SERENA

Reduction of nitrate pollution, recovery of organic waste and environmental monitoring

SERENA reduces nitrate diffuse pollution in ecosystems through the research of innovative technologies for the denitrification of groundwater, the recovery of organic waste and the development of systems for monitoring the concentration of nitrates in water.

The project addresses the decontamination of aquifers through bioremediation and chemical reduction technologies, combined with research into denitrifying enzymes. In addition, the anaerobic co-digestion of slurry and vegetable water is explored together with the use of nanoparticles with the aim of mitigating the inhibition problems of current technology.

SERENA develops strategies for the valorisation of by-products obtained from anaerobic co-digestion to obtain biogas, biochar, nitrogen fertilisers, among others.

Finally, low-cost sensors for nitrate monitoring and modelling systems to optimise pollution management are investigated.

Eurecat participates in the SERENA project through five technological units:

• The Waste, Energy and Environmental Impact (WEEI) Unit develops anaerobic co-digestion technologies for manure and olive mill wastewater (“alpechín”) and the valorisation of the generated by-products (digestate), through thermochemical technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis, generating two new by-products: syngas and biochar.
• The Chemical Technology Unit is researching the production of urea from the by-products of anaerobic co-digestion.
• The Water, Air and Soil (WAS) Unit investigates soil decontamination processes through bioremediation and the use of biochar as amendment for agricultural soils. Moreover, the recovery of nutrients from digestate in an anaerobic digestion.
• The Omics Sciences Unit investigates technologies for the decontamination of soil and groundwater based on denitrifying enzymes. Specifically, it is responsible for their in vitro overexpression and the subsequent evaluation of their nitrate and nitrite reduction capacity. This line of work allows for the validation of enzyme activity and lays the foundation for their use in advanced bioremediation strategies.
• The Functional Printing and Embedded Systems Unit develops sensors for the monitoring of nitrates in groundwater. Specifically, it will design and develop a new nitrate sensor based on an ion-selective membrane, along with a portable and autonomous data acquisition and analysis device, to perform in situ and real-time measurements at an affordable cost.

The SERENA project consortium consists of the companies GREENING INVESTMENTS, SITRA, CONDE DE BENALUA, LAB FERRER, LITOCLEAN and NOSTRUM BIODISCOVERY, with the support of EURECAT.