GAIKER is working on the development of new materials and processes for water treatment
The SMYRNA project seeks to unite synergies and technological capacities to maintain the competitiveness of Basque industry in the field of water treatment.
The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating in the “New materials and processes in physicochemical water treatment, SMYRNA” project.
The aim of this project is to unite synergies and complementary technological capacities between the six entities participating in the proposal for the development of new advanced materials and processes in the field of water treatment. The aim is to relaunch Basque industry through the development of new materials and processes in physico-chemical treatment technologies.
The new regulations on water treatment promote the reuse and efficient use of water in industrial processes. This will force, in the coming years, the adaptation of these processes in terms of water saving through water reuse and resource recovery of critical materials, biomaterials derived from sewage sludge and energy generated from biogas. There is a need to move from a concept of treatment for landfill to a concept of treatment for reuse, which leads to the need to address the following challenges:
Developing new materials to improve the efficiency of existing water treatment processes.
To achieve the elimination of emerging compounds present in water that may pose risks to the environment or to health.
To guarantee the sanitary quality of treated water.
Improving the energy efficiency of the processes and facilitating the recovery of value-added compounds in liquid streams.
Facing these challenges means tackling them with a vision of sustainability, using technologies that reduce the use of chemical compounds and energy.
The SMYRNA project seeks to respond to these challenges and to this end proposes different strategic lines such as the development of materials for incorporation in water treatment systems and the development of new water treatment schemes for the elimination of compounds of emerging concern (CEC), pathogens and for the recovery of materials.
Funded by the Basque Government as part of the Elkartek collaborative research aid programme, the SMYRNA project will conclude at the end of this year. GAIKER, as an expert in advanced physicochemical treatment systems and water reuse technologies, will be responsible, on the one hand, for developing new materials for the filtration and treatment of water by means of additive manufacturing and membrane modification and for carrying out the testing and validation of the materials developed. On the other hand, it will evaluate different treatments of emerging pollutants by means of advanced oxidation, adsorption and membrane separation processes. It will also carry out different water disinfection systems and evaluate their toxicity. Finally, it will collaborate in the simulation and modelling of the different innovative water treatment processes evaluated.
