STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR WATER RESOURCES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NOVEL BIOTECHNICAL TREATMENT SOLUTIONS AND GOOD PRACTICES

Project Information

SPRING

Grant agreement ID: 821423

DOI

10.3030/821423

Project closed

EC signature date 17 July 2019

Start date 1 August 2019

End date 31 July 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 3 116 948,75

EU contribution

€ 3 116 948,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITETET I TROMSOE - NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - SPRING (STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR WATER RESOURCES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NOVEL BIOTECHNICAL TREATMENT SOLUTIONS AND GOOD PRACTICES)

Reporting period: 2022-02-01 to 2024-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The SPRING project, funded under the joint initiative, EU-India Water Challenge, aims to bring new technological solutions and business models for improving the quality of drinking water and water for other uses with a particular focus on water problems in India.

India has 18% of the world’s population but the share of water resources is only 4% making it one of the most water-stressed countries. Nearly 70% water is contaminated due to untreated sewage and effluent discharged into the environment. About 600 million people face health problems due to lack of access to clean water.

In this context SPRING presents an integrated water resource management system for wastewater treatment which is cost-effective, easy to install and replicate and can be deployed to provide reliable and safe water supply in rural or urban areas.

This has been achieved through:

1. Developing environmentally friendly, simple to operate, systems for treating polluted water bodies (stagnant and flowing)
2. Creating cost-effect real-time monitoring tools
3. Implementing good practices in water planning for treatment, supply and usage.

SPRING has targeted improving and developing technologies for the elimination of water pollutants using a bioremediation approach employing novel microbial technological advances for removal and monitoring of organic micro-pollutants present in ground- and surface-water. The project has also developed real-time detection systems to identify pollutants’ risks and flooding/water shortage scenarios.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Despite disruption during RP1 and 2 with pandemic restrictions and funding delays in India, work has progressed well by adopting alternative approaches.

• Two Amendment Processes were undertaken extending the end-date and deliverables deadlines.
• Site mapping/vulnerability maps were developed based on annual data for Ganges and Godavri study areas.
• Development/testing on the enzymatic production process, successful testing of a lab scale system followed developing process for large scale production has been achieved.
• In order to create the sludge library for later use of adapting bio sensors and microbial based heavy metal sensor for Indian conditions, water/sludge samples from test sites were required. Due to various delays in the first two years in collecting and transferring samples from India to Europe, the decision was made to collect the samples from polluted European waters.
• However in the later period some initial testing was carried out in India under the guidance of European partner. The Sludge Library was established.
• The sensory platform was finalised with the updated design of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) sensor. Finally the complete platform was fine-tuned and integrated with the automated vehicle and tested.
• A robotic vehicle integrated with onboard online water quality measurement sensory board was developed and demonstrated.
• An automated system for detecting and removal of blockages in underground sewerage has been developed and a pilot scale model was demonstrated.
• In the final phase of the project the demonstration of prototype bio-oxidation system was carried out at different sites in Godavari western delta area and river Ganga basin near Varanasi between 21st April and 30th April 2024 in the presence of experts from DST and DBT, project partners and stakeholders.
• Due to the initial lock down and other hinderances these modules were not integrated together but demonstrated separately. However, these are standalone technologies that can be used independently.
• All scientific participants maintained interactions with law makers, budget providers, user communities and NGOs via many outreach activities, workshops, seminars, and outreach for stakeholders/wider public. This has facilitated the implementation good practices among user communities and municipalities for long-term management of water resources.
• Indo Nordic EU Water Forum (INEWF) has been launched as a sectoral industry support hub to provide long-term self-sustaining dissemination, extension of project outcomes and delivery of commercially viable product.
• 1 patent application.
• >30 publications.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SPRING technological advancements include:

• Identification of polluted sites and physicochemical analysis of water quality, and development of dynamic, updatable, vulnerability maps from the study areas using geospatial techniques to provide the reference points to evaluate the efficacy of water management practice.
• Microbial profiling to identify the required enzyme producers by conventional and metagenomics approaches: strain improvement, production, and purification of the enzymes with increased stability and robustness. Currently, a complete process for production of hydroxyl radical producing enzymes, immobilization of the produced enzymes and packaging the enzymes into a suitable dispersal system to TRL5.
• Development of multi-analyte sensor for determination of pollutants in water. NIR-based sensory platforms for Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) determination is developed at lab scale for integration into the complete sensory system (TRL4). Biosensors for some pollutants are available, others require development. Laboratory prototype MFC sensory system was tested and later deployed to the AUV for online measurement of water quality parameters.
• AUV, or a robotic boat, has on-board control electronics and navigation systems and other auxiliary systems which allow the AUV to be integrated with any water quality sensor platform and treatment system. The developed MFC sensory system has been integrated with the AUV and demonstrated at TRL6/7.
• Robotic system for detecting and removal of blockages in underground sewerage pipes was developed and demonstrated in Pune (TRL5/6).
• Autonomous bio-oxidation system to treat pollutants in wastewater. The self-operated system has been developed and demonstrated at pilot scale at TRL6.

The impacts from the SPRING project are multiple:

• SPRING will sustainably enable the water sector to meet EU and Indian drinking water criteria.
• Water resources already, or in danger of being, abandoned, due to pollution, can be brought back into use with safe, clean, water.
• The fast-acting technology can be applied in many different situations of water pollution. Preliminary investigations show that pollutants are degraded in 3 to 4 hours. No dedicated land usage, skilled manpower, fuel or power is required for implementing the scalable technology and which has low operational costs (50% of conventional water treatment costs). With no toxic residues, it can be integrated into almost any water system for wastewater. This will enable reuse and conservation of water and reduce water borne diseases.
• Direct impact on the lives of more than 0.6-0.8 billion people in India alone improving consumer health, quality of life and livelihoods.
• Reductions in water borne diseases (16M cases recorded in 2017) to less than 0.16M has huge financial benefits. Reduced illness can save 73 million man-hours and generate 1BN Rupees of cost savings.
• Decontamination from micro-pollutants contributes to the implementation of the Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) and to the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP).
• The technology can be deployed in emergency or natural disaster situations to ensure clean and safe use of water resources.

Image depicting the essential elements of Integrated Water Resource Management