The company Águas do Algarve is part of a European project, called “Water Mining”, which aims to develop innovative and energy-efficient technologies for the treatment of urban and industrial wastewater.
This project also wants to develop technologies for «the desalination of sea water, promoting the production of materials with market value from the waste formed in the treatment and for the sustainable use of alternative sources of water», explains the company Águas do Algarve.
The project has a duration of four years, running until August 31, 2024, being coordinated by the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands) and with the participation of 38 European partners from the scientific – technological and business sectors, public and private, from 12 countries.
It is one of five projects funded by the European Union under the European program for innovation and research H2020.
The project has a global budget of 19,1 million euros, being the responsibility of Águas do Algarve one slice of around 110 thousand euros, with 70% financing by the H2020 program (77.437,50 euros).
As he explained in a press release, Águas do Algarve «will participate in several actions of the project, highlighting the tests that will be carried out in a prototype unit at the WWTP in Faro-Olhão».
The objective is the "production of biofertilizer".
“Their properties point to them as biostimulants for plant growth, with a high content of organic matter and nutrients and high moisture retention, which is particularly beneficial in countries with warmer climates. It is also expected that the product will be endowed with a structure that allows the slow release of nutrients, thus avoiding their leaching and maximizing their use by crops”, says Águas do Algarve.
«With the case study of Faro-Olhão intends to demonstrate the innovative technology that allows the reintroduction in the market of “green products”, resulting from the treatment of wastewater in the WWTP», he adds.
In addition to the development of innovative technologies and their respective tests, the project includes actions aimed at the business market, in which the various stakeholders will be identified, both at the political, regulatory, technical-scientific level and at the level of possible end-users.
The “Water Mining” project also aims to «establish partnerships between stakeholders and define strategies and regulatory measures to encourage the application of innovative technologies developed in the project, addressing existing market and governance failures».
This initiative contemplates a series of innovative technologies to be implemented in six case studies from five European Union countries (Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus, Italy and Portugal).
Comments