Enhancing energy efficiency in Mediterranean wastewater treatment plants : An environmental assessment
Plans Vilardell, Roger (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Carbó Monmany, Oriol (GS Inima Environment, S.A.)
Campabadal, Marta (GS Inima Environment, S.A.)
Colprim, Jesús (Universitat de Girona)
Talens Peiró, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental)
Petit-Boix, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Data:	2026
Descripció:	12 pàg.
Resum:	Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a crucial role in ensuring the availability of water, a key and increasingly scarce resource in the Mediterranean region. These facilities are essential for enhancing climate resilience in local communities, yet they are also characterized by high energy demands. This study aims to model the energy and environmental performance of the novel PROGRAMOX® technology aimed at increasing the energy self-sufficiency of WWTPs. A life cycle assessment of a representative WWTP in the Mediterranean was conducted to compare a conventional treatment train (i. e. , Conventional Activated Sludge) with the implementation of PROGRAMOX®. A full-scale theoretical scenario using pilot-scale data was modelled through mass and energy balances. Results suggest that the PROGRAMOX® configuration can reduce total electricity consumption by 15% as well the associated environmental impacts as Global Warming, Fossil Resource Scarcity and Cumulative Energy Demand categories by 5%, 29% and 51%, respectively. As result, it also increases biogas production for self-consumption by more than 50%. However, the anaerobic digestion and the cogeneration unit generate trade-offs in other impact categories because of their low conversion efficiencies. Our study highlights the potential benefits of testing and implementing this technology in Mediterranean countries with carbon-intensive electricity mixes, as it can reduce their environmental impacts by more than 30% in many categories. Future studies shall validate this model with real operational data applied to different locations.
Ajuts:	Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades CEX2024-001506-M
Nota:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2024-001506-M
Drets:	Aquesta url de drets no existeix a la base de dades.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Biogas production ; Circular economy ; Energy recovery ; Life cycle assessment ; Mediterranean region ; Water management ; SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation ; SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy ; SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth ; SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production ; SDG 13 - Climate Action
Publicat a:	Journal of water process engineering, Vol. 91 (September 2026) , art. 110489, ISSN 2214-7144

DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2026.110489

12 p, 3.1 MB

Supporting information 24 p, 622.9 KB

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Documents de recerca > Documents dels grups de recerca de la UAB > Centres i grups de recerca (producció científica) > Ciències > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Sostenibilitat i Prevenció Ambiental (Sostenipra)
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