Towards metals recovery in wastewater treatment plants

Coordinator :

INRAE UR REVERSAAL (JM CHOUBERT)

Active period :

2019-2024

Partners :

INSA Lyon (DEEP) : Denise BLANC-BISCARAT, AERMC : Camille ARNAULT

Summary:

Recovering the metals contained in wastewater constitutes a major challenge for researchers; achieving this step will help accompany the transition from a wastewater treatment plant to a water resource recovery station. INRAE’s REVERSAAL unit and the DEEP Laboratory affiliated with the INSA Institute of Lyon are collaborating toward this objective.

The tasks completed in 2019-2020 served to assemble, based on bibliographical knowledge, a state-of-the-art assessment encompassing the problem at hand and the myriad opportunities for recovering some fifty metals contained in wastewater. An initial step consisted of identifying the targeted metals by using matrices (wastewater, treated effluent, sludge and ash), with reliance on the criteria of strategy, criticality, concentrations and financial feasibility. This effort also inventoried the available recovery technologies, as well as those under development, plus all initiatives relevant to the subject. The report issued on these opportunities can be downloaded here.

In recognition of the limited available knowledge, a second step was undertaken for the dual purpose of characterizing metal speciation within various sanitation matrices and understanding reaction processes along with their reversibility conditions. This investigation specifically entails grasping and mastering the links between metals and solid phases (e.g. organic matter, sorbents, precipitates, resins). Such is the focus of the MAYA project, conducted under the aegis of the joint Water and Waste Resources research complex and backed by the RMC Water Agency.

The doctoral thesis work program pursued by Elodie VARENNES is an integral part of the MAYA research project.