Facsa has participated in the XXXVI AEAS Congress, the main national forum of professionals, companies and institutions for the debate and transfer of knowledge on those aspects that generate the greatest interest related to the integral urban water cycle.
During the course of the Congress, a total of 95 papers were presented, encompassing the different thematic areas that make up the integral water cycle, and where sustainability - environmental, economic and social - has been one of the fundamental axes of the Congress.
In the area of water supply and quality, Javier García Castillo, head of the Potabilization Department at Facsa, presented the latest advances in the use of membrane technologies for the removal of total dissolved solids (TDS) from surface water intended for supply. The aim is to avoid the problem of variability in many parameters throughout the year, with temperature and periods of drought having a significant influence. Reverse osmosis is not the most suitable technology for this situation due to the typically low mineral content of the raw water.
In this context, the company has carried out a new pilot project, consisting of the operation of a plant with nanofiltration membranes with hollow fiber geometry, composed of polysulfone. This demonstrates that this technology combines the advantages of low- and high-pressure membranes, achieving high organic matter removal rates without the need for intensive physicochemical pretreatment and with high resistance to chemical cleaning.
On the other hand, Francesc Gavara, head of the company's Meteorology department, gave a presentation highlighting the importance of studying the metrological behavior of domestic water meters to improve water loss management. Thanks to research conducted by Facsa and tests carried out in its laboratory, the company can guarantee rigorous and precise water meter readings and exhaustive control during the distribution and supply phases, preventing measurement errors and apparent losses.
In the area of sanitation and wastewater treatment, Malú Barrera, Acquisitions and New Business Technician at Facsa, has analyzed the regulatory framework and uses of biogas, an area that the company has been addressing for years with the aim of advancing the development of a biorefinery concept focused on generating value-added products, and which it has already begun to put into practice with some of its clients.
In this same session, Ignacio Pastor, coordinator of the wastewater treatment plants managed by Facsa in the Murcia and Alicante region, reaffirmed the company's commitment to the circular economy with a presentation on the thermophilic-mesophilic two-stage anaerobic digestion project with micro-electric generation in the exhaust of the natural gas engine at the Alcoy wastewater treatment plant, which Facsa has carried out together with the Public Entity for Wastewater Treatment of the Valencian Community (EPSAR).
This is a pioneering project in Spain capable of transforming waste and utilizing it more efficiently and sustainably. Thanks to its technology, we have increased the percentage of energy generated at wastewater treatment plants and transformed waste more efficiently, thus achieving our goal of reducing and improving the sanitation of treated sludge and maximizing biogas production.
Thus, once again, Facsa's participation in the congress positions it as one of the leading companies regarding sustainability and the use of digital technologies in the management of the integrated water cycle.
