ECOVAL organises a waste collection on Tambo Island as part of Let’s Clean Up Europe 2022 campaign

 

On the 15th of November, the ECOVAL SUDOE project will carry out a waste collection campaign in which second year students from Los Sauces secondary school will participate. The activity will take place in Tambo Island (Poio, Pontevedra), on the occasion of the European Week of Waste Reduction and framed in the initiative Let’s Clean Up Europe 2022, which aims to clean the largest number of sites on the European continent while raising awareness among citizens about the volume of waste present in their localities. One of the objectives of this activity from ECOVAL is to educate new generations about the importance of recycling and preserving a healthy and clean environment, as well as to join forces between different groups to generate synergies around the project.

 

The event, jointly organised by FEUGA and CETAQUA with the collaboration of VIAQUA and the Council of Poio will start at 9:30 am and, after the cleaning of the island, those responsible for the activity will give a talk on the importance of the correct separation of waste at source and the brown bin for organic matter, without which the ECOVAL project could not be carried out. Indeed, proper waste separation is essential for innovation and economic projects to be carried out, as organic waste and sewage sludge are the raw material on which the ECOVAL Sudoe project feeds, transforming this waste into high added value products such as Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs), valuable resources for the plastics and agrochemical industries.

 

Back on land, the students will finally visit the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Os Praceres (Pontevedra), managed by Viaqua, where the key process of urban wastewater treatment will be explained to the students, emphasizing the individual responsibility of each citizen in this project and the benefits it brings to society as a whole. It is vitally important that young people are aware of this process and, consequently, of the problems caused by improperly flushing waste down the toilet, such as clogged sewers and treatment plants and the degradation of the oceans’ wealth.

 

This activity is included in ECOVAL’s awareness campaign on the separation of organic waste aimed at the new generations, joining those previously carried out in six schools in Castilla y León by the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, as well as the four carried out by FEUGA and CETAQUA in four schools in Galicia. In this way, ECOVAL reaches the figure of approximately 450 students aware of this issue, bringing science closer to citizens and helping to build a sustainable future based on the principle of circular economy.

ECOVAL participates in the Green Technology Expo ECOMONDO

 

ECOMONDO is a platform that aims to bring together all sectors of the circular economy to foster synergies and collaborations, from materials and energy recovery to sustainable development. The ECOMONDO exhibition is the European benchmark event for technological and industrial innovation in the Mediterranean basin, organised by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), and will be attended by ECOVAL.

 

It will take place at the expo centre in Rimini, between 8 and 11 November. ECOVAL will participate in it with the presentation of a poster, which summarizes the activity of the project focusing on the innovative technologies it provides for the recycling and recovery of waste. It also provides information on the initial problems and how the project works, who the partners are and what role they play in the development of the project, the funding available and the expected results.

 

The exhibition groups its themes into four main blocks: waste and resources, water, circular bioeconomy and recovery of contaminated sites and hydrogeological risk. ECOVAL’s poster is part of the first of these, which focuses on integrated waste management, processing technology, waste transport and machinery. Its session is entitled “Waste as Resources: Innovative  technologies  for  recycling and recovery” and will take place on Tuesday 8 November between 09:30 and 17:30hrs. ECOVAL’s contribution will coexist with other talks and posters from other related European projects such as BIOBESTicide, Circular Biocarbon, MED4WASTE or CISUFLO.

 

Leading the ecological transition.

ECOMONDO offers an extensive programme of conferences, workshops and seminars to present national and international success stories and trends in the circular economy, including, in addition to the fields mentioned above, the construction, packaging, electronics and automotive industries. Supporting the development of sustainable businesses, fostering networking in an innovative and circular ecosystem and providing tools and information on research and development regulations for existing companies are its central objectives.

 

In the last edition, the ECOMONDO exhibition accumulated almost 70,000 attendees from multiple countries and brought together 1,116 diverse companies in its 500 total hours of events, with great repercussion in the media and social networks. This year’s edition dedicates special spaces to innovation start-ups, food waste, the textile industry and environmental protection.

 

The presence of the European Commission through various related bodies is noticeable, with a dedicated exhibition stand and participation in various CINEA, EISMEA and REA activities. Thus, participants will be given the possibility to catch up with the latest European funding opportunities for the circular economy.

ECOVAL Sudoe, the circular solution to replace fossil fuels

Industries are increasingly aware of the importance of implementing policies that respond to the context of the environmental crisis we are facing, with “reduce, reuse and recycle” being the new guidelines to be established in their ways of operating. Many decide to get involved and collaborate in research projects capable of developing innovative technologies aimed at taking advantage of waste or resources that have already been used to generate new goods, providing alternatives that are friendlier to the planet.

The urgency to apply circular alternatives in production processes to minimise the damage they can generate is one of the reasons why companies such as Repsol, Fertiberia or Grupo Valora have joined to support R&D&I projects such as those currently being developed in the Ourense biofactory, managed by Viaqua, in order to build a future where fossil fuels are no longer essential.

ECOVAL Sudoe, led by Cetaqua, the Water Technology Centre, and co-financed by the Interreg Sudoe Programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is a project that aims to offer solutions of real application for the chemical, petrochemical and fertiliser industries. “Wastewater treatment processes generate large quantities of sludge. These have traditionally been seen as a waste to be eliminated, however, in the ECOVAL project we demonstrate that they can be a product from which high added value raw materials are generated that have potential for application in the chemical and petrochemical industry to produce compounds such as lubricants, bioplastics, paints or adhesives,” explains Antón Taboada, Project Manager of the project in Cetaqua Galicia.

“Cetaqua is doing magnificent work in the optimisation of the integral water cycle and the conversion of wastewater treatment plants into biofactories,” says Enrique Espí, senior research scientist at Repsol’s Technology Centre, a partner in the European project.

Repsol, a partner in the project, says it is “especially interested” in the use of sewage sludge as an “alternative and renewable raw material” to be applied in the manufacture of its plastic materials, says Espí, who considers the task of transforming sludge that was considered a “waste to be eliminated” into a “new resource” to be particularly noteworthy, an action aligned with one of its major challenges: “to obtain zero net emissions by 2050”, he adds.

Sectors specialising in the production of fertilisers are also one of the potential recipients of the by-products generated in ECOVAL. This is the case of Fertiberia, which aims to develop new products that integrate nutrients recovered from bio-waste. In this way, the head of R&D&I projects at Fertiberia, María Cinta Cazador, sees the ECOVAL project as a possibility of “advancing along this path”, constituting an example where “the viability and commercialisation of the proposed solutions have taken into account the participation of this final part of the value chain” and where “all the parties are fed back and benefit”, she points out.

On the other hand, Valentín Jiménez, Director and Group Managing Director of the Valora Group, a company specialising in services and products for the agricultural sector and another of those interested in the use of this bio-waste to apply to their business model, explains that investing in “projects that make this a tangible reality is one of the most effective ways to actively fight for the conservation of our environment, not only on an environmental level, but also on a social and economic level”.

“We have always understood WWTP sludge as a resource that, under exhaustive control and necessary transformation, can be converted into high added value products with a huge potential market; even more so in our country, which is increasingly affected by the loss of organic matter from our soils”. Valentín Jiménez explains.

Regarding the path that is currently being taken to establish more circular models, Enrique Espí, from Repsol, refers to a current context in which the energy sector is facing “new challenges, but also new opportunities where public-private collaboration is going to be fundamental”.

Similarly, María Cinta Cazador, from Fertiberia, highlights the importance of forging alliances that allow progress to be made, considering that “there are great technical difficulties in reaching a management model that achieves the optimum environmental and is economically viable”. For this reason, she explains, “collaboration between them, research bodies and end users, in this case, the fertiliser industry, is fundamental”, she concludes.

7 April: “From wastewater treatment plants to biofactories: the potential of water in the circular economy”

After the postponement in January, the event “From wastewater treatment plants to biofactories: the potential of water in the circular economy“, organised by Cetaqua and FEUGA in the framework of the innovation projects Ecoval Sudoe and WALNUT, is back. It will take place on 7 April in both on-site and online formats.

This meeting aims to explore the concept of biofactories and present the technical advances of both projects. In addition, the social, legal, and market barriers for the valorisation of high added value products for agriculture and industry, such as sludge or biofertilisers obtained from waste flows from urban water treatment plants, will be discussed.

Here you can consult the full programme of the event, which runs from 10:00 to 17:00, with presentations and round tables to reflect on the essential value of water in the transition to a circular economy. The blocks in which the day is divided are:

  • Block I: past, present and future of biofactories.
  • Block II: legislative/transfer barriers to the implementation of biofactories.
  • Block III: end-users of biofactory by-products.
  • Final block: round table.

After a morning of debate and participation, there will be a break for lunch and at 15:30 there will be a visit to the Ourense biofactory, where you can learn about the different water treatment processes.

The event will also be broadcast on Zoom with English translation. The capacity of both the on-site and virtual event is limited, and registration will close when the maximum number of participants is reached. Don’t miss out, register here!

How to overcome bottlenecks for the valorisation of biowaste and sludge-based products?

The model that the Ecoval Sudoe project aims to promote involves a paradigm shift: from wastewater treatment stations to biofactories. A change of model, from linear to circular and a change of concept: waste for resources. However, it is not enough to test new technologies for the valorisation of resources categorised as waste; innovation has to go hand by hand with the acceptance of the business model. This is why the project is launching a series of workshops in which different experts will answer the question: how to overcome the barriers for the valorisation of biowaste and sewage sludge?  

The first of the workshops was on 2 December, from 11:00 and 13:30, with the participation of Spanish experts who presented and discussed the barriers they have identified from their experience with bio-waste and sewage sludge, as well as proposals to overcome them. Therefore, the conference, led by Laura Díez and Inés Méndez, technicians of the Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León, was attended by:

With the interaction of all participants, the debate on the main legal and administrative barriers to the valorisation of bio-waste and sewage sludge was led by the following speakers:

  • Daniel Ruíz, Grupo Valora, a company specializing in the treatment, recovery and exploitation of waste that can be used for agricultural and forestry purposes, in particular substrate, fertilisers and technosoils.
  • Inmaculada Sanz, FCC, an expert group in environmental, water and infrastructure.
  • Luz Panizo, Aquona, an environmental company that focuses its activity on integral water cycle services.

Stay tuned, this workshop is the first one and focuses on the situation and experience in Spain, but further dates will be announced to analyse the situation in Portugal and France as well. 

A new bin, are you in? – Ecoval Sudoe

Very soon, brown containers will be another element of our streets, a path towards a more circular and environmentally friendly economy. But what is organic waste and what waste should we dispose of in the new brown container?

In the framework of the European Week for Waste Reduction, the Ecoval Sudoe project launches a communication campaign to: 

  • Raise awareness of the need to reduce the waste we generate.
  • Raise awareness of the importance of correct waste separation.
  • Inform about the type of waste that should be disposed of in the brown container.
  • Inform about the environmental benefits of the correct separation and recycling of organic waste.

The campaign will also raise awareness about the incorrect use of the toilet as a waste bin. In order to minimise the waste that is improperly flushed, Ecoval will raise awareness of the consequences of improper toilet use. The most immediate impact would be clogged pipes, but water pollution and environmental degradation are also a direct consequence. It will therefore be explained:

  • Waste that should not be flushed down the toilet
  • The environmental consequences of flushing waste down the toilet

The campaign will run in Spain, France, and Portugal – with content generated in all 3 languages – and will consist of animation videos and testimonial videos, quizzes, and infographics with the aim of raising awareness of correct waste separation and increasing citizens’ commitment to recycling. Different activities will also be organised in schools, where the sharing of the content generated for this campaign will be encouraged.

Join our campaign!

Biofactories and water reuse: Aquona shares its best practices at the 1st Castilla y León Circular Bioeconomy Forum

The European Interreg ECOVAL project that will turn the Palencia wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory is one of the proposals that Aquona’s Director of Sustainable Development, Laura de Vega, shared at the 1st Circular Bioeconomy Forum of Castilla y León that took place in Soria on 27th and 28th October. 

29th October 2021- The circular economy has become a key paradigm for water to be an engine that accelerates the ecological transition and contributes to overcoming the demographic challenge.  This requires innovative proposals from administrations and companies such as Aquona, which manages “the sustainable water cycle in 130 municipalities in Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León with a low-carbon model and a commitment to digitalisation and technology to apply solutions based on the circular economy”, said Laura de Vega, the company’s Director of Sustainable Development.

This was highlighted by De Vega at the 1st Circular Bioeconomy Forum of Castilla y León, which was held in Soria on 27th and 28th October. Specifically, Aquona‘s Director of Sustainable Development participated in the workshop on best practices and innovation projects in circular bioeconomy together with Luis Francisco Martín, ReFood Commercial Technician in the central area of Spain of the Saria Group; Ángela Osma, General Secretary of the Spanish Association of Compostable Biodegradable Plastics; Jorge Miñón, Founding Partner of Agrae Solutions S.L. and María Pilar Bernal, President of the Spanish Composting Network and Research Professor at CEBAS-CSIC.

“The circular bioeconomy in the water cycle” was the name of Aquona’s presentation in which it shared the projects in this area that the company is promoting. One of the first lines of action discussed was the transformation of wastewater treatment plants into biofactories, a process in which the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Palencia that Aquona manages is currently involved. The plant’s thermal utilisation rate is already 100% and its energy self-sufficiency is 65%. In addition, “100% of the sludge produced in the treatment process is recovered and used in agriculture”, said Laura de Vega, adding that the “recovery of sand for use as compost” or as filler material in construction sites and ditches is also being tackled. As for water reuse, “part of the treated water is being used to irrigate gardens,” said De Vega. The protection of biodiversity and the involvement of the local community close the cycle in this transformation process.

In addition, the Palencia WWTP is one of the application scenarios of the European Interreg ECOVAL project. With a budget of 1.4 million euros, this initiative is based on the recovery of sludge and solid urban waste to obtain high added value volatile fats for the plastics, lubricants and agrochemical industries.  The Junta de Castilla y León, Palencia City Council and Aquona, together with other partners, promote the project coordinated by CETAQUA, the water technology centre of Agbar, the group to which Aquona belongs.

Circularity in the field of energy can be found in León, where Aguas de León, a mixed company owned by Aquona and the City Council of León, manages the municipal water service and is promoting the Life Nexus project that will generate micro-hydroelectric energy and promote its storage.

This firm commitment to innovation and the company’s circular economy has the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as its roadmap, where alliances “between all stakeholders are essential to multiply the impact of actions”, says Laura de Vega. In the same way, the 2030 Agenda is the guide to achieve a green, sustainable and inclusive reconstruction after the pandemic in which the Next Generation Recovery Funds “are an opportunity to promote the circular economy, propose solutions to climate change and address the needs of digitalisation, supply, sanitation and purification that help us to unite the territory and put an end to depopulation”, she concluded.

The City Council of Ourense, the new associate partner of Ecoval Sudoe

The Ecoval Sudoe project continues to gain support! The City Council of Ourense joins today the associated partners’ list that supports the proposal, which pursues a paradigm shift in urban waste management, based on the recovery of organic waste and sewage sludge to obtain high added value bio-products.   

The support provided by the City Council of Ourense is essential to achieve the objectives pursued by Ecoval. The entity will facilitate the installation of pilot prototypes for the demonstration of technologies in the WWTP of Ourense and will collaborate in the supply of urban biowaste for the technological demonstrations carried out in the project.

In addition, the Council will also collaborate in public awareness campaigns on the correct separation of organic waste.

With the incorporation of the City Council of Ourense, Ecoval already has the support of 30 entities, from four countries and with competencies in different sectors. You can consult here all the entities that support the project’s commitment to the circular economy and environmental protection.

Hands in the mud! Ecoval Sudoe completes work on pilot plant for the production of volatile fatty acids

One of the objectives of the Ecoval Sudoe project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of producing volatile fatty acids (VFA) from urban sludge. To do this, at the Ourense Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Cetaqua has set up different tests to optimise the generation of acids such as acetic, propionic, or butyric acid from sewage sludge.

In order to determine the most suitable operating conditions for the pilot VFA production plant, different laboratory-scale tests were first carried out, such as batch tests on a 0.5L scale and the operation of semi-continuous reactors of 5L volume, which demonstrated the suitability of sewage sludge as a substrate with high potential for the production of high added value bioproducts with VFA.

The information provided at the laboratory scale has helped Cetaqua technicians to have a first approximation of the VFA production yields that can be obtained from sludge with and without pre-treatment. They were also able to analyse the effect of operating parameters such as pH, feed/microorganism ratio, hydraulic residence time, etc.

On a pilot scale, the technicians have optimised the fermentation process for the production of VFA, obtaining a stream that has to undergo solid-liquid separation, a unitary operation that has had to be perfected thanks to “jar tests” that have made it possible to determine the optimum doses of coagulant and flocculant for the division of the solid and liquid fractions. Thus, the objective of producing a liquid current rich in VFA for the partner NEREUS to study its clarification and concentration and a high-dryness solid cake that INSA will recover energetically has been achieved.

Following these tests, work is now continuing on the pilot plant which, after a start-up phase marked by hydraulic difficulties in operation and the necessary adjustments, is now operating more robustly. It will soon begin to be fed with biowaste.

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Ecoval participates in the Innovation Days event in Galicia

In the framework of the Galicia Innovations Days event, which took place from 25th to 29th of October, the ECOVAL Sudoe project was presented in the session “The fourth decade of Interreg in Galicia”. This round table about the evolution, successes and opportunities of Interreg in Galicia took place on the first day of the event at 16h.

This session presented the history of Interreg (European Territorial Cooperation), milestones and success stories in Galicia.

The session speakers were: Dirk Peters, Senior Expert for European territorial cooperation, EGTC and ECBM (European Commission); María José Mariño, Director Area of Centres (Axencia Galega de Innovación); Xosé Lago, Poctep Coordinator at the Subdirección Xeral de Acción Exterior e de Cooperación Transfronteiriza (Xunta de Galicia); Nuria Rodriguez Aubo, Innovation and Technology Transfer at FEUGA (Galician Enterprise-University Foundation).

Representing FEUGA, Nuria Rodriguez Aubo, presented the work areas and the Interreg projects developed which FEUGA takes part. In reference to Ecoval SUDOE, the objectives, partners and functions that FEUGA develops in the project, which are dissemination, communication and technology transfer, were presented.

ECOVAL was also present in the exhibition area of the event, together with other Interreg projects, thus reinforcing networking and visibility.

 

Galicia Innovations Days  

The Galicia Innovations Days is an event organised by FEUGA, the Galician Ministry of Education (Xunta de Galicia) and the Galician University System, that brings together companies, researchers, universities, investors and consultants from different European countries and abroad.