thanks to their prior concentration.
In the second half of the conference, the attendees learned from Rut Estany (Consorci Besòs-Tordera) about the experience of the Consorci Besòs Tordera in sludge management and from Concepción Calvo (UGR) about several researches related to the optimisation of the sludge composting process to obtain agricultural amendments. Later, Esperanza Romero (CSIC) spoke about the use of residual biomass for the elimination of pollutants and other biotechnological strategies to accelerate the biodegradation of ECs in different environments. Lastly, Ángel Fernández (UAM) presented work related to the potential of hydrothermal treatment for the material and energy recovery of biomass waste.
‘For all these reasons, the DAM Chair emphasises that innovation has a preponderant weight in the wastewater sector in order to achieve sustainability and circularity in the sector. We are in continuous transformation to turn resources into opportunities. Since the first edition, in 2018, we have seen great progress from research lines applied in pilot cases to technological solutions already implemented in real facilities’, concluded Silvia and Alberto.
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