Development and application of nanofiltration membranes and advanced oxidation technology for water treatment in the circulation system of smart cities (in progress)

Project description.

Recently, there is a set of problems on a global scale caused by the poorly controlled and inefficient use of water resources, which leads to the discharge of used water into the natural environment, before being treated by inefficient mechanical-biological treatment plants. Domestic sewage treatment plants are identified as one of the biggest polluters of priority substances, especially pharmaceutical residues. Recently, environmental issues have also been strongly emphasized in the Lithuanian media, presenting, and showing the public the tragic state of the ”Kuršių marios” and the Baltic Sea, whose water contains several hard-to-degrade residues of priority substances. As an alternative to solving the problem posed by necessary wastewater treatment plants, a system of smart cities is proposed, where polluted water is divided into several streams, which are then cleaned in separate facilities in the city itself, and not outside of it at the final point (End of pipe method, e.g. Kaunas city domestic wastewater treatment plant ). However, here too, the problem is encountered that the desired cleaning efficiency of priority substances is not achieved, even when cleaning with reverse osmosis membranes, in addition, a concentrate is formed, which needs to be additionally utilized. Therefore, the goal of this project is to create a highly efficient hybrid specially modified technology of direct nanofiltration  membranes and advanced oxidation for the final removal of the residues of these substances from the smart city’s polluted water and membrane concentrate. For this purpose, starting from TPL4 and ending at TPL7 stages, a prototype will be developed, in which the filtration of contaminated water by membrane processes and the ozonation of the resulting concentrate, as well as purification based on UV nano photocatalysis, will take place together. At the end of the project, based on the obtained results and the created prototype, the production, and sale of hybrid technology reactors to various economic entities will take place. The project is implemented with a partner.

The project is financed by EU funds.