Sorigué is researching new nanofibres to improve tertiary wastewater treatment processes as part of the Water Harmony collaborative project. This international initiative seeks to develop and implement new water cycle management systems, involving different parties to facilitate the coordination and implementation of changes.  

The new materials developed by Sorigué in partnership with the LEITAT technology centre allow the creation of membranes to filter solid waste, such as microplastics and heavy metals, while degrading emerging contaminants through oxidation processes. This technology could be applied as tertiary treatment in wastewater treatment plants, thereby improving the quality of the water obtained. 

Wastewater treatment plants currently have secondary treatments to remove the main contaminants from water so that it can be discharged without causing harm to the environment. Tertiary treatment is intended to improve the quality of the water obtained in order to recover it for agricultural, industrial and drinking water use. While tertiary treatment is currently not mandatory, legislation is becoming increasingly stringent with regard to environmental protection and regulations on emerging contaminants are expected to emerge in the near future. Therefore, tertiary treatments are now one of the trends in water cycle research for improving the removal efficiency of water treatment processes.

Testing the technology in a WWTP

Laboratory tests have shown that the synthesised membranes are effective in removing pathogens, microplastics and emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides.  

To test the technology in a real setting, a pilot-scale facility was created in the La Llagosta WWTP (Barcelona), managed by Sorigué.

The plant consists of two filters with the synthesised nanofibres as part of the project and the associated sensors so that they can be automatically controlled and ensure the smooth operation of the plant.  
The facility became operational in January and results are expected in the next four months.  

Generation of knowledge 

In parallel to the development of this new technology, a water quality characterisation study on microplastics was carried out in different wastewater treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants. This study, conducted with the Rovira i Virgili University, generates new knowledge on how different conventional water treatments work and their efficiency in eliminating microplastics in order to assess the effects they can have on ecosystems and society. 

About Water Harmony 

The Water Harmony project is part of Sorigué’s Water R&D&I Strategic Plan, the central axes of which are the development of new technologies in the field of the circular economy in the water cycle. The initiative is part of the WaterWorks 2017 ERA-NET Cofund call for projects, which is led by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and distributes two million euros among 12 partners from European countries, as well as China, the United States, Australia and Singapore, all working in different areas related to closing the water cycle gap. For this project, Sorigué has received a grant of 169,542€ and a budget of 423,857€ from the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI).