Science, technology and journalistic dissemination: the three legs of Life Celsius

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5th September, 2018.- The Life CELSIUS project, based on non-conventional technologies aimed at reducing energy consumption in wastewater treatment, presents its final results on 26 September, after three years of experimentation in the pilot plant installed in the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Archena (Murcia), in which science, technology and journalistic dissemination have gone hand in hand permanently.

In June 2016, the plant began to operate in tests once the first results of the previous stage had been obtained, as a result of the OptiAnMBR project, led by Acciona Agua, Esamur (Regional Entity for Wastewater Sanitation and Treatment in the Region of Murcia) and Cetenma (Technological Centre for Energy and the Environment).

A great challenge

Life CELSIUS’s big bet has been to save energy in purification processes, reduce greenhouse gases and eliminate the greatest amount of organic matter and nutrients from wastewater.

Under the premise of consuming less, producing more and not polluting, this initiative, promoted by Acciona Agua and the Efe Agency and co-financed by the European environmental programme Life, has therefore combined a process of elimination of organic matter in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor and the subsequent elimination of nitrogen by means of Anammox bacteria.

The main advantages of the first stage, the result of the OptiAnMBR project, were, on the one hand, that the bacteria in charge of degrading the organic matter could do so without the need for an external heat source and thus reduce the energy needs of the process, and on the other, that these microorganisms did not need oxygen for their metabolic functions, which reduced the need for aeration.

In a second phase, Life CELSIUS installed a system that, with limited aeration, eliminated nitrogen nutrients by transforming them into nitrogen gas.

The combination of both stages would thus save 60 percent of the energy required in the main wastewater treatment processes, which would result in a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

Life CELSIUS

On 26 September, the final workshop of the Life CELSIUS project will be held at ACCIONA Agua’s headquarters in Madrid. Experts from EFE Verde will talk about the importance of scientific dissemination for the general public, especially in this type of project financed by the European Commission.

In addition, other projects in which the Efe Agency participates, such as Life DREAMER and Life CircRURAL, will also have the opportunity to present their progress.

In order to participate in this workshop, it’s possible to register here:

9:30. Reception of participants and welcome coffee.
10:00. Presentation of the workshop (Acciona Agua).
10:15. Alternative elimination of nitrogen in returns and main line (Acciona Agua).
10:45. Presentation fo the main results of Life CELSIUS (Acciona Agua and EFE Agency).
11:45. Coffee break and networking.
12:15. Presentation of the Life CircRURAL project (Centre for Technical Studies and Research of Guipúzcoa – CEIT).
12:30. Presentation of the Life DREAMER (Acciona Agua).
12:45. Importance of scientific dissemination (EFE Agency).
13:15. Closing of the worshop and aperitif.