The EU-funded SCERA project technology was presented yesterday in a joint event organised by IDAEA-CSIC and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) to introduce the ceramic devices as an innovative and sustainable tool in the water management area.
Water pollution has reached critical levels in urban areas. Conventional treatment methods struggle to cope with the sheer volume of urban discharges and waste. One of the most concerning contaminants is organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, pesticides, flame retardants, and surfactants, which endanger the environment and human health. Another major concern is microplastics: tiny particles and their associated additives that flood the environment through wastewater treatment plant effluents, contaminating surface waters.
Members of the SCERA consortium gathered yesterday for the project presentation event. | Author: UPC
Ceramic membranes have emerged as a cost-effective and innovative technology to retain and eliminate contaminants from water sources. Developed within the EU-funded project SCERA (Smart CERAmic nanostructure for the control and prevention of water contamination), they are electronically controlled and possess exceptional qualities: mechanical strength, resistance, and the ability to operate under different conditions.
A close-up of the nanoscopic structure of the ceramic devices. | Author: Sandra Bermejo
“The ceramic devices developed in the project are proving to be faster, cheaper, and more efficient for water treatments”, explains the IDAEA researcher and coordinator of the project Sílvia Lacorte.
The project is led by UPC researchers Sandra Bermejo and Ramón Bragós, together with IDAEA-CSIC researchers Sílvia Lacorte and Joaquim Jaumot. Apart from IDAEA-CSIC and UPC as coordinators, various institutions participated in the event to present the project, including: Aigües de Barcelona, the Catalan Water Agency (Agencia Catalana de l’Aigua, ACA), Acciona, ESADE and the Port of Barcelona.
