The Final Conference of the MEDWAYCAP project, held in Barcelona on 10 and 11 July, focused on the efficiency of water usage and reutilisation.
This project, led by the Italian Research and Technology Centre, lasted 24 months and was developed in 7 countries with a total budget of 1.1 million euros.
Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, explains the details of the Life Ecodigestion 2.0 project to convert putrescible organic waste into biogas.
Brussels, 11 July 2023. Efficiency in the use and reuse of water was the central theme of the Final Conference of the MEDWAYCAP project, held in Barcelona on 10 and 11 July. In this context, Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, presented the main advances of the Life Ecodigestion 2.0 Project, which converts putrescible organic waste into biogas.
Finnova’s CEO explained the innovative technology behind LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0, a European project financed by the LIFE Programme with a budget of more than 970,000 euros and led by Global Omnium (Spain), in collaboration with the Finnova Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal). The project transforms sewage sludge into green energy, promoting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding the waste of sludge generated in wastewater treatment processes, which has a positive impact on the environment. ‘LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0 generates biogas by mixing putrescible organic waste (manure, poultry, organic fractions, MSW, horeca, etc.) through the process of anaerobic digestion in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). This technology makes it possible to transform sewage sludge into green energy,’ Revuelta explained. The initiative ‘aims to become the most versatile digestion control tool on the market, achieving environmental and economic benefits through the optimal use of waste’, he stressed.
LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 Startup Europe Awards
During his speech, Finnova’s CEO encouraged entrepreneurs to apply for the LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0 Startup Europe Awards before 31 July 2023. This is an open innovation methodology for public-private collaboration launched by the Finnova Foundation, which encourages entrepreneurs to identify innovative solutions by to address the challenges posed by the EU and the SDGs. ‘In this edition, we have two challenges: Improvement of biogas generation in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) and the optimisation of their energy’ and ‘Sustainable technology to render the WWTP sludge useful’, explained Revuelta. The awarding ceremony will take place on 20 and 21 September at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) coinciding with the celebration of S-Moving and Greencities. The winning proposal may become a real demonstration project in the framework of LIFE, subsidised by the EU with up to 5 million euros.
MEDWAYCAP
This conference marked the end of the MEDWAYCAP project, which was the result of several organisations and individuals collaborating to integrate Unconventional Water Resources (UWR) into the water governance system and related business opportunities, in the framework of environmental protection and circular economy. Led by the Research and Technology Centre of Hellas (Italy), MEDWAYCAP lasted 24 months. It operated in 7 countries (Greece, Italy, Egypt, Malta, Palestine, Tunisia and Jordan), had a total budget of 1.1 million euros and involved 9 partners: Desertification Research Centre of the University of Sassari in Italy; Confederation of European Business Associations in Egypt; Malta Energy and Water Agency; Palestinian Group of Wastewater Engineers; Tunisian Water Research and Technologies Centre; Jordan National Centre for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer; and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari in Italy. The MEDWAYCAP project addressed governance and capacity gaps, providing advanced knowledge on techniques and management of unconventional water resources and promoting their reuse in domestic and agricultural settings. It also promoted networking, knowledge transfer and awareness raising among authorities and stakeholders involved in related challenges. The aim is to mitigate the local water crisis in the Mediterranean by facilitating the reuse of processed wastewater as a non-conventional water resource. https://www.enicbcmed.eu/projects/medwaycap