PORTABLE SOLUTION FOR THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REGENERATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON

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ABOUT

PORTABLECRAC is a flexible solution tackling different niches (water treatment, chemical industries, etc.), that will allow an in-site regeneration of exhausted activated carbon (AC) by compact/portable prototypes able to adapt to client´s needs with economic and environmental positive impacts.

PORTABLECRAC Key Value Proposition is to provide a solution to water treatment with 86% reduction in cost per kg/activated carbon and 4 times reduction in CO2 Emissions

This project has the purpose of developing an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial technology, to regenerate the activated carbon used in small and large industry for water filtration. Major focus will be in the adaptation of a compact device that will improve the flexibility, operational and investment costs significantly with respect to existing equipment (assuring replicability and up-scaling of the proposed solution).

Flexibility of the technology, which would allow to easily changing regeneration rates at client´s site, is a crucial goal for PORTABLECRAC. Compact and portable nature of the device will allow the demonstration and integration of the technology in currently existing pilot plants and industrial scenarios. Demonstrations will provide evidence of the scalability and replicability in different contexts. Replication assays will be accomplished at lab scale and then scale up to industrial, in order to validate every one of the key innovations found in PORTABLECRAC.

PORTABLECRAC will have a duration of 36 months and it has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. PORTABLECRAC is estimated to have a total eligible cost of 2.883.012,82€ and it will receive funding of about 2.206.719,07€.

The consortium is composed by seven partners organizations from three different countries: CONTACTICA S.L. (project coordinator) (Spain), ENVIROHEMP S.L. (Spain), Universidad de Alicante (Spain) GRADO ZERO INNOVATION S.R.L. (Italy), EMIVASA (Spain) and AGRI-PRO (Portugal); and two partners are RTD (Research and Innovation) and Universidad de Vigo (Spain).

The kick-off meeting of this research project took place in Alicante (Spain), on October 10 - 11th.

Events

PORTABLECRAC meeting in La Nave, a place for innovation in Madrid

20/11/2018

The partners of this project (Contactica, Envirohemp, Grado Zero Innovation, Universidad de...

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Partners

AGRI-PRO

Alicante University

CONTACTICA S.L.

EMIVASA

ENVIROHEMP S.L.

Grado Zero Innovation S.R.L.

Vigo University

The research project receives funding from the European Community‘s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) under grant agreement no. 768905

OBJECTIVES

Technological and economic objectives in PORTABLECRAC show the combination of materials research and their application in an environmentally sustainable manner. This project will adapt the existing electrochemical technology to exhausted carbon regeneration following the subsequent objectives:

To provide flexible, compact and integral solutions for exhausted activated carbon regeneration that meets the needs of clients.
PORTABLECRAC aims to be a real alternative to thermal regeneration as the most common regeneration technique.
To demonstrate, at industrial operational environment, a BUSSINESS CASE including cost reduction by more than 50% compared with thermal regeneration.
To demonstrate the positive environmental impact of this electrochemical technology.
To reduce waterwastes by more than 50%.
To validate, at pilot scale, the technical and economic benefits of PORTABLECRAC in view of process efficiency, reliability and operability .
To provide a new regeneration solution, specially directed to water treatment plants and chemical industry, which will reduce energy consumption and operational costs.
To elaborate a techno-economic analysis and a business plan in order to validate the economic and industrial feasibility of the portable electrochemical activated carbon regeneration device.
To deliver a robust production line for PORTABLECRAC solution to approach scalability and replicability worldwide.

ACTIONS

PORTABLECRAC work plan is divided into 10 different Work Packages (WP). Among this Work Packaes, there three related to the Technical and economical validation and market acces, including Lyfe Cycle Analysis. Then, there is one Work Package for the management of the project (WP10) and other one for dissemination and communication activities (WP9). All of these Work Packages are trasverdal activities to be developed within the project duration.

The rest of Work Packages (WP1 - WP5) include activities directly connected to the design and adaptation of the technology to be developed. These are the research and innovatve actions.

PARTNERS

CONTACTICA S.L. is an Innovation Management and R&D Consulting Company. CTA guides and leads innovation processes with know-how and capacities applied to new product development that will access international markets, plus beneficial alliances for new business opportunities. CTA leads and customizes services related to: market prospective, project management, innovation processes, IPR management, technical assistance for internationalization and alliances, risk management, LCA and LCC studies and projects and bussiness plans.

ENVIROHEMP S.L. develops green solutions for the valorisation of a wide variety of lignocellulosic feedstock implementing concepts of advanced biorefinery and intensified processing. ENVIROHEMP's core technology addresses the development of tailor-made carbon materials (activated carbon fundamentally) in its highly versatile facilities.

Grado Zero Innovation S.R.L. is an Italian SME involved in Materials R&D, products prototyping, and ToT from Lab scale to manufacturing and industrial domains spanning from Automotive and Aerospace, to Construction & Buildings, Biomedical, PPE and Wearables, Sportswear & Outerwear, Military & Defence, Yachting & Nautics, Electronics and Energy. The materials exploited by GZI are composites and nanocomposites; polymers and biopolymers; shape memory materials; meso-, micro- and nano-porous materials (especially carbon-based); hydrogels and aerogels, natural and inorganic/synthetic fibres.

EMIVASA is a joint venture between the Ajuntament de València (Valencia City Council) (20%) and Global Omnium (80%). EMIVASA is responsible for treating water in the city of Valencia and its metropolitan area (1,5 million inhabitants) and it also manages drinking water supply in the city of Valencia (800,000 inhabitants). In order to treat water for the whole metropolitan area, EMIVASA operates two large Drinking Water Treatment Plants (La Presa and El Realon) with a total production capacity of 8.8 m3/s. In recent years, has doubled its efforts in R&D activities, with the objective of improving the efficiency of the different processes managed by the company and also to provide safe, secure, efficient and sustainable services to customers.

AGRI-PRO AMBIENTE is a majority capital Portuguese firm, founded in 1991, with almost 25 years of experience in providing independent consulting services in Environment and Environmental Planning in Portugal and also in different countries around the world. AGRI-PRO AMBIENTE has participated on large projects, directing and developing environmental, planning and strategic development of these projects. Its performance covers the different project phases, from design, planning, evaluation and licensing to environmental management, supervision and monitoring of the construction and operation phases.

University of Alicante (UA) was founded in 1979. Being one of the youngest universities in Spain, UA is also considered to be one of the most innovative and fastest-developing. The University owns an Industrial Experimentation Area and provides a range of research technical services such as Pilot Plants, Laboratories, Data Process Centre, Advanced Information and Documentation Systems, European Data Centre, Science Park, Employment Advisory Office, Business Training Area, Technology Transfer Office and a Lifelong learning Centre.

University of Vigo, UVIGO, located at Vigo, Galicia, was founded in 1990 as a result of the separation of the University of Santiago de Compostela, which was the only university in Galicia until then. This young and dynamic university occupies a prominent position in science and technology research.