Sorigué, as a leading company in matters related to the water cycle, will set up a pilot plant in Castellgalí, Barcelona, with the aim of demonstrating the efficacy of the circular economy in the application of sustainable solutions for the recovery of brine from the mining industry and treatment plants. 

 

The initiative is within the framework of the intelWATT project, funded by the European Commission (Grant Agreement  No 958454) and aimed at trialling the application of intelligent, innovative and cost-effective solutions in energy-intensive industries in various countries. In accordance with the European Water Framework Directive and with the objective of ensuring the long-term availability of this resource, the project seeks to provide real examples of sustainable water and energy production that reuse the maximum volume, extract high added-value products, produce green energy and reduce the discharge of solids to zero. 

 

Funded by the European Commission with a grant of over 10 million euros, intelWATT is coordinated by the Demokritos National Centre for Scientific Research in Greece and is made up of a consortium of public and private partners from seven countries. This project in particular will involve tests over a period of three and a half years at facilities in Spain, Greece and Germany. 

 

The Sorigué pilot plant will certify the incorporation of a process train consisting of reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology and solar-powered membrane distillation (MD). The pilot facility will be located at the largest brine collector in Catalonia, as it passes through Castellgalí, where the branches of the Cardener and Llobregat rivers converge. This collector, 90 km in length, collects the brine from various mining industries, as well as that from drinking water treatment plants in the Llobregat basin area in Barcelona.

 

Previous laboratory research and testing supports this pilot test. Sorigué has researched reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology and solar-powered membrane distillation (MD) to study the effectiveness of both processes in a real environment, with a view to subsequent implementation in the industrial field. 

 

RED technology makes it possible to harness the energy contained in the salinity gradient as a source of renewable energy, while the MD system improves the desalination efficiency to obtain quality water and solid salts like magnesium sulphate and sodium chloride. 

 

Based on selectively permeable membranes, RED technology is one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy production. Unlike electrodialysis, this process reverses the polarity of the electrodes to switch the outputs of the concentrated and dilute solution. This makes it more difficult for the membrane to become encrusted and means it is easier to clean. A highly effective process for energy production, which is commonly known as a “salt battery”. 

For its part, hydrophobic membrane distillation (MD) is a separation technique that makes use of residual heat or alternative energy sources such as solar energy. The difference in pressure between the two sides of the membrane pores is the driving force in this method, which can be integrated easily into other systems like RED.

 

The design and construction of the pilot plant at Castellgalí will be the first stage of the testing phase in this train of processes. With the scaled prototype, it will be possible to treat all the brine from the collector, whether it has high or low salinity. 

 

In this project, the focus is on the production of clean energy by mixing two solutions of different salinity. The intention is to recover the concentration of the high salinity solution using the solar-powered MD technique in a subsequent treatment. In addition, through this integrated system, it will be possible to obtain good quality water with the possibility of reducing the discharge of effluents, produce valuable crystalline salts and promote zero discharge.  

 

Funded by the European Union H2020 programme, the intelWATT project forms part of the actions to promote research and innovation in line with social challenges and industrial leadership. In this context, Sorigué’s Innovation Department has a total of ten active projects in the field of water management and the circular economy. 

 

Sorigué’s Innovation Department works across the entire organisation and it aims to consolidate the group’s commitment to innovative projects; the creation of synergies both internally and with national institutions and organisations; the modernisation of processes; and the active search for new business. 

 

With the conviction that it is urgent to find solutions that generate a positive impact on the environment, Sorigué has been a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since 2018 and, through its various activities, it puts forth a business model that contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).