Development and demonstration of an eco-innovative system for sustainable treatment and reuse of municipal wastewater in small and medium size communities in the Mediterranean region

Paper ID: 
cest2021_00806
Topic: 
Sustainable water management in the mediterranean – technological solutions, demonstration and deployment
Published under CEST2021
Proceedings ISBN: 978-618-86292-1-9
Proceedings ISSN: 2944-9820
Authors: 
(Corresponding) Plakas K., Karabelas A., Takavakoglou V., Chatzis V., Oller-Alberola I., Polo-López I., Al-Naboulsi T., El Moll A., Kallali H., Mensi K., M'Hiri F., Simon Andreu P.
Abstract: 
Treated municipal wastewater is considered a valuable non-conventional water resource. However, a substantial number of wastewater treatment plants installed in the Mediterranean region have proven to be unsuccessful copies of systems operating in technolo-gically advanced countries. In addition to high operating and maintenance cost, these systems are often unsuited to address the local challenges of wastewater treatment. Therefore, treated municipal water is commonly under-exploited throughout the region. To address these challenges, the AQUACYCLE project aims to develop an eco-innovative wastewater treatment process scheme, comprised of anaerobic digestion, constructed wetlands and a solar photocatalytic reactor, for cost-effective treatment of urban wastewater and maximum environ-mental benefits. This paper presents the distinct features of the novel process scheme and the characteristics of three such demonstration units to be installed in Tunisia, Lebanon and Spain to test and validate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the hybrid system.
Keywords: 
municipal wastewater, reclamation, anaerobic digestion, constructed wetlands, solar photocatalytic oxidation