Biotechnological Remediation Innovation for preventing Decentralized wastewater treatment from impactful Gaseous Emissions

Objective

Decentralized wastewater systems are widespread in EU and worldwide and generate significant socio-economic and public-health costs: methane (CH₄) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, odours, and residual nutrient discharges, all under higher per-capita O&M and scarce technical capacity. The BRIDGE project proposes a first-of-its-kind, low-resource biotech-based solution that leverages nitrite/nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (N-DAMO) mixed cultures to simultaneously abate gas- and liquid-phase contaminants generated by decentralized systems: CH₄ emission are repurposed as the electron donor to denitrify nitrate-bearing effluent, within a plug-and-play anaerobic biofilter with counter-current spraying, minimal electromechanical needs, and smart real-time monitoring for adaptive control and predictive maintenance. The project targets four state-of-the-art gaps: (1) stable N-DAMO biofilm enrichment; (2) a robust, validated unit (PoC→TRL 3–4) tolerant to influent variability; (3) integration pathways and design/operation envelopes for scalable, low-maintenance and affordable deployment; and (4) tailored sensing, analytics, and digital integration for autonomous operation. Methodologically, BRIDGE combines lab enrichment and functional testing, continuous-flow prototyping with long-term validation, multi-physical modelling across scales, Arduino-based monitoring with an ANN-assisted control layer, and techno-economic assessment to derive cost-effective scale-up guidelines. Outcomes include a validated blueprint and guidelines that reduce CH₄/VOC emissions, lower nutrient discharge, and support replication in related sectors (e.g., landfill leachate). A 24-month MSCA fellowship at POLIMI under the supervision of Prof. Andrea Turolla.