Striking a balance in wastewater

The 'Carbon balancing for nutrient control in wastewater treatment' (CARBALA) project is investigating new approaches to the treatment of wastewater. The consortium comprises eight research teams made up of bioprocess engineers, modellers, biotechnologists, technology developers and microbiologists.

The initiative will facilitate the transfer of knowledge between research teams through an exchange programme. The programme will include both researchers at the beginning of their careers and experienced scientists.

To date, CARBALA has studied innovative processes at the bench and pilot scales. These are gradually being combined into treatment systems that are optimised to reflect the characteristics of the wastewater and the environmental conditions.

Project partners will also address the need for biodegradable carbon in wastewater treatment, which is often not sufficiently present in the wastewater itself. This is an important issue as external carbon sources are expensive, contribute to the production of excess sludge and may alternatively be used for bioenergy production. They also increase the energy and carbon footprint of the treatment.

The new process configurations investigated by CARBALA are based on the idea of balancing the use of organic compounds in order to maximise the role of anaerobic processes. At the same time, they remove through biological processes nitrogen and phosphorus, thereby reducing the carbon footprint while maintaining the desired level of effluent quality.

CARBALA will therefore benefit the water treatment sector by developing innovative solutions for dealing with wastewater, while reducing the amount of biodegradable carbon required. In addition, this valuable and innovative approach will help Europe to compete more effectively in the global water treatment technology market.