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H2020Doctoral network2017–2022

AQUAlity · Interdisciplinar cross-sectoral approach to effectively address the removal of contaminants of emerging concern from water

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2017-10-01 → 2022-09-30
EU contribution
€3,897,678
Participants
18
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Interdisciplinar cross-sectoral approach to effectively address the removal of contaminants of emerging concern from water

Access to water is recognized as a fundamental human right by the United Nations General Assembly, whereas the achievement of clean water and sanitation is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The complex challenge of the production of safe and clean water requires different levels of action, which include the synthesis of green materials, the development of enhanced water treatment technologies, the implementation of effective legal tools against water pollution, the correct management of the present water treatment facilities. A peculiar aspect related to water quality is represented by the so-called Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), which are compounds derived from humans’ activities, detected at very low concentration level in natural water bodies. Today, there is increasing concern about the combined effects of this multitude of chemicals as they enter the environment and the food chain and a general consensus among policy-makers that emerging substances need to be addressed in a systematic and coherent manner. The overall research goals of AQUAlity, a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral European Training Network, are to generate and promote highly skilled scientists with the potential to face the present and future challenges concerning the protection of water resources from CECs and to achieve the environmentally sustainable removal of CECs from aqueous systems by conducting frontier research in the field of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), materials development and nanofiltration technology.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

AQUAlity is a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral European Training Network, that consist in eighteen participants (7 universities, 3 research institutes and 8 companies) and aims to generate and promote highly skilled scientists with the potential to face the present and future challenges concerning the protection of water resources from contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). AQUAlity will enroll fifteen early-stage researchers (ESRs) to conduct cutting-edge research on multidisciplinary aspects of novel hybrid technologies for the removal of CECs from aqueous systems. Moreover, ESRs will be trained to develop their creativity, critical and autonomous thinking, and entrepreneurial skills, thus boosting their scientific skills and innovation capacity in the field of water treatment technologies. This goal will be attained via a structured training-through-research programme, consisting of original individual research projects (performed both at the beneficiary organization and through intersectoral secondments) and education on technical and transferable skills (performed both at local level and with network-wide events). The overall research goal of AQUAlity is to develop highly innovative hybrid green technologies for CECs removal from aqueous systems by unconventional solar advanced oxidation processes (AOP) in combination with high flux ceramic nanofiltration membranes. Hence, ESRs will conduct frontier research in the field of AOP (organic photocatalysis, sensitized photocatalysts, photo-Fenton), materials development, nanofiltration technology, and will develop innovative hybrid photochemical/membranes systems to be tested on different waters to prove their potential for the production of high-quality water. Advanced analytical tools for the determination of CECs, their degradation products and water safeness will be developed. Thanks to the presence of industrial participants, AQUAlity aims for the commercial exploitation of part of the research results.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO · TorinoCoordinatorItaly
  • AALBORG UNIVERSITET · AalborgDenmark
  • ANONYMI ETAIREIA VIOMICHANIKIS EREUNAS, TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS KAI ERGASTIRIAKON DOKIMON, PISTOPOIISIS KAI POIOTITAS · VOLOSGreece
  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
  • CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS · MADRIDSpain
  • ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE · PALAISEAU CEDEXFrance
  • Eurofins VBM Laboratoriet A/S · RødovreDenmark
  • INSTITUT NATIONAL DE L ENVIRONNEMENT INDUSTRIEL ET DES RISQUES - INERIS · Verneuil En HalatteFrance
  • IRIS SRL · TORINOItaly
  • Isalit s.r.l. · NovaraItaly
  • KARADENIZ TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI · TrabzonTürkiye
  • LIQTECH INTERNATIONAL A/S · BallerupDenmark
  • NORSK INSTITUTT FOR VANNFORSKNING STI · OsloNorway
  • PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINON · IOANNINAGreece
  • SOCIEDAD DE FOMENTO AGRICOLA CASTELLONENSE S A · CASTELLONSpain
  • Società Metropolitana Acque Torino S.p.A. · TorinoItaly
  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DEL PIEMONTE ORIENTALE AMEDEO AVOGADRO · VercelliItaly
  • UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA · ValenciaSpain

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union