Preventing and controlling pollutant emissions from industrial installations is key to minimising their environmental impact and reducing harmful effects on human health. With this premise and as part of its decarbonisation plan, Sorigué is participating in the atmosphAIr project focused on the reduction of emissions generated by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The study uses artificial intelligence tools and aims to predict and mitigate the production of odorous and greenhouse gases.

Predicting to make decisions
WWTPs generate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia (NH₃), gases that are a source of bad odours, as well as greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). WWTPs are aware of this problem and devote a large part of their budget to mitigating the effects of emissions.

“N₂O can represent up to 80% of a WWTP’s carbon footprint, so the project will mainly focus on predicting and minimising this gas. In addition, it is necessary to predict and optimise the processes involved in the management of odorous gases, whose energy consumption can account for up to 15-20% of the total energy consumption in large plants”, explain the project participants.

The novelty of atmosphAIr lies in its ability to anticipate and predict gas production, and it represents a significant step towards laying the foundations for climate neutrality in sewage networks and wastewater treatment plants. In its first phase, Sorigué is focusing specifically on data related to methane and nitrous oxide.

Sorigué will capture information on emissions generated at the Torredembarra WWTP (Tarragona) using virtual sensors, and will work with the company SPIN to interpret the data. The Torredembarra plant is managed by Sorigué and the DAM group and serves a population of 92,000 inhabitants.

Pioneering project
The atmosphAIr project is pioneering in its approach and objectives, and it exceeds legal requirements. There is currently no requirement to monitor pollutant gases in the water cycle but, although this is not regulated in Spain, it is in other countries, so it is expected that specific regulations will soon come into force.

The research is divided into three phases lasting nine months each and was co-financed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR) in the second call for AEIs in 2022 in the framework of the Next Generation grants and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The consortium made up of Sorigué, Depuración de Aguas del Mediterráneo S.L (DAM), AERIS Tecnologías Ambientales S.L., BGEO OPEN GIS S.L. and SPIN S.A. is carrying out this research under the coordination of the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP).

Sorigué’s experience in the operation of WWTPs, as well as in the implementation of wastewater treatment and circular economy innovation projects makes the group an ideal partner for the promotion of initiatives of this nature.

Founded in 1954, Sorigué is a benchmark in construction, urban services and water cycle management in all its phases. With innovation as the cornerstone of its work, the group is actively involved in more than ten collaborative research projects with public and private entities to achieve the desired zero discharge in wastewater treatment, increase the energy efficiency of facilities and minimise the emission of atmospheric pollutants such as carbon.