Background
The availability of drinking water of suitable quality and in sufficient amounts is fundamental to food production, industrial activities and public health and sanitation. Anthropogenic climate change is already causes incidents of water scarcity and drought in Europe.
In April 2009, the European Commission presented the White Paper, ‘Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action’, which represents a framework for the adjustment of measures and policies to reduce the EU’s vulnerability to climate change. According to this document, the frequency and intensity of drought have increased dramatically over the last 30 years: the surface area and the population affected by drought has increased by 20% and costs attributable to droughts have increased to €100 million. It is also estimated that at least 11% of the European population and 17% of its territory are threatened by drought. Improved management of water resources and ecosystems is thus necessary to increase their resilience to climate change.
Objectives
The project will test an innovative nanoremediation process to treat urban wastewater and to recycle sludge as different types of composites. This new zero solid waste process will target household wastewater that is too polluted to be released into surface waters. The treated water will be used for secondary purposes in households and for common public needs.
This new technology is based on the use of nanoparticles of zerovalent iron and will be implemented directly in small-scale return-loop plants in households. It will also demonstrate the use of recycled sludge from a small-scale urban wastewater treatment plant and sediment from a nanoremediation tank in different types of composites.
Expected results:
The project expects to achieve the following results:
- A reduction of drinking water consumption of up to 30% through the development of a return-loop of treated urban wastewater in the Slovenian municipality of Šentrupert;
- A 117-litre reduction of drinking water consumption in favour of using remediated water, through a return-loop connected to a small-scale wastewater treatment plant for households. For a population of 100 inhabitants, this would equate to a reduction in drinking water consumption of at least 3 500 litres per day or 1 277 000 litres per year;
- Up to 70% of the remediated water will be made available to inhabitants for secondary purposes via the return-loop system. This translates as some 58 litres of additional water per capita for secondary purposes; and
- One-third of the remediated water – or up to 24 litres per day per capita – will go towards various public uses, such as irrigation and watering of green areas and fire-fighting.
Coordinator: Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute
Partners: Esplanada d.o.o., Slovenia; Jozef Stefan Insitute, Slovenia; Občina Šentrupert, Slovenia; Structum d.o.o., Slovenia; Vekton d.o.o, Slovenia; Zavod za zdravstveno varstvo Novo mesto, Slovenia
Duration: 01-JUL-2013 to 31-DEC -2016
Total budget: 852,388.00 €
EU contribution: 426,192.00 €:
