Eco-efficiency

Aqualia develops and implements ecological and economic efficient technologies, processes and strategies to reduce the consumption of resources and energy. These developments reinforce the global efficiency of the water cycle management, including wastewater treatment plants, drinking water installations and desalination facilities. The Eco-efficiency Area combines environmental friendly solutions that maximizes the benefits from the products and services offered by Aqualia. These objectives are developed in the following projects: 

• Develop sustainable desalination technologies: www.midesH2020.eu
• Maximize the recovery of nutrients and energy from wastewater.- Life Answer(www.life-answer.eu/​​​​​​)
• Validate highly efficient technologies for wastewater reuse.-VALORASTUR
• Promote the conversion of waste to energy through biomethane production (SCALIBUR) and its use as a vehicular fuel - CIEN Smart Green Gas, RETOS Renovagas and CLIMA ABAD

Innovative and advanced solutions are developed and implemented in the Eco-efficiency Area, such as:

• MDC (microbial desalination cell): Low-cost desalination technology powered by energy obtained from the simultaneous wastewater treatment (EP16382615.9).
• INSPECT-RO: Advanced monitoring system for membrane fouling prediction in desalination plants.
• SULFAREM: Efficient sulphate recovery method from acid waters.
• In situ disinfection agents production. Chlorine and chlorine dioxide production from brines by electrochemical and bio electrochemical systems (EP18382099.2).
• Beneficial uses of RO brines. Methods for the recovery of compounds of interest (chlorine, magnesium, lithium, calcium, sulphate) from brines generated in seawater desalination plants.
• Moving bed membrane bioreactor (MB-MBR). The use of new generation carbonaceous supports improves the performance and minimizes energy consumption in conventional MBRs.
• ADVANSIST: Solar anaerobic technology where organic matter and nutrients are transformed into bioenergy and organic fertilizers (EP18382210).
• Bioenergy from grease: energy production from grease recovered in WWTP.
• Advanced sludge digestion systems. Physical-chemical pre-treatment, thermophilic biological system for drying and sanitization of WWTP sludge, thermo-mesophilic anaerobic digestion and pressurized biological treatment (EP17382699.1).
• BIOE: High-rate electro-stimulated anaerobic reactor with supported biomass. (EP14382131.2).
• ABAD Bioenergy®: biogas cleaning and up-grading technology for the production of biomethane from biogas in WWTP (European Patent EP 15382087.3, US Patent No. 9901864).