Expected results
(i) a new tool to forecast pharmaceutical compounds control in urban activated sludge WWTPs;
(ii) a new tool for a wise monitoring based on bulk parameters, antimicrobial resistance biomarkers and key contaminants of emerging concern;
(iii) a new tool to establish water quality-based effluent discharge limits, based on the available dilution ratio and WWTP performance;
(iv) a portfolio of resource-efficient operational measures and strategies for improving the performance of activated-sludge systems and tertiary ozonation for advanced treatment/disinfection, validated at full-scale, e.g. by benchmarking full-scale treatment lines of activated sludge processes;
(v) a new strategic planning tool and
(vi) a Guide of best practices.
These outputs will support the water utilities of urban wastewater treatment in the selection and prioritization of strategies and investments on the short, medium and long runs towards an enhanced integrated control of regulated contaminants (organic matter, nutrients), pharmaceuticals and antimicrobial resistance, and where/when direct or indirect reuse is envisaged, pathogen indicators (E. coli as bacteria indicators, coliphages as viruses indicators and Clostridium perfringens spores as protozoa indicators).
Work packages
Work Package 1: Project management and coordination
Work Package 2: WWTPs’ demonstration campaigns
Work Package 3: AMR monitoring
Work Package 4: Effluent receiving waters’ monitoring campaigns
Work Package 5: PLAN-DO Tools, guidelines and best practices
Work Package 6: Communication & Dissemination
Work Package 7: Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results
Beneficiaries
National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, IP (LNEC) is the largest Portuguese applied research institute in the field of civil engineering and related environmental areas, combining R&D with specialised consultancy and with general support to the industry. Founded in 1946, LNEC has large applied research experience, based on multidisciplinary approaches and multistakeholders’ R&DI projects, including broad consortia and strategic platforms, at European and international levels. LNEC is the LIFE Fitting coordinating beneficiary. LIFE Impetus engages researchers and technicians from the Urban Water Division/Water Quality and Treatment Research Laboratory, with vast experience in conventional and advanced treatment technologies, emerging contaminants, benchmarking treatment solutions towards energy efficiency and process effectiveness and reliability. LNEC is responsible for the main coordination, management, and administration of LIFE Fitting. Besides WP1 (Project management and coordination), LNEC will take the lead of WP5 (PLAN-DO Tools, Guidelines and best practices) and WP6 (Communication & Dissemination). LNEC will be the main scientific partner supporting the case study owner.
LIFE Fitting Team: Maria João Rosa, Margarida Campinas, Catarina Silva, Rui Viegas, Elsa Mesquita, Rita Brito, Vítor Napier
TRATAVE is the water utility responsible for managing and exploring the Integrated System for Depolluting the Ave Valley (SIDVA), which includes some of the biggest WWTPs and more challenging influent wastewaters in Portugal. TRATAVE is a private operator, co-shared by AGS and Aquapor, two of the biggest private holdings in Portugal. TRATAVE team has highly skilled and experienced process engineers and is responsible for the three-case study WWTPs, with several treatment lines in parallel, well characterised in previous R&I projects with LNEC (iEQTA-WWTP), with UCP (Exploratory Study in the Ave basin) and in other consortia (Norwater, COVIDETECT, SARS-Control). TRATAVE will take the lead of WP2 (WWTPs’ demonstration campaigns), WP4 (Effluent receiving waters’ monitoring campaigns) and WP7 (Sustainability, replication, and exploitation of project results).
LIFE Fitting Team: Cláudio Costa, Gabriela Faria, António Pereira, Raquel Araújo, Madalena Fernandes, Carla Lopes, Bruno Amorim
Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) is a research university characterized by a humanist vision committed to contribute to knowledge and to the well-being of society. UCP is committed to fundamental research, being recognized for the social impact of its research agenda and for its contribution to the formulation of policy. UCP team is a national and international top reference on AMR and has a vast experience in national and international R&D actions. The specific competences brought to the project by UCP’s team are experience in AMR monitoring and control, specifically for safer discharge of urban WWTPs (WP3), and in R&I projects with EU and national funding, e.g., H2020 MSCA-ITN, H2020 Twinning REPARES, H2020 PRIMA DSWAP, WaterJPI StARE.
LIFE Fitting Team: Célia Manaia, Ivone Vaz-Moreira, Cristina Mena, Isabel Santos, Afonso Ruivo
Advisory Council
The project will also have an Advisory Council, involving three key stakeholders, the Portuguese Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR), the Lisbon International Centre for Water (LIS-Water) and the Portuguese Water Partnership (PPA).