The best “Treatment Project of the Year” for the largest wastewater treatment plant in Europe
- The Mayor of Mérida, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, has collected the award, recalling that the award-winning project is part of the R&D programme “H2020 SABANA”, which has received an investment of 11 million euros from European Funds and 1,500,000 euros from the company Aqualia, concessionaire of the Water Service in the city of Mérida.
- The mayor pointed out that the plant, "one of the largest in the world and the largest in Europe, is aligned with the objectives of the Government of Spain, with the SDGs in terms of sustainability, water purification policies and the measures that must be implemented to make these treatments more efficient, less expensive and more natural."
The mayor, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, accompanied by the delegate for Urban Planning, Silvia Fernández, has collected in Madrid, within the framework of the 'Spain Smart Water Summit' that is being held these days in the capital of Spain, the award for the best Water Treatment Project of the Year in the country for the Mérida wastewater treatment plant based on microalgae, the largest in Europe.
A plant that is part of the R&D project “H2020 SABANA”, which has received an investment of 11 million euros from European Funds and 1,500,000 euros from the company Aqualia, concessionaire of the Water Service in the city of Mérida.
The mayor pointed out that the plant, "one of the largest in the world and the largest in Europe, is aligned with the objectives of the Government of Spain, with the SDGs in terms of sustainability, water purification policies and the measures that must be implemented to make these treatments more efficient, less expensive and more natural."
The mayor also highlighted that this plant “improves the quality of water for the residents of the city of Mérida” and stated that it is “an honour and pride as mayor to receive this award that recognises the best initiatives and projects in water management and digitalisation”.
These are the most prestigious awards in the sector, which highlight a city council such as Mérida, a pioneer in Spain in having a specific SDG delegation and council, “and with a clear commitment to contribute to the improvement of our city by following the steps of the 2030 agenda,” Rodríguez Osuna said.
In his speech, the Mayor of Mérida stressed that this plant “is aligned with the objectives of the Government of Spain, with the SDGs, in terms of sustainability, water purification policies or the measures that must be implemented to make these treatments more efficient, less expensive and more natural. It is a project that is an example of public and private collaboration, to offer sustainable solutions in the treatment of wastewater,” he stressed.
Its objective is to study the possibility of cultivating microalgae from the nutrients contained in wastewater in order to obtain biomass and its subsequent valorisation as biofertilisers, biostimulants and/or biopesticides of high agronomic value.
Spain Smart Water Summit
The 'Spain Smart Water Summit' is the most important event in the country, with the most prestigious awards in the sector that recognise the dissemination work of organisations. It is organised by iAgua, the online information content platform with news and information about relevant companies and public bodies and all the latest news from the water sector. All the companies and public-private organisations in Spain that work in water treatment participate.
The awards were presented during a gala at the Meliá Avenida de América Hotel in Madrid. The event lasted three days and analysed the state and future challenges of the digital transformation of the water management sector in Spain with a focus on Latin America.
The eight categories that have been awarded on this occasion are the following:
- Treatment Product of the Year
- Digitalization Project of the Year
- Treatment Project of the Year. To select it, the awards organization has taken into account all the projects that have been launched in Spain during 2024.
- Smart Product of the Year
- Smart Company of the Year
- Water Treatment Company of the Year
- Agro Company of the Year
- Company of the Year
The project
This research project is made up of a consortium of 12 entities, including Aqualia, from 5 countries: Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Its objective is to study the possibility of cultivating microalgae from the nutrients contained in wastewater in order to obtain biomass and its subsequent valorisation as biofertilisers, biostimulants and/or biopesticides of high agronomic value.
Microalgae technology represents a new paradigm for wastewater treatment, as it turns wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into a source of “green” resources with high added value (bioplastics, biofertilizers, cosmetics, etc.) while significantly reducing the energy requirements for treating water efficiently.
H2020 SABANA is turning the Mérida WWTP into a full-scale biofactory, a clear example of the circular economy applied on an industrial scale. To achieve this, a treatment area of around 20,000 m2 has been built , where the so-called “raceways” (an open, shallow water carousel where microalgae are cultivated) have been installed, which provides a wastewater treatment capacity of around 2 million litres per day and a production of high-value biomass of around 200 tonnes per year.
Antonio Rodriguez Osuna:
