The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Andorra will be the infrastructure chosen by the LOWDOS project as a testing ground for the development of advanced technologies that allow minimizing the generation of sludge in the water purification system.
This initiative is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the European Union – Next Generation EU, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The project's main objective is to minimize the generation of sludge produced during wastewater treatment processes.
The first phase focuses on developing a bioprocess-based technology designed to minimize sludge generation while efficiently removing the organic load from wastewater treatment plants. Validation of this technology includes monitoring critical parameters and establishing a server for data processing, visualization, and traceability.
Given that sludge production can be reduced but not entirely eliminated, LOWDOS will also monitor the sludge generated in order to analyze alternative uses and improve its characteristics.
The project began in July 2023 and will be developed until April 2024 by the consortium formed by the Cluster for the efficient use of water (Zinnae), the Aragonese Cluster of Agricultural and Livestock Production Means, Ingeniería de Obras Zaragoza (INGEOBRAS / Inngen.io), Sociedad Fomento Agrícola Castellonense (FACSA), Arateck Electronics, and the Cinco Villas Agricultural Technology Center (CTA CINCO VILLAS), with the collaboration of the Aragonese Water Institute.
Thanks to this collaboration, the Andorra wastewater treatment plant will serve as the pilot facility for testing this project. The plant is managed by a company integrated into the ZINNAE cluster. Since 2022, the IAA has been a supporting partner and member of the Board of Directors of the ZINNAE cluster. Last May, an agreement was signed between the two parties to promote the efficient and sustainable use of water resources and associated energy consumption in Aragonese municipalities through innovation, professional development, and cooperation with other European regions.
