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Biorg4WasteWaterVal

2016
|
Portugal

Bioorganic novel approaches for food processing waste water treatment and valorisation: Lupanine case study

Joint call :
Joint Call 2015 - WaterWorks 2014
Project coordinator :
Carlos Aberto Mateus Afonso
Coordinating institution :
iMed/FARM-ID/Faculty of Pharmacy/Universidade de Lisboa
Contact :

Partners

Frederico Castelo Alves Ferreira

iBB/IST-ID/Instituto Superior Técnico/Universidade de Lisboa
 

Portugal
Francesca Malpei

Politecnico di Milano
 

Italy
Michail Koutinas

Cyprus University of Technology
 

Cyprus
Thomas Schäfer

Basque Centre for Macromolecular Design & Engineering, Basque Excellence Research Centre
 

Spain
Dina Bastos

A Tremoceira Estrela da Piedade Lda

Portugal

Abstract

Food processing industry uses a large volume of fresh water to deliver safe food for humanity, which is obtained from public water providers or ground and spring water sources. The resulting brackish wastewater is often disposed of in public sewers or using different suboptimal solutions. The food processing industry is comprised of several factories of small/medium size, calling for a modular technological solution able to be quickly implemented at the companies site. In this project, novel separation processes using low energy and chemicals at low cost will be developed based on novel membrane processes and adsorbers capable of purifying the water for in-situ recycling at zero cost for the company. A far reaching concept is suggested in which alkaloids are isolated and converted into building blocks of value for pharmaceutical and chemical industries, compensating for water detoxification costs. New biological and chemical tools will be developed for conversion of alkaloids into such added value compounds. Lupanine is used as a particular example to illustrate this case.
 

Project structure:

 

Implementation: 

WP1: Consortium Management, CAfonso (FF-UL)
WP2: Process and separation design and validation (FMalpei, POLIMI)
WP3: Biological valuation of isolated fractions (MKoutinas, CUT)
WP4: Chemical valuation of isolated compound. (CAfonso FF-UL)
WP5: Cost effectiveness assessment and water qualification (DBastos, TEP)
WP6. Evaluation of the concept beyond the Lupanine case study (FFerreira, IST-ID/UL)
WP7- Results dissemination and exploitation (C.Afonso, FF-UL)

Outcome/deliverables:

  • 6 publications
  • 2 patents
  • 2 workshops
  • An educational case
  • 5 young researchers hired
  • 2 PhD and 4 MSc
  • Internships
  • 1 pilot plant scale operation
  • Online information
  • Economic assessment of the lupanine water detoxification case study
  • A preliminary information on alkaloid water detoxification