INTEGRATED BIOTECHNOLOGIES WITH PHYSICAL – CHEMICAL PROCESSES FOR MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER AND RESIDUAL SLUDGE TREATMENT IN ORDER TO REUSE THEM

Period: 2005-2008

Consortium:

Coordinator: National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology, Bucharest

Partners:

  • INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE ICIM
  • INSTITUTUL DE BIOLOGIE AL ACADEMIEI ROMANE
  • SC ZECASIN SA
  • UNIVERSITATEA „POLITEHNICA” TIMISOARA
  • INSTITUTUL DE CERCETARI PRODUSE AUXILIARE ORGANICE
  • UNIVERSITATEA  DE VEST DIN TIMISOARA
  • UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI, CENTRUL PENTRU PREGATIREA RESURSELOR UMANE

Beneficiary partner:

  • REGIA AUTONOMA APA SI CANAL AQUATIM RA

Project objective

The development of innovative biotechnological procedures coupled with physical-chemical procedures for WWTP’s effluents and residual sludge advanced treatment with the purpose of obtaining the normed water quality for re-use

Specific objectives:

  • Comprehensive study on physical-chemical and biological processes for wastewater and residual sludge treatment (efficiencies, quality, requirements) according to European and Romanian regulations;
  • Development/evaluation of modern technological solutions for advanced wastewater treatment in order to reuse it as an industrial/ irrigation water source;
  • Development of technological solutions for residual sludge treatment and reuse as agricultural fertilizer;
  • Development of an eco-efficiency and sustainable development model for a municipal WWTP;
  • Development of a technological network in the field of advanced treatment of municipal wastewater and reuse of the treated wastewater and residual sludge.

Novelty elements:

  • Application of advanced oxidation, filtration and UV disinfection processes for municipal wastewater treatment or other processes specific for the removal of heavy metals from residual sludge;
  • Optimization of conventional biological wastewater treatment processes.

Results/indicators

  • Technical analysis of wastewater and sludge treatment flows in Romanian municipal WWTPs;
  • Development of an updated database of processes used for treating municipal effluent in order to reuse it;
  • Updated database on the possibility to reuse the WWTP residual sludge as agricultural fertilizer, according to Romanian and European legislation;
  • Integrated biotechnologies with physical-chemical processes for the advanced treatment of municipal effluent in order to reuse it (advanced oxidation, filtration on polymeric materials, UV disinfection);
  • Residual sludge stabilization through anaerobic digestion and composting processes;
  • Development of an IT-web based technological network:                      e-aparefolosire;
  • 14 scientific papers presented at national (9) and international (5) conferences; Publication of 7 scientific articles in ISI quoted journals.

Post-Project actions

  • Development of a research and development network for projects that follows the integrated approach of wastewater/residual sludge treatment and reuse complex problem;
  • Partnership between research and WWTPs for dissemination, valorization and operative implementation of the research results;

Beneficiaries:

  • Municipal WWTPs
  • Central and local administration offices for environmental monitoring and control;