Among the various biological methods applied in wastewater treatment plants worldwide, the convectional activated sludge system (CAS) is the most common, which has contributed significantly, both to the protection of health and the environment. However, nowadays the global expectation of sustainability has significantly enhanced the investigation of new solutions and the conversion of wastewater treatment plants, not only into waste management systems but also into energy and nutrient recovery.
FORWARD WATER aims to deal with the main drawbacks of CAS, in terms of energy requirements and recovery potential, by valorizing the chemical energy and the nutrients contained in raw municipal sewage. The main objective of this project is the development of an effective FO process in order to convert municipal sewage into a low-volume effluent characterized by high organic carbon and nutrient concentrations. At the same time, the effective implementation of the FO process enhances a) the applicability of downstream anaerobic treatment for energy recovery and b) chemical precipitation for nutrient recovery. This overall aim will be fulfilled by accomplishing the following project-specific objectives:
