Achieving Wider Uptake of Water-Smart Solutions WIDER UPTAKE

Horizon 2020 – European Commission Grant
No. 869283 | 2020–2024

The project Achieving wider uptake of water-smart solutions WIDER – UPTAKE aims to facilitate industrial symbiosis as a mean to increase resource efficiency, limit emissions and develop sustainable water-smart solutions. WIDER UPTAKE will apply a case study approach that will provide applied knowledge on operationalization of the solutions in a range of socio-economic, environmental and climatic condition. Within WIDER UPTAKE a Resource Recovery HUB for net-zero carbon and climate change mitigation was developed.

The UNIPA WRRF is composed of four main elements
1) An innovative pumping station (1500 m underground conduits d=800 mm) for collecting the wastewater produced by the university campus facilities;;
2) A pilot plant hall composed of three treatment lines (0.7 m3/day treatment capacity): nutrients recovery, biopolymer production and water reuse;
3) A greenhouse facility and an irrigation system for the green areas of the campus in order to study the water-soil-plant interaction;
4) An innovative Water & Resource Recovery laboratory (around 100 m2) is used to perform chemical-physical analyses, greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and environmental impact evaluation

Goals

The main goal of the WRRF – UNIPA is the recovery of the following resources from wastewater treatment:

Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus): using adsorption/desorption columns filled with biochar and zeolite to recover the nutrients in view of reusing them in agricultures as slow-release fertilizers.
Biopolymers for bioplastic materials production: innovative pilot plant aimed to transform the sewage sludge into biopolymers, such as the polyhydroxyalkanoates, used as bioplastic precursors. This process reduces the harmful wastes which require an economically and energetically expensive disposal treatment while producing a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum based plastic materials.
Water: According to the new law 2020/741 EU, water suitable for reuse in agriculture is produced by applying innovative and advanced wastewater treatment technologies with a low carbon footprint.

WRRF – UNIPA construction

The construction works of the WRRF-UNIPA began in September 2020 and followed a complex authorization process which saw various bodies and expertise involved: superintendence of cultural heritage, municipality of Palermo, department of urban planning and university of Palermo. The demonstration case study was inaugurated on October 17, 2022.

The innovative technologies of the WRRF – UNIPA

The WRRF-UNIPA adopts innovative technologies for the recovery of resources from the production of water suitable for reuse. Here the main water-smart solutions adopted

GROUP 1
Sludge minimization and production of water suitable for reuse

The wastewater produced within the campus is treated with an innovative and technologically advanced system. Through the application of the innovative Oxic Settling Anaerobic process, the production of sewage sludge to be disposed of is reduced. The use of polymeric or self-forming ultrafiltration membranes allows the production of water with a quality suitable for agricultural reuse.

Technologies for sludge reduction
and production of treated wate

GROUP 2
Production of biopolymers (PHA)

The excess sewage sludge produced is used to train the microorganisms capable of producing PHA, which is subsequently extracted and used as a bioplastic precursor.

Technologies for biopolymer production

GROUP 3
Adsorption/Desorption columns

Biochar and Zeolite are enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus using ionic adsorption-desorption columns. The enriched materials are then used as slow-release fertilizers.

Technologies for fertilizers production.