Projeto Portugal 2020

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Data de conclusão

Sumário

The Structured R&D&I Project Healthy Waters – Identification, Elimination, Social Awareness and Education of Water Chemical and Biological Micropollutants with Health and Environmental Implications, aims the promotion of a regional economic development model based on smart specialisation strategies and Key Enabling Technologies. In particular, the project is focused on developing tools for water monitoring programmes and on the modernisation and technological upgrading of urban and agro-industrial wastewater treatment plants to transform these units into Water Resource Recovery Factories (WRRFs), mitigating the chemical and biological contamination of oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters. This Structured R&D&I Project is led by LSRE-LCM, a partnership between LSRE - Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering and LCM - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, that obtained the status of Associate Laboratory (Laboratório Associado) in December 2004. The primary location of LSRE-LCM is the Department of Chemical Engineering at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP) which acts as the Principal Managing Institution. LEPABE (Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Energy and Biotechnology) and CEFT (Transport Phenomena Research Center) are the two other R&D Units from FEUP participating in this proposal, together with CIIE (Centre for Research and Intervention in Education) from Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto (FPCEUP). The 4 R&D Units (from 2 Faculties) that participate in this proposal belongs to the same beneficiary: University of Porto. The Project is strongly aligned with Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 (Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy) and Societal Challenge 5 (Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials). The Structured R&D&I Project consists of a single Research Line strongly aligned with the specific Mission Area “Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters” of implementation under Horizon Europe. The Research Line combines three complementary activities gathering specific Research Tasks (RTs). [Activity 1] Identification & Risks: 1.1) New analytical tools for micropollutants monitoring in oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters; 1.2) Risk assessment of cytostatic drugs in coastal and inland waters; 1.3) Environmental impact of tourism in coastal and inland waters. [Activity 2] Elimination & Valorisation: 2.1) Nano- and macro-structured catalysts and membranes; 2.2) Sustainable, cost-effective and safe solutions for wastewater resources recovery in agriculture; 2.3) Optimization of urban wastewater biological treatments; 2.4) Microalgae-based biofilm bioremediation of emerging pollutants; 2.5) Novel strategies for microbial growth control in water systems; 2.6) Anti-adhesion and contact killing coatings to reduce biofilm proliferation in water systems; 2.7) Integrated treatment and valorisation of agro-industrial wastewaters; 2.8) Removal of organic pollutants and drugs from wastewater using novel biodegradable ionic liquids; 2.9) Wastewater treatment and energy production using Microbial Fuel Cells; 2.10) Life cycle assessment of products and processes. [Activity 3] Social Awareness & Education: 3.1) Selection of partner schools and capacity building for teachers; 3.2) Selection of university students and brief summer school on environmental education; 3.3) Implementation of an educational program in public schools involving the community; 3.4) Assessment of the intervention impact on students attitudes and dispositions. The goal of Activity 1 (I&R) is to design new tools for routine analysis (sensors and sample preparation devices) of EU-relevant water contaminants and perform monitoring campaigns, considering the risk assessment and the associated environmental impacts. Activity 2 (I&R) aims to develop a technology to destroy and/or remove many of these micropollutants and eliminate biological threats before reaching oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters. Activity 3 (S&E) will develop an educational program to be implemented in public schools to raise social awareness based on environmental topics addressed in the previous Activities (1 and 2), seeking to understand what elements of the designed intervention, based on Participatory Research and Service Learning methodologies, are associated with positive outcomes. The resources and energy required for treatment systems and, as a consequence, the resulting environmental impacts, will also be considered in this proposal through Life Cycle Assessment of products and processes that will be developed. We intend to create a unique platform of collaboration with a common objective to preserve the health of the water resources in the Northern Region and increase the scientific production of quality that has been internationally recognized in this field. If we demonstrate that we can easily identify a large number of multiclass micropollutants (already highlighted as relevant in the EU) by using new analytical tools and methodologies, these will certainly have a high demand for routine analysis in the monitoring of EU natural water bodies and wastewaters, empowering ways to follow the recently launched EU legislation (Activity 1). If we discover the way to eliminate many of these micropollutants and biological threats in those waters, the new solution is expected to derive into a commercial product (Activity 2). Moreover, if we disseminate the knowledge outcomes to the broad society through science-based environmental educational programs, the awareness and understanding of the community will increase and changes in attitudes and dispositions related to water management and preservation can be generated. This will hopefully change the behaviours towards the preservation of our oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters (Activity 3). Thus, the forecasted results and impacts of Healthy Waters will be relevant at societal, academic, environmental and economic levels. The Healthy Waters project is strongly aligned with at least three Priority Domains of Norte RIS3 2020: two Nuclear domains (Agro-environmental Systems and Food - Sistemas Agroambientais e Alimentação) and (Advanced Production Systems - Sistemas Avançados de Produção) and one Wildcard domain (Sea Resources and Economy - Recursos do Mar e Economia).