EADANMBRT - Evaluation and development of anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technology to promote unrestricted wastewater reuse and mitigate compromised surface water quality in the Mediterranean region

This project proposes the development, advancement, and application of the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for unrestricted wastewater reuse, given the growing challenges for the widespread implementation of wastewater reuse and the preservation of surface water quality across the Mediterranean region.

The primary objective is therefore to overcome the main issues that the AnMBR technology is facing from a practical implementation perspective.

The outcomes of this research will achieve safe water reuse for irrigation and surface water quality improvement.

The specific objectives of the EADANMBRT project are the following:

-To test the application of lab-scale AnMBR systems for the treatment of local wastewater sources from participating countries (including sources currently untreated).

-To advance AnMBR technology by addressing sustainability issues while ensuring that the effluent water quality is suitable for irrigation reuse. This will be achieved by lab-based experimentation combined with modelling/optimization.

-To reduce the impact of persistent organic contamination on surface water and soils irrigated with reuse water by systematically evaluating AnMBRs for their degradation/removal potential of persistent and emerging contaminants detected in local wastewater sources.

-To ensure microbial safety of unrestricted AnMBR effluent reuse by evaluating pathogens, other microbial contaminants, and their associated risks.

-To develop low-impact membrane-based tertiary treatment methods for AnMBR effluent to expand the potential wastewater reuse envelope and improve overall reuse safety.

-To perform the experimental and theoretical analyses necessary to achieve scale-up of AnMBR technology.

-To implement a plan for advancing the technology to a point where technology transfer to local/national stakeholders and responsible governance agencies can occur. This objective will further result in progressing local capacities to support employability and economic development in the field of wastewater reuse and resource (nutrient) recovery.

  

To achieve the above objectives, the consortium of teams from Egypt, France, Lebanon (coordinator) and Spain will conduct lab- and pilot-scale experimentation on AnMBR systems/AnMBR tertiary treatment systems as well as subsequent modelling and analysis based on determined results. This will facilitate the concurrent development of the technology to be suitable for a range of socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Experiments will be conducted in the labs of Cairo University, l'Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse (INSA-Toulouse), the Lebanese American University, and the Universitat de València (UVEG) under the direction of each institution’s respective PI.