Sorigué has organised the second Innovation Camp, held between 23 and 25 May in Barcelona, following on from last month’s event in Israel. This European meeting takes place within the framework of the Water Harmony project. At this conference, Sorigué welcomed 17 global experts from universities, technology sectors and companies to reflect on and provide innovative solutions to the challenges presented by water management, specifically at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). 

This second Innovation Camp, backed by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), was structured into two blocks. The first space consisted of workshops for presenting ideas and innovative solutions for water management as part of the Water Harmony project. This block included participation from representatives of the University of Technology Sydney (Australia); Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel); the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (Sweden); University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland); and the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași (Romania). 

In the second block, participants solved two specific challenges related to water management in the local environment. The first challenge consisted of finding solutions to minimise emissions at the WWTPs, and the second related to reusing the treatment plant sludge for energy sources and other raw materials. 

At this conference, Sorigué presented the projects to relevant stakeholders in the water sector: University of Barcelona (UB); Catalan Water Partnership; Ens d’Abastament d’Aigua Ter-Llobregat; Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB); Leitat Technology Centre; Water Technology Centre (Cetaqua); La Llagosta WWTP; and the Bio-energy Cluster.

Following the workshops and challenges, the participants visited the La Llagosta WWTP to see the developed technologies in action. 

Water Harmony, a collaborative project

Water Harmony is a collaborative project between numerous international organisations seeking to generate new knowledge about water management through the exchange of good practices, research and innovative developments. 

Sorigué, alongside the Leitat Technology Centre, is looking to create new nanomaterials for the manufacture of membranes to filter solid waste, such as microplastics and heavy metals, while degrading resulting contaminants through oxidation processes. This technology can be applied to both wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and drinking water treatment plants. To test the technology in a real setting, Sorigué created a pilot-scale project in the La Llagosta WWTP. 

Water Harmony is part of the WaterWorks 2017 ERA-NET Cofund call for projects, which is led by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and distributes two million euros among 12 European partners. Sorigué has received a grant of €169,542 and has a budget of €423,857 from the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI).