(Finance) – Aeneas And University of Bologna have developed, in collaboration with Hera Group And Irriteca technologically advanced prototype capable of purifying waste water in order to use them to irrigate and fertilize cultivated fields, with benefits in terms of greater water availability, supply of nutrients, reduction of chemical fertilizers, environmental sustainability and quality of the purification chain. Innovation – explains Enea in a note – is part of the scope of Value CE-IN project, funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region and from Development and Cohesion Fundand will be presented at the World Water Day which is celebrated every year on March 22.
The demonstration prototype was made at thepurification plant of the Hera Group in Cesena and was tested on an experimental field with 120 crops of which 66 peach trees and 54 industrial tomatoes. The results collected downstream of the experimental phase confirm the quality of the water purified for agricultural purposes.
“The results obtained in the context of the project, coordinated by Enea – underlines the project coordinator Luigi Petta, head of the Enea Laboratory of Technologies for the efficient use and management of water and wastewater – could support the application of the prototype scheme to all purification plants and the dissemination of reuse practices for the benefit of all supply chain stakeholders – from plant managers to reclamation consortia up to the automation, control and measurement sector – with the aim of guaranteeing an unconventional and safe water source and at the same time providing a supply of nutrients to crops, in line with the new community guidelines in force since 2023 “.
According to recent studies, in our country – explains Enea – the per capita withdrawals of fresh water for agricultural use represent about 50% of the total water requirement. In addition, the more and more frequent phenomena of water scarcity due to climate change, more than one third of the national agricultural production is at serious risk, with damage to the quantity and quality of crops, estimated on average in the order of one billion euros per year. The industrial research results, to be confirmed with further campaigns, highlight the feasibility of circular economy practices and industrial symbiosis that favor the conversion of purification plants into real biorefineries from which to recover the primary water resource, secondary products with high added value, such as soil improvers and fertilizers capable of guaranteeing a supply of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and reduce the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
“The research carried out has highlighted the high potential of reusing purified wastewater for fertigation purposes, both in quantitative and nutritional terms, using smart technologies and materials that allow the management of irrigation and precision fertilization. In addition, – highlights Attilio Toscano, professor of agricultural hydraulics and coordinator of the experimental activities conducted by CIRI FRAME, the Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research of Renewable Sources, Environment, Sea and Energy of the University of Bologna – the verification of the effects of the direct reuse of secondary and tertiary effluents on the soil-plant system has shown, in the studies carried out so far, the safety and sustainability of this practice “.
“This experimentation – highlights Susanna Zucchelli, water director of the Hera Group – is part of the Hera Group strategies which aim at an increasingly efficient use of resources, with reduced consumption, solutions for circularity and reuse. The Cesena treatment plant represents, in fact, a concrete example of circular economy in the water cycle, both in terms of a tangible and safe possibility of reusing purified wastewater for agricultural purposes, and for the enhancement and recovery of secondary products. from sewage sludge “.
“By virtue of the results achieved, the project – he concludes Petta – aims to act as a catalyst for agreements between institutions and companies in the supply chain, already involved in the project development, to implement these practices on a full scale, starting with the best practice developed in Cesena as part of the project “.