Adasa in the SPORE-MED project: Water Management and Innovation Action

Adasa contributes with the development of integrated on-line measuring device for nitrates and phosphates for the output of the WWTP.

Challenge

According to the UN, 56% of household wastewater (WW) flows underwent safe treatment in 2020. However, significant disparities are found across Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) regions, with rates ranging from 25% to 80%.

These findings highlight the uneven progress in sanitation made globally and underscore the pressing need to build more wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Moreover, the longevity of many assets and the challenges posed by climate change, water scarcity, increasing population, soaring energy prices and risks associated with emerging pollutants, make it urgent to upgrade WWTPs with more sustainable technologies that are not only able to treat WW but also provide us with valuable resources, goods and services.

This is especially relevant in the Mediterranean region, affected by climate change and water scarcity more severely than the world average.

Therefore, adopting sustainable WW treatment practices is a vital step towards mitigating these challenges and fostering the principles of a circular blue economy, ecosystem resilience, and economic growth.

Adasa's Solution

Adasa will contribute with the development of integrated on-line measuring device for nitrates and phosphates for the output of the WWTP, based on previously developed technology, by the integration in one device of both microfluidic systems for highly efficient water sampling and analysis in a small & compact format.

Also, in the Update of detection technology of aquaBio on-line microbiological measuring device, current one is based on LED measurement of absorbance and fluorescence, by replacing the measuring system with a CCD camera able to identify the changes in the reaction chamber faster and more selectively compared to the used system

Result

SPORE-MED aims to enhance the environmental, economic and societal sustainability of WWTPs by developing and upscaling a combined set of innovative water treatment and resource recovery technologies, sensors, online measurement devices, sustainable agricultural practices, and health surveillance protocols.

At the core of the SPORE-MED, there is a holistic approach: we consider that the WWTPs of tomorrow will have to deal concomitantly with the complexity of the water-energy-food-health nexus, while addressing the challenges posed by the Mediterranean region, including addressing water scarcity, pollution, desertification, and reliance on external fossil resources