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LIFE Spot demonstrates the feasibility of a new low-cost treatment to denitrify groundwater

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The LIFE Spot project, aimed at developing innovative solutions for the denitrification of groundwater, has been completed. The results include a combination of low-cost technologies, microalgae and cork, which can remove up to 99% of nitrates and 73% of pesticides from water. This solution could benefit an estimated 20 million people living in rural areas of Europe.

Images of the plant in Nules (Castellón), where the combination of miroalgae and cork has been tested to denitrify water (Life Spot).Images of the plant in Nules (Castellón), where the combination of miroalgae and cork has been tested to denitrify water (Life Spot).

Launched in 2019, the LIFE Spot project's main objective is to treat groundwater polluted by agricultural and livestock activities using nature-based solutions for the production of drinking water.

After years of intensive work, the project has successfully demonstrated the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of a new sustainable purification method for groundwater. It combines low-cost technologies and is based on a natural process using microalgae and a denitrifying biofilter composed of wood pellets and cork, capable of removing both nitrates and potential micropollutants.

The results were presented on the final day of the project on 28 June. The project, funded by the European Commission, has involved five partners: IRTA (Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology), the Institute for Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC), the company FACSA, EURECAT (Technology Centre of Catalonia) and Protecmed.

It removes up to 99% of nitrates

"Cork biofilters and microalgae have allowed us to eliminate up to 99% of nitrates and 73% of pesticides in the water of the pilot plants," explains Víctor Matamoros, researcher at IDAEA-CSIC and member of the LIFE Spot consortium. "Thanks to this technology, more than 20 million people in Europe could have access to clean groundwater.

The new technology has been tested in three areas affected by agricultural pollution: Nules (Castellón, Spain), Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona, Spain) and Perpignan (France)

This solution can provide essential water resources in areas vulnerable to nitrate pollution, especially isolated rural areas, as well as in the livestock and tourism sectors.

Nitrates and nitrites, caused by agricultural and livestock pollution but also by urban pollution in densely populated areas with little surface water, are among the pollutants targeted by health authorities.

The project addresses, therefore, a significant environmental problem from a climate change adaptation approach, in a context where there will be an increasing scarcity of available drinking water.

The technology has been tested in three areas affected by agricultural pollution: Nules (Castellón, Spain), Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona, Spain) and Perpignan (France).

The team responsible for the project emphasise that the success has also been possible thanks to the support of the Nules City Council, which provided a pilot plant implemented by Facsa in the reverse osmosis treatment facilities of the Municipal Drinking Water Supply Service. "This collaboration has been essential to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the treatment proposed by LIFE Spot," they say.

Microalgae and biofilters made of wood pellets and cork have been able to remove 99% of nitrates and 73% of pesticides. Image: Yolanda Rodríguez.Microalgae and biofilters made of wood pellets and cork have been able to remove 99% of nitrates and 73% of pesticides. Image: Yolanda Rodríguez.

Now, as Victor Matamoros, researcher at IDAEA-CSIC, explains, "a plan is being prepared to exploit the technology through the project, but there are no plans to implement commercialisation".

The water produced has been tested satisfactorily. "The agricultural industry could be one of the main clients," adds the researcher. "There are many farms with well water that is extremely polluted by nitrates or pesticides.

The technology can be applied in rural areas of the Mediterranean arc, he adds, "both for human consumption and for livestock farms, but also in Nordic countries such as Denmark, where nitrate and pesticide levels in groundwater are high and the water is unfit for consumption".

Removing nitrates and pesticides from groundwater could, until now, require the use of complex and expensive technologies, such as membranes, explains Victor Matamoros. Solutions like this "reduce the need to rely on these more expensive technologies".

More information:

Organización Mundial de la Salud, sobre contaminantes en el agua potable