Objectives

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

SPORE-MED aims to enhance the environmental, economic and societal sustainability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by developing and upscaling a combined set of innovative water treatment and resource recovery technologies, sensors, online measurement devices, sustainable agricultural practices, and health surveillance protocols.

At the core of the SPORE-MED, there is a holistic approach: we consider that the wastewater treatment plants of tomorrow will have to deal concomitantly with the complexity of the water-energy-food-health nexus, while addressing the challenges posed by the Mediterranean region, including addressing water scarcity, pollution, desertification, and reliance on external fossil resources.

SO1-Management of energy and nutrients
SO1-1 Design and validate at technology readiness level (TRL) 8 a low energy wastewater treatment system based on a high rate activated sludge unit followed by mainstream autotrophic nitrogen removal (PROGRAMOX^®).

SO1-2 Design and validate at TRL8 two pilot plants for the precipitation of struvite from wastewater and sewage sludge.
SO2-Digital transformation
SO2-1 Validate at TRL6 polyaniline-based (PANI-based) sensors to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.

SO2-2 Upgrade and validate at TRL8 microbiological and nutrients measuring devices.
SO3-Removal of emerging pollutants
SO3-1 Validate at TRL6 a living membrane bioreactor (LMBR) system for micro-pollutants and micro-plastics (MPs) removal.

SO3-2 Validate an innovative process (froth flotation-based on air nanobubbles) for removing micro-plastics installed at the clarifier (TRL8), and the primary clarifier for new installations (membrane bioreactor type) at TRL6.
SO4-Wastewater-based health surveillance systems
SO4-1 Application of wastewater surveillance-based systematic monitoring in a full-scale wastewater treatment plants for SARS-CoV-2 and selected antimicrobial resistance-related (AMR) pathogens in Cyprus.

SO4-2 Implementation of wastewater surveillance protocol by North-African partners.

SO5-Water and nutrients in agriculture
SO5-1 Application of innovative irrigating methods for increasing nutrient efficiency.

SO5-2 Analyse physicochemical and molecular parameters to get insights on soil-water-pollutants interactions.
SO6- Sustainability assessment
SO6-1 Estimate the environmental impacts and economic feasibility of using recovered fertilizer (struvite) and treated wastewater for sustainable agriculture.

SO6-2 Assess the net environmental benefits of the project integrated energy and resources recovery systems, utilizing life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing analysis (LCCA).

SO6-3 Estimate the actual environmental impacts and eco-toxicological effects of micro-plastics and emerging contaminants released from (un)treated wastewater effluent.

SO6-4 Evaluate the social sustainability of the technologies via a systematic study of stakeholders’ attitudes towards proposed technologies, using a social network analysis methodology.
SO7- Foundations for commercialisation
SO7-1 Lay the foundations to bring project outcomes to the market by evaluating the social sustainability of technologies via a systematic study of stakeholders’ attitudes, using a social networks analysis methodology followed by capacity building events.

SO7-2 Define business plans for selected developed solutions.