The BETA TC starts an Industrial PhD with MAFRICA

The BETA Technological Centre of the UVic-UCC together with MAFRICA will start a new industrial doctorate, focused on the operation and optimisation of innovative technologies based on membrane processes for obtaining high-quality water, demonstrating the biological, chemical and health safety of reusing this water in cleaning activities. On the other hand, the student will investigate and demonstrate the feasibility of valorising the solid waste generated during the transformation process of animal by-products not destined for human consumption by applying biological treatments for the production of biostimulants.

Lidia Paredes and Laura Mejias, researchers from the Environmental Technologies and Circular Bioeconomy Area of CT BETA, will direct this doctoral thesis funded by AGAUR-Doctorats Industrials within the framework of the European project ACCELWATER.

The ACCELWATER project (Accelerating Water Circularity in Food and Beverage Industrial Areas around Europe), funded within the framework of the European programme Horitzó 2020, aims to reduce water and carbon consumption in the food sector, applying environmental technologies to enhance the water-waste-energy nexus. Eighteen organisations, research centres and companies from five European countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, Iceland and Germany) are working on this project.

The demonstration of the project in Spain will be carried out at the MAFRICA wastewater treatment plant in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada (Bages), applying an innovative treatment process to treat the wastewater and solid waste generated in this meat industry. The aim is to obtain high quality water with the potential to be reused in the same industrial facility, energy and products of high agricultural interest, such as biofertilisers and biostimulants.