The plant removes any micropollutants from water using innovative materials resulting from the recovery of waste products from the biomedical industry.
The Water Living Lab is a pilot plant created through a partnership between the Hera Group, Medica Spa (a leading manufacturer of biomedical equipment) and Italy’s National Research Council (CNR). Its goal is to test a technology capable of removing emerging micropollutants from water intended for drinking
The system has been installed at the Pontelagoscuro (Ferrara) drinking water treatment plant, which draws water from the River Po and treats it through a complete and safe multi-stage process. Already configured for industrial-scale trials, this plant is the ideal setting to test innovative materials obtained by recovering waste from the biomedical industry.
The trial, which is the first of its kind in Italy and forms part of the EU Life Remembrance project, is a concrete example of circular economy applied to research.
From the laboratory to reality: a circular plant
At the heart of the plant we can find polymer granules containing graphene, manufactured from unused biomedical membranes. Placed in dedicated vessels, these materials can retain and remove any micropollutants found in the water. In this way, a waste material can be turned into a resource that contributes to the drinking water process, providing a virtuous circular economy model.
Tests carried out at CNR-Isof have shown greater removal efficiency for substances such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and pesticides than conventional granular activated carbon.
A step forward in the protection of water resources
The Water Living Lab addresses the needs set out in the Piano di Sicurezza delle Acque [Water Safety Plan], which calls for solutions to manage the risk of pollution in the River Po. Although the Pontelagoscuro plant is already equipped with effective granular activated carbon filtration systems, Hera chose to trial this new technology to confirm its effectiveness under actual operating conditions.
The recent connection of the pilot plant to the treatment line creates a genuine living lab, unique at national level, enabling full-scale testing of a technology that has already shown promise in the laboratory.
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