As part of the EU Green Week 2025, the LIFE PRISTINE project successfully hosted its first Open Days on June 4–5, 2025, bringing together more than 110 participants in Murcia and Ceutí to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to remove Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from water.
The event was held in a hybrid format, with Day 1 taking place at the Parque Científico de Murcia and online, and Day 2 hosted at the Ceutí Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), where the LIFE PRISTINE pilot is currently being demonstrated.
Day 1: Technical insights and innovation chat
On June 4th, attendees from research institutions, industry, public authorities and environmental organisations gathered for a full morning of presentations, discussions, and networking focused on breakthrough technologies for wastewater reuse.
Following a welcome by Joaquín Buendía, Managing Director of ESAMUR, and Jorge J. Malfeito, R&D Director at ACCIONA, the sessions began with a presentation by Pedro Simón (ESAMUR) on the current challenges and opportunities in wastewater reclamation.
Aina Soler, Project Manager at ACCIONA, then offered a comprehensive overview of the LIFE PRISTINE solution, which integrates encapsulated adsorbent materials, hollow-fibre nanofiltration membranes, UV-LED AOP oxidation, and AI-powered decision support tools. The solution aims to achieve over 80% removal of CECs from both drinking water and wastewater streams, what has been already validated in the wastewater scenario according to the first presented results.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: LIFE PRISTINE PROJECT OVERVIEW AND MAIN RESULTS
The day continued with the participation of four guest European projects—EMPEREST, ZeroPM, LIFE WARRIOR, and LIFE BIODAPH2O—each showcasing complementary approaches to tackling contaminants of emerging concern.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: ZEROPM
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: LIFE WARRIOR
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: LIFE BIODAPH2O
One of the key highlights was the Innovation Chat moderated by Mar Micó (ACCIONA), where experts from Eurecat, Xylem, NX Filtration, Captoplastic, and the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) shared insights into the most promising technologies shaping the future of wastewater reuse and elimination of CECs.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: ADSORPTION CAPSULE SYSTEM
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: HOLLOW-FIBER MEMBRANE SOLUTIONS
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: CAPTOPLASTIC TECH
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: NATURAL-BASED SOLUTIONS COMBINED WITH PHOTOCHEMICHAL PROCESSES
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION: UV-LED BASED ADVANCED OXIDATION PROCESSES
To conclude, participants visited the LIFE PRISTINE pilot plant in Ceutí for a first-hand look at the integrated solution in action—demonstrating how sustainable water reuse can be realised in real operational environments.
Day 2: Public engagement and awareness
The second day, held on June 5th at the Ceutí WWTP was focused on raising awareness among local stakeholders. The day began with institutional remarks by Joaquín Buendía, ESAMUR Managing Director, followed by an interactive guided tour of the wastewater treatment plant, including a visit to the LIFE PRISTINE pilot installation.
Participants included staff from the Ceutí City Council, educators, and personnel from ESAMUR, all of whom showed strong interest in learning more about how wastewater is treated and how LIFE PRISTINE contributes to environmental protection and society.
The session concluded with a questionnaire designed to collect feedback and assess participants’ understanding of the technologies and the processes presented.
From the perceptions collected from the local stakeholders, it could be highlighted that engaging the local community in the development of new technologies is important, not only to transmit the advances and strong efforts being undertaken to improve water quality, but also to gather their perceptions and possible barriers they foresee regarding its implementation.
Funded under the EU’s LIFE Programme, LIFE PRISTINE is demonstrating a flexible, scalable solution to effectively remove CECs from water using a combination of advanced oxidation processes, membrane filtration, adsorption, and AI-driven monitoring. The project aims to contribute to the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan and promote water reuse within a circular economy framework.
As an official partner of EU Green Week 2025, the Open Days served as a platform to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and raise public awareness on innovative and sustainable water treatment technologies.
