NUTRIENT REMOVAL

Wastewater biological nutrient removal processes still have some gaps in terms of technology providing the best performance. Within WIDER UPTAKE project advanced processes (ANAMMOX, biofilm, membrane bioreactors, intermittent aeration) for biological nutrient removal will be tested under particular operating conditions (e.g., partial nitrification, low dissolved oxygen concentration) with the aim to reduce energy consumption and produce water to be re-used.

SLUDGE REDUCTION

The disposal of excess sludge produced during the process represents a major environmental and economic challenge for wastewater treatment. Therefore, reducing sludge production in WWTPs is an hot topic for both practitioners and researchers.

Within WIDER-UPTAKE project batch and pilot tests will be performed in view of identifying the best operating conditions to be applied in order to minimize the excess sludge production in an oxic–settling–anoxic (OSA) process. Further, a demonstration line will be implemented within Corleone full-scale WWTP.

COMPOSTING OF EXCESS SLUDGE

The application of biosolids on agricultural land can represent an interesting strategy to improve productivity of crops by increasing soil organic matter. Furthermore, developing a sustainable and integrated circular system to reuse biosolids in land application can be entirely inserted in the concept of circular economy. WIDER UPTAKE project has the aim to overcome the administrative and legislation barriers and share possible solutions for the excess sludge reuse in agriculture by implementing a complex and virtuous dynamic cooperation process among several actors (academic, project partners, municipalities, administrations, technical politics).

WATER REUSE BY MEMBRANE ULTRAFILTRATION

Resource recovery and energy reduction represent the foundations of WIDER UPTKE project within the core idea of applying tools for assessing drivers and barriers to circular/water-smart wastewater solutions in the different case-studies.

With this regard, pilot and batch tests for improving processes aimed at water reuse will be performed during the project.

A demonstration study will be performed within Corleone WWTP where the reuse of water subjected to ultafiltration process will be studied. In particular, an agriculture water reuse will be considered and an experimental field trial will be conducted for the assessment, by means of mesocosm experiments, of the relationship among water, soil and plants for evaluation of the food quality.

GREENHOUSE GASES ANALYSIS

WWTPs contribute to the total anthropogenic direct (due to biological processes) and indirect (due to energy consumption) greenhouse gas emissions. The current challenge of researchers and professionals in wastewater treatment field focus on the GHGs reductions. This challenge makes urgent the establishment of tools for an accurate estimation of GHG emissions from WWTPs (both in terms of measurement and estimation).

Within WIDER UPTAKE project pilot and bench scale plants will be monitored in terms of GHG emissions. Further, GHG emission monitoring will be performed in the two full scale demonstration WWTPs in view of identifying solutions for direct and indirect GHG emissions reduction.

MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

Mathematical modelling allows to predict wastewater treatment plants behaviour thus representing an usefull approach for plant optimization. All the biological (e.g. carbon and nutrients removal, GHG formation and emissions) and physical processes (e.g. solid/liquid separation) tested during WIDER UPTAKE will be described by mathematical models. Data acquired during the pilot plant operation will be adopted for model calibration and validation. The calibrated model will be an innovative tool for WWTP diagnosis purposes as well as optimization in terms of plant optimization (energy saving, increasing of materials recovery).