AFTERLIFE

Advanced Filtration TEchnologies for the Recovery and Later conversIon of relevant Fractions from wastEwater

Project details

Type of project: Research & Innovation Action
Project focus: Packaging
Feedstock origin: Agri-food
Feedstock type: Food industry sidestreams

Project period: 1 September 2017 - 28 February 2022
Status: Completed
CBE JU Contribution: € 3 890 593,13
Call identifier: H2020-BBI-JTI-2016

Summary

The AFTERLIFE project proposes a flexible, cost- and resource-efficient process for recovering and valorising the relevant fractions from wastewater. It will represent an advance on existing approaches to wastewater treatment, which rely on physic-chemical and biological methods.

The AFTERLIFE process will separate out the different components of value using a series of membrane filtration units that will separate all the solids in the wastewater. These will then treated to obtain high-pure extracts and metabolites or, alternatively, to be converted into value-added biopolymers; polyhydroxyalkanoates(PHAs).

In addition to the value extracted from the solids, the remaining outflow of the water will be ultrapure and ready for re-use.

The overarching objective of the AFTERLIFE project is to demonstrate, at TRL-5, an innovative wastewater treatment that simultaneously recovers compounds of interest while converting the remaining organic matter into a high-volume added value biopolymer. Specifically, it sets out to:

Develop the filtration system for recovering suspended and soluble solids in wastewater by using membrane filtration units.
Develop the process for recovering and purifying valuable compounds in the concentrates extracted in the filtration step.
Develop an anaerobic/aerobic process for converting the low value-added organic matter into PHAs.
Optimise the resources in the process, following a circular economy approach
Design and optimise the AFTERLIFE process from a holistic perspective following a Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO) approach
Conduct a demonstration, at a pilot scale, using real industrial wastewater to generate the end products
Prove the economic and industrial feasibility for AFTERLIFE process along with a comprehensive Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) and cost assessment.
Promote exploitation of the project’s results and expand its impact.

The AFTERLIFE project aims to deliver a substantial positive impact in the progress of wastewater treatment technologies and relevant fractions recovery. Specifically, it will:

Validate that AFTERLIFE provides recovery rates that are comparable to, or better than, those of competing technologies.
Successfully recycle or reuse at least 10 percent, in dry weight, of the suspended solid fractions.
Create a new cross-sectorial interconnection in bio-based economy clusters.
Create cooperation projects through cross-industry clusters
Set the foundations for at least one new bio-based value chain and one new bio-based material.
Lead to 30 new consumer products by 2020.
Attract broad participation from SMES.

Renewable innovation from wastewater treatment

Solution for wastewater in bioplastics and food additives
24 April 2019
BBI JU-funded project AFTERLIFE is developing a technology that filters, treats and converts wastewater from the food and drink industry into bioplastics and food additives. Read more

Recovery and valorisation of wastewater fractions for a circular economy
27 July 2018
AFTERLIFE proposes a tangential (cross-flow) membrane filtration for wastewater pre-treatment to remove large size solids, coarse grains and fatty emulsions for the recovery of useful substrates for bio-energy generation. Read more

Consortium map

Project coordination

IDENER TECHNOLOGIES SL LA RINCONADA (SEVILLA), Spain

Consortium

HERITAGE 1466 HERVE, Belgium
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY Espoo, Finland
JAKE SA MOLINA DE SEGURA MURCIA, Spain
NOVA-INSTITUT FUR POLITISCHE UND OKOLOGISCHE INNOVATION GMBH Hurth, Germany
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Madrid, Spain
BIO BASE EUROPE PILOT PLANT VZW Desteldonk Gent, Belgium
L'UREDERRA, FUNDACION PARA EL DESARROLLO TECNOLOGICO Y SOCIAL Los Arcos, Spain
INNOVEN SRL Verona, Italy
ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL DE INVESTIGACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO NACIONAL DE LA CONSERVA Molina De Segura, Spain
CITROMIL SL Santomera Murcia, Spain
CELABOR SCRL Herve Chaineux, Belgium
NOVA ID FCT - ASSOCIACAO PARA A INOVACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DA FCT Caparica, Portugal
MI-PLAST DOO ZA PROIZVODNJU, TRGOVINU I PRUZANJE USLUGA Rijeka, Croatia