ICRA Projects

Laundries are considered in Europe as major consumers of water and are also important sources of priority micropollutants in the environment. Among them, DEHP and nonylphenol are currently considered priority substances under the Water Framework Directive. Their discharge is limited at 25 μg/L in industrial effluents, including laundry effluents. In addition, laundries are a source of emerging pollutants, with a potential impact on the environment, biodiversity, and human health. These compounds are poorly removed in wastewater treatment plants, and therefore, discharge of wastewater from laundries to the domestic sewage system can eventually cause the contamination of surface and groundwater.

LIFE RECYCLO aims to improve water resource efficiency and reduce pollutant discharge by providing an innovative recycling process for small and medium-sized laundries. A new technology, based on advanced oxidation process (AOP) for water reuse is proposed here, which shows a very promising performance to degrade emerging pollutants. The 3 laundries involved as partners (in Spain, France, and Luxemburg) will become a showcase for the textile sector by demonstrating that the system works for different sizes and different wastewater qualities. ICRA will develop the monitoring protocol and adapt analytical methods for emerging pollutants in laundry wastewater, including pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials, preservatives, flame retardants, plasticizers, and other plastic additives among others. The effluents of the three laundries will thus be characterized and, concentrations of emerging pollutants determined throughout the different treatment settings in the selected laundries.

https://www.treewater.fr/recyclo