H2020 SALTGAE Project: Demonstration project to demonstrate the techno-economic viability of using algae for the treatment of saline wastewater from the food industry
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2016 -2019
- Assigned Budget 8.294.318,87 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website SALTGAE
The most important activities achieved during the life of the project are described below:
- Selection and testing of the best performing algae-bacteria cultures for optimal BOD treatment efficiency suitable for different salinities and wastewater compositions.
- Industrial wastewater characterization and primary and pretreatment process design. Following testing, detailed sizing and design for implementation at demonstration sites.
- Anaerobic digestion treatment applied to saline wastewater to reduce its BOD load. Bacterial adaptation to highly saline wastewater in ongoing laboratory-scale tests and scaled up to the demonstration site.
- Valorization of algae treatment effluents by evaluating the best pretreatment strategy for desalination (validated and optimized at pilot scale), electrodialysis for demineralization of pretreated effluents.
- Prototyping of a new reverse osmosis pump and design of a device to recover the energy contained in the reject stream.
- Biomass harvesting has been tested using a combination of different techniques, including membrane technology and centrifugation, with good results.
- The harvested biomass is refined by extracting its various fractions. Mechanical and chemical methods have been defined, and extraction tests have been conducted for each type of algae.
- Valorization of algal biomass fractions to produce new products: monomers for adhesive applications, water-based PU dispersions for coatings and adhesives, edible coatings, and high-value fillings and pastes.
- Evaluation of design and operation factors influencing the performance and profitability of high-rate algae ponds, using mathematical models and CFD models.
- Sensing, monitoring, and control of high-rate algae ponds, including control system functionality.
- Integrated assessment of sustainability and business viability.
- Testing of the three demonstration sites with different climatic conditions and algae strains, integrating innovations developed in previous phases of the project.
For any industry that generates large quantities of wastewater, managing its waste, which is necessary to comply with EU directives, entails direct costs that can be very high. This issue is critical for many industrial sectors, such as food processing, the leather industry, and terrestrial aquaculture, which generate saline wastewater. This type of wastewater, with high concentrations of biodegradable organic matter, suspended solids, nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus), and salt (concentrations up to 15%), is extremely difficult and expensive to treat by conventional means (e.g., anaerobic bacterial treatment is inhibited), making this cost unaffordable for SMEs, which may choose not to comply with EU directives and discharge it without prior treatment, causing serious damage to the environment.
The objective of the SALTGAE project is twofold: 1) To develop a technologically and economically viable solution for the treatment of saline wastewater from the food and beverage (and related) industries and to implement and demonstrate it on a large scale. 2) To develop an innovative platform for the mobilization and networking of stakeholders from all different sectors related to wastewater, and for the dissemination of results, with the aim of promoting a paradigm shift in perception from "wastewater treatment" to "resource valorization."
The project's objective is to implement and demonstrate on a large scale the long-term technological and economic viability of an innovative, sustainable, and efficient solution for the treatment of high-salinity wastewater from the food and beverage industry. Conventional treatments have proven ineffective for this type of wastewater, as the bacterial processes typically used for the removal of organic matter and nutrients are inhibited under high salinity conditions. Therefore, combinations of biological and physicochemical methods are generally used, which significantly increase treatment costs, making it unaffordable for SMEs, which voluntarily choose to flout EU directives and discharge wastewater without prior treatment, causing serious environmental damage.
SALTGAE's solution to this problem consists of implementing innovative technologies for each stage of wastewater treatment that will promote energy and resource efficiency and reduce costs. Among these, the use of halotolerant algae/bacteria consortia in HRAPs for the removal of organic matter and nutrients stands out for its high added value: not only will it provide an effective and environmentally friendly solution for wastewater treatment, but it will also represent an innovative way to produce algal biomass, which will subsequently be valorized into various byproducts, reducing the economic and environmental impact of treatment.
Furthermore, the project will also address cross-cutting barriers to innovation related to wastewater by developing a platform for mobilizing and networking key stakeholders from all different wastewater-related sectors, and for disseminating results. This will enable the development of a common roadmap for harmonizing legislation, regulation, and pricing methodologies, and promote financial investment and a paradigm shift in perception from "wastewater treatment" to "resource valorization."
ADVANCES BEYOND THE STATE OF THE ART
a) Innovative use of algal-bacterial treatment that not only eliminates the energy requirement for aeration (algae produce oxygen) but also partially incorporates the energy contained in the wastewater into biomass, which can be used for other purposes or for energy recovery in biogas. As a result, treatment is much more economical due to lower aeration costs, CO2 is recycled instead of contributing to climate change, and the biomass can be used (and sold).
b) Obtain a salt-tolerant microbial consortium that treats high-salinity wastewater using anaerobic digestion. Archaea are salt-sensitive and cannot survive at high salinity levels. However, through the adaptation strategy and measures developed in the project, this problem has been overcome, and biogas has been successfully produced continuously under high-salinity conditions.
c) Efficient and economical algae harvesting using a membrane process.
d) Valorization of algae fractions (proteins, lipids and cellular remains) in platform chemicals (adhesives and coatings) and fillers and pastes of high-value materials (geopolymers and rubber).
e) Design of an HP pressure pump with greater efficiency than current ones, which reduces the cost of the desalination process.
INTEGRATED FINAL RESULT
The Saltgae project has developed an innovative modular technology platform for the efficient treatment of saline wastewater containing organic matter. This enables easy operation, significant cost reductions, compliance with European Directives with minimal environmental impact, water recycling for non-potable applications, and the valorization of nutrient and energy resources, with the following performance:
- Efficiency in removing BOD, N and P (>90%) and algal biomass growth (>15 g/m2/day)
- Capable of dealing with different salinity levels (2 g/L to 60 g/L) and wastewater compositions.
- Cost reduction of >40% compared to current alternatives for saline wastewater with organic load.
- Possibility of valorizing the algae biomass produced, transforming waste into revenue, with an increase of more than 15% in the profit margin per ton of algae biomass produced.
- Technical and economic feasibility, implemented and tested at DEMO scale for operation and validation under real conditions and scales.
POSSIBLE IMPACTS
a) Resource efficiency and environmental performance.
Saltgae aims to produce lower energy consumption, extract energy from wastewater, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve effluent quality, significantly reduce industrial salt emissions, and save resources through biomass valorization. It also reduced the ammonium content of wastewater, preventing eutrophication. Furthermore, it is helping process industries become less dependent on water while ensuring the efficient management of other resources.
b) Creation of new market opportunities.
Valorizing biomass through the creation of edible coatings, generating technical know-how linked to improved formulations for feed and adhesives, innovations related to biogas generation, a more energy-efficient reverse osmosis desalination process, and a more sustainable cycle of water, fish, and crop irrigation production will enable sustainable economic growth, business, and job creation both in the water sector and beyond.
c) Contribution to the implementation of the EIP Water in several key areas
The SALTAGE project contributes to the objectives of the EIP Water in several key areas: 1) Water and wastewater treatment, including resource recovery (through dissolved nutrient reduction and recovery as biomass with potential source of high-value precursors); 2) Water reuse and recycling (near-complete salt removal from the water stream with >20% expected water recycling rate); 3) Water-energy nexus (energy recovery from wastewater by converting BOD into heat and electricity); 4) Cross-cutting challenges (stakeholder mobilization and promoting a paradigm shift in perception from "wastewater treatment" to "resource valorization").
- FUNDACION TECNOLOGICA ADVANTX
Related projects
