Since 2019, every 4th of March UNESCO celebrates World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, aimed to raise awareness of the role of engineering as an instrument to mitigate the effects of climate change and advance sustainable development through innovation and inclusion.
This milestone date is aligned with the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and seeks to highlight the work of engineers towards a more sustainable world while encouraging the participation of young people in careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Thanks to the performance of these professionals, it is possible to undertake projects such as LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0, endowed with more than 970,000 euros and co-financed by the LIFE Programme. The knowledge of these professionals makes it possible to achieve results such as the transformation of sludge from wastewater treatment plants into green energy through technology. Thus, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is favoured through the reuse of organic waste, achieving a positive impact on the environment through the circular economy model.
This project also contributes to several of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and the European Green Pact. These include water sanitation, clean energy and the creation of green jobs, favouring sustainable economic growth and, therefore, supporting communities that are more committed to the environment in terms of energy. In short, climate action efforts are joined up through transnational cooperation. Without the expertise of engineers committed to these values, the development of projects of this scale would not be possible.
About LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0 The LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0 project presents a digital automatic control system for the dosing of organic waste in anaerobic digesters of WWTP (Waste Water Treatment Plant) to maximize the production of biogas on demand as renewable energy. This project has a budget of more than 970,000 euros. The pilot project, which has a duration of four years (2020-2024), is led by Global Omnium Medioambiente (Spain) and has as partners the Finnovaregio Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal). The production of biogas to cover energy demand and reduce the amount of waste in landfill contributes to compliance with the European Landfill Directive.
