ICRA Projects

Research project leaded from ICRA with an international partner, the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC) of the University of Queensland (Australia) and the participation of the Consorci Costa Brava as a local wastewater public-service utility. The project is funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, Marie Curie Actions - International Reintegration Grants.

Background
Sewer systems are an integrated and very important component of the urban wastewater and stormwater management. By design their primary function is the conveyance of wastewaters and or/stormwater to treatment plants or directly to the receiving waters. The nature of the wastewater, however, leads to a range of complex chemical and biochemical transformations such as production and build-up of sulfide (H2S) and methane (CH4), which cause several detrimental effects. Sulfide accumulation in sewers causes: i) odour nuisance in sewer surrounding areas, ii) health hazards due to its toxicity, and iii) corrosion of pipes and inlet structures of sewage treatment plants. On the other hand methane is a greenhouse gas with significantly contributing to global warming and explosive potential if accumulated in closed spaces. Despite these significant impacts, sewer-produced sulfide and methane are yet to be considered in the management of Mediterranean Urban Water Systems. Additionally, detrimental emissions are expected to increase in the Mediterranean region due to predicted climate change and water scarcity scenarios.

Objective of the project
The current research project aims to study and mitigate the production of sulfide and greenhouse gas emissions from sewers exposed to Mediterranean climate conditions. The project methodology combines extensive experimental work on real sewers with advanced mathematical modelling to provide effective applicable control measures. The objective is to carry out the first quantification of sulfide and methane from Mediterranean sewers and also to create advanced management tools that include control of sewer emissions for optimal operation of urban water systems.

Results

25/5/2012

Initial results of the SGHGEMS project presented at the international conference IWA ECO-STP 2012

The ICRA researcher Oriol Gutiérrez presents the initial results of the SGHGEMS project at the international conference IWA Ecotechnologies for Wastewater treatment ECO-STP 2012 en Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The presented work is entitled: “Advanced assessment of Sulfide and Methane emissions from sewers of Mediterranean cities” Oriol Gutierrez, Keshab R. Sharma and Manel Poch. Click here to see the document.

http://www.novedar.com/ecoSTP/

5/7/2012

ICRA researcher Oriol Gutiérrez included in the scientific international committee of the conference IWA 7th International Conference on Sewer Processes & Networks, SPN7 2013. 

ICRA researcher Oriol Gutiérrez has been included as a member of the scientific international committee of the conference IWA 7th International Conference on Sewer Processes & Networks, SPN7 2013 that will take place in Sheffield, England, the 28-30th August 2013. The scientific committee includes the most important international researchers in the field of wastewater sanitation and sewer systems.

http://www.shef.ac.uk/spn7/scicomm
http://www.shef.ac.uk/spn7/home

1/8/2012

Workshop of the SGHGEMS project: 1st year of the project.

A technical workshop about the 1st year of functioning of the SGHGEMS project took place the past 1/8/2012 at ICRA installations. In the workshop included presentation of the results of the 1st year of the project, the initial sulfide and methane monitoring results and the task for the 2nd year of the project. 30 people assisted to the workshop, including representatives of the Wastewater utilities managers that showed a great interest on the project due to the results and the solutions that is gives to their current problems of odour and detrimental emissions.

Click here to see presentation of the results
http://www.icra.cat/news/convocatoria-primera-jornada-informativa-projecte/129

4/10/2012

Results of the SGHGEMS project presented at the Spanish national conference META 2012

The ICRA researcher Oriol Gutiérrez presents the results of the SGHGEMS project at the national spanishc conference Mesa Española de Tratamiento de Aguas META 2012 en Almeria, Spain. The presented work is entitled: ““Monitorización y predicción de las emisiones de sulfhídrico y metano en sistemas de alcantarillado en ciudades mediterráneas”. Oriol Gutiérrez, Keshab Sharma, Joana Batista , Maite Pijuan y Manel Poch.. Click here to see the document.

http://www.meta2012.es/

27/5/2013

ICRA presents the colonization and development of biofilms in wastewater collection systems at the IWA International Conference Biofilms Reactors 2013

The ICRA researcher Oriol Gutiérrez presented the results of the study about the initial colonization of biofilms in sewers systems at the International conference IWA Biofilm Reactors 2013 in Paris, France. The work is entitled "Biofilm colonisation in start-up sewer." Joana Batista, Olga Auguet Maite Pijuan, Carles Borrego and Oriol Gutiérrez.

http://www.iwabiofilm2013.com/

15/6/2013

Results of the SGHGEMS project presented at the IWA 7th International Conference on Sewer Processes & Networks, SPN7 2013.
4 different works generated in the SGHGEMS project have been accepted for platform presentation at the IWA 7th International Conference on Sewer Processes & Networks, SPN7 2013. The tittle of the works are:
- Effect of sewer network enlargement on sulfide and methane emissions: a case study. By Gutierrez, Oriol; Batista, Joana; Sharma, Keshab; Pijuan, Maite.
- Low cost method for determining occurrence and duration of combined sewer overflows. By Corominas, Lluis; Montserrat, Albert; Gutierrez, Oriol; Poch, Manel.
- Life Cycle Assessment of urban wastewater systems: identifying the importance of the environmental impacts of sewer systems. By Gutierrez, Oriol; Roux, Philippe; Risch, Eva; Boutin, Catherine; Corominas, Lluis.
- Colonisation of Sulfide and Methane-producing biofilms during sewer start up. By Gutierrez, Oriol; Batista, Joana; Auguet, Olga; Pijuan, Maite; Borrego, Carles.
The conference is one of the most important worldwide events on research related to sewers and will take place in Sheffield, England, the 28-30th August 2013.

https://www.shef.ac.uk/spn7

3/11/2014

The project "Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research SCORe: Putting Science Into Sewers", led among others by ICRA’s Oriol Gutierrez, receives the 2014 IWA global winner award for best project innovation in applied research.
The SCORe, Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research, Program: Putting science in sewers, which had ICRA’s Oriol Gutierrez as one key member, has been awarded the global winner of the 2014 International Water Association Project Innovation Award (PIA) for Applied Research.
SCORe was likely the largest ever research project worldwide focusing on sewer corrosion and odour. The project was completed in 2013 and had a budget of 21 million Euros. The project, led by University of Queensland, was highly collaboratively and successfully delivered by its five research and eleven industry partners. The key outcomes included an enormous amount of new knowledge (documented in over 130 publications including >60 journal papers, and numerous industry reports), highly innovative new technologies and new powerful modelling tool. Within the lifetime of this project, clients and partners of the project have already saved several hundred million dollars. The project is fundamentally changing sewer corrosion and odour management worldwide and it will have an enduring impact on the global water industry.
The IWA Project Innovation Awards is a prestigious global competition which recognises and celebrates innovation and excellence in water engineering projects around the world in six different project categories – applied research, planning, design, operations/management, small projects and marketing and communications. The International Water Association (IWA) is an organisation that brings together people from across the water profession to deliver equitable and sustainable water solutions for our world. IWA 2014 Global Project Innovation Awards were awarded on September 24th in Lisbon, in conjunction with an IWA global congress and exhibition
 

http://www.iwa-pia.org/
http://www.icra.cat/noticies/oriol-gutierrez/283
http://www.iwahq.org/
http://www.awmc.uq.edu.au/sewer-corrosion
http://www.icra.cat/
http://www.icra.cat/files/noticia/PIA
http://www.icra.cat/noticies/oriol-gutierrez-award-2014/355

23/1/2014

Workshop of the SGHGEMS project with industry partners.
A technical workshop with the industry partners of the SGHGEMS project took place the past 23/1/2014 at ICRA installations. The workshop included presentation of the results of the 3rd and 4th year of the project, and the optimization results with regards the sewer system of Sant Pere Pescador (Spain). 15 people assisted to the workshop, including technicians, sewer managers and general managers of the Water utilities Consorci Costa Brava and Empresa Mixta Aigües Costa Brava S.A. All assistants showed a great interest on the results of project and the solutions that is gives to their current problems of odour and detrimental emissions.