The objective of the Life Pristine project is to eliminate emerging contaminants in the integral water cycle, one of the essential measures to promote alternative water resources in the face of water scarcity. Along with Acciona and NX Filtration, project partners include Eurecat, Xylem Services, the Regional Entity for Wastewater Sanitation and Treatment of the Murcia Region (ESAMUR) and the water utility provider Bilbao Bizkaia Water Consortium (CABB).
The Life Pristine project, which has a €4 million budget, combines water treatment processes, including NX Filtration’s hollow fiber nanofiltration membranes, with artificial intelligence-based digital tools to develop a solution that removes emerging pollutants in the integrated water cycle. The integrated and versatile Pristine solution will be demonstrated in a representative full-scale operational environment.
Life Pristine is a sustainable alternative to ensure the elimination of emerging pollutants (+80%) in the end-to-end water cycle. It goes beyond the limits set by Directive 2020/2184/CE on Water for Human Consumption and the new European Regulation on minimum requirements for water reuse (Regulation (UE) 2020/741). Life Pristine focuses on emerging pollutants of the PFAS type (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, used for example in flame retardants), pesticides, pharmaceutical and personal care products, toxins microplastics and genes of microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics. The project will help to strengthen the existing legislation and promote the reuse of water with the highest quality and safety standards.
The Pristine solution involves processes of adsorption, nanofiltration and advanced oxidation using virtual sensors, process modelling and decision-making support tools. It will be capable of eliminating emerging pollutants efficiently (+80%, -30% OpEx) from water sources and wastewater effluent. The Pristine project will be demonstrated in a representative operating environment on a real scale: treating the secondary effluent of a treatment plant in Murcia and supporting drinking water pre-treatment in the Bilbao Bizkaia Advanced Water Treatment Centre (CATABB).
The LIFE21-ENV-ES-LIFE PRISTINE project (with project number 101074430) is funded by the European Union under the LIFE-2021-SAP-ENV call.
