EMBASSY OF ITALY
NEW DELHI
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC
COLLABORATIONS IN THE WATER,
WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SOLID
WASTES SECTOR
Prof. Lidia Szpyrkowicz
Embassy of Italy
Scientifico.newdelhi@esteri.it
__________________________________________________________________
Ganga River Basin: Environment Management Plan, IITD, 22-23 September 2011
Italy’s long tradition in science
•
The University of Bologna - the first University in the western
world: the institution that we today call the University began to take
shape in Bologna at the end of the eleventh century, when masters of
Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic began to devote themselves to the law. In
the nineteenth century a committee of historians, led by Giosuè
Carducci, attributed the birth of the University to the year 1088.
•
The first woman in the world to graduate in 1678 at the University of
Padua: Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia graduated in Philosophy
Characteristics of S&T
System in Italy
• Autonomous – indipendancy of
Research institutions
• Coordinating role of Public
Administration
• 60% public funding, 40%
private, mostly from
industries (SME)
Main Institutional Actors
in S&T
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Higher Education and Research
Institutions
Higher Education in Italy is based on a system in which universities
are expected to fulfill the twin tasks of teaching and doing
research.
The Italian higher education is structured in a binary system:
• The University Sector
• The Non-university Sector
The University Sector is made up of 89 university institutions:
• 58 state universities
• 17 non-state universities (legally recognized)
• 2 universities for foreigners
• 6 university institutions specialized in postgraduate studies
• 6 telemetric universities
Universities in Italy
A complete list of Italian Universities:
http://www.universitaitaliane.it/
Non-University Research Institutes
Institutes of the National Research
Council (CNR)
The National Research Council is the greatest research public body of Italy.
It was founded on November 18 of 1923; in 1945, it became a public body.
It has carried out training, promotion and research coordination activities in
every scientific and technological sector.
In 2003 CNR became a "national public organization committed to carry out,
promote, spread, transfer and improve research activities in the main
sectors of knowledge growth and of its applications for the scientific,
technological, economic and social development of the Country.
There are over 100 Scientific Institutes under the CNR. For the complete list:
http://www.cnr.it/istituti/Istituti_eng.html
Since 1995 CNR has a very active scientific collaboration with CSIR, which is
implemented through the provisions of the MoU and operated with periodic
calls for the projects. At present 10 bilateral projects are running under
this scheme
ENEA: Italian National Agency for New
Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic
Development
http://enea.it
• ENEA is one of the main Italian research bodies. It
operates in the fields of energy, environment and new
technologies to support competitiveness and
sustainable development. Its research activities are
carried out in several areas of expertise, among
which:
• Energy, Nuclear Fusion and Fission, Environment,
Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Health, New
Technologies and Materials, Nanotechnology, ICT
• ENEA research activities are realised inside its 9
Research Centres and 5 Research Laboratories
distributed on the Italian territory.
ENEA Research Centres
ENEA – EU liaison office in Brussels (Belgium)
http://enea.it
HOW ENEA CAN HELP
YOU IN IDEAS?
ENEA aims to propose itself to researchers worldwide as host for their projects,
offering them its own laboratories, facilities, collaboration and support, together
with its 50 years experience and its know-how as science and technology centre
of excellence.
For this reasons ENEA invites young researchers worldwide, operating in the
fields of its interest, to contact it, in order to become the instrument
through which their innovative ideas could be achieved
To apply, your proposal to ENEA should be directly send via an e-mail, with a brief
summary of your research project to the main contact point:
ideas@enea.it
Your proposal will be re-directed to the ENEA relative department.
APPLY NOW! ENEA is ready to Welcome you into its organisation!
http://ideas.enea.it
http://enea.it
How India collaborates in S&T with
Italy
1. Joining hands with Italian scientists in:
- bilateral research projects (in the calls of
Executive Program, CSIR+CNR calls)
- multilateral projects in FP7 calls
2. Sending Indian students to Italy and
receiving Italian students in Indian Versities
3. Participating in Indo-Italian scientific
thematic Workshops organised in India
2010
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Indo-Italian Workshop “Frontiers of Fundamental and Industrial Electrochemistry: A
Challenge For a Better World”, New Delhi, 30-31 August
Indo-Italian Workshop “Nanostructured Semiconductors, Ultra Thin Films and
Applucations”, Chennai, 8-10 September
Nineth Annual Indo-Italian Workshop on IT, and Indo-Italian Summer School “IT :
Industry, Education and Research”, Hyderabad, 11-14 October
Indo-Italian Workshop “Impact of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Activities on Soil
and Water Resources”, Roorkee, 22-24 October
Indo-Italian Workshop on “Conservation of Wooden Cultural Heritage”, Panjim and
Talaulim (Goa), 28 - 30 October
Indo-Italian Workshop “Industrial and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology”, Madurai, 1214 November
7th Indo-Italian Workshop “Chemistry and Biology of Antioxidants”, New Delhi, 16
November
4th Indo-Italian Seminar “Green Chemistry and Natural Products”, New Delhi, 17
November
Indo-Italian Workshop“Bacteria and Fungi for Environmental Sustainability”, Noida
(New Delhi), 29 November -1 December
Indo-Italian Workshop “Contemporary Dentistry”, New Delhi, 3-4 December
“Indo-Italian Workshop on Sustainable Development of Ground Water Resources”,
Nagpur, 20 October
2011
•Indo-Italian Workshop “Advances in Fluvial Hydraulics and Water Resources
Development and Management”, Pune, 15-16 September
•Indo-Italian Workshop on infectious diseases, Hyderabad, 15-16 October
•Indo-Italian Workshop on gravitational waves, Pune, 1-2 November
•“Electrochemical Energy Conversion: Achievements and Perspectives”, New Delhi
and Chandigarh, 30 November – 3 December
And others:
http://www.ambnewdelhi.esteri.it/Ambasciata_NewDelhi/Menu/I_rapp
orti_bilaterali/Cooperazione+scientifica/Eventi/
Institutional Bilateral
Collaboration in S&T
Main Actors: Department of Science and Technology (India) and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)
Long tradition of the Indo-Italian scientific collaboration - the first
bilateral Agreement between the two Governments was signed in
1978.
The last Agreement signed in November 2003.
The Agreement is executed through the “Executive Programs”, of
the 3 year duration, which:
• identify the priority areas for the S&T collaboration
• define the projects to be financed and the norms for their
implementation
The Program is managed by the
Department of Science and Technology
(India) and by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (Italy), with a partial
contribution from the Italian Ministry
of Education, University and Research
Executive Program of Scientific and Technological
Cooperation
Years 2008-2010 (extended to 2011)
http://www.esteri.it/MAE/doc_politica_estera/Cultura/CooperScientificaTecno
logica/Programmi%20esecutivi/39_PE_S_&_T_India_2008-2010.pdf
Types of the Projects
Significant projects
(the expenses of the research covered)
Mobility projects
(finances the mobility of the researchers)
Priority areas NOW
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Electronics, Telecommunications and Computer Sciences
Health, Food and Biotechnology
Design Engineering and Technology
Materials Science and Technology
Physics, Technology and Application of Accelerated Particles
Transport Systems including Automotive Technologies
Energy and Environment
Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Technologies
• 26 collaborative projects, supporting the mobility of
researchers
• 4 “significant research projects”, covering not only mobility, but
also research infrastructure
The Executive Programme for Scientific and Technological Cooperation
between India and Italy is now under renewal and it will cover the
years 2012 – 2014
Call for new project proposals was issued jointly by the Department of
Science and Technology (DST) and the Italian Ministry for Foreign
Affairs
PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE YEARS 2012-2014
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Agriculture and Food Science and Technology
Design Engineering and Technology
Electronics, Information Communication Technology
Energy and Environment
Health, Biotechnology and Medicine
Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials
Space and Physics
Technologies applied to Cultural and Natural Heritage
Transport Systems including Automotive technologies
http://www.dst.gov.in
SUBMITTED PROJECTS
-
Solar still for water purification, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, TERI
-
Development of Nano-catalysts and Photo-catalysts for hydrogen production and water
purification, Università di Trento, Centre for Nanosciences & Nanotechnology, University of
Mumbai
-
Development, management and protection of groundwater resources under changing climatic
conditions: contribution of the isotopic approach, Università di Pavia, Department of
Environmental Sciences, Bangalore University
-
Removal of Emerging Contaminants in wastewater by advanced technologies (REC),
Università di Salerno, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
-
Time lapse Electric Resistivity Tomography for Accessing the Seawater Freshwater Dynamics of
Coastal region, CNR, Department of Geology, Anna University
-
Arsenic affected groundwater and agricultural soils: Integrated assessment of impacts,
remediation measures and exploring solutions, CNR, Indian Institute of Technology, Department
of Hydrology
-
Technological improvement for the use of lignocellulosic biomass to produce second generation
bioethanol in India, ENEA, TERI
-
Artificial recharge of groundwater as a technique for the improvement of water and food security
under a climate change scenario, CNR, NEERI
-
Production of liquid biofuels via gasification of lignicellulosic biomass and catalytic conversion of
syngas, ENEA, TERI
-
Fuel from Plastic Waste through Thermolysis, University of Padua, Central Mechanical
Engineering Research Institute
Italian Tanning Industry
Italy
4000000
3500000
3000000
2500000
2000000
Italy
1500000
World wide
1000000
Bovine
1225721
3212505
Sheep
111758
335411
Goats
65739
231095
1403219
3779011
Total
500000
World wide
0
Bovine
Sheep
Italy
Goats
Total
World wide
Tannery wastewater treatment plant – an example
Plant operation data
Month
Fow in (m 3)
C.O.D.
mean
in
(mg/l)
C.O.D.
mean
out
(mg/l)
C.O.D.
trea
ted
TKN mean
in
(mg/l)
NH4 mean
in
(mg/l)
TKN
treat
ed
(kg)
Cl out (mg/l)
January
259.797
3.420
123
856.618
318
2,2
82.615
1.736
February
281.226
3.327
129
899.361
331
1,4
93.086
1.968
March
302.863
3.483
138
1.013.077
337
1,03
102.065
1.940
April
280.814
2.994
131
803.970
304
1,5
85.367
1.870
May
338.138
3.002
122
973.837
330
1,7
111.586
1.873
June
310.664
3.343
142
994.435
348
1,2
108.111
2.041
July
313.791
3.283
136
987.500
344
2,6
107.944
1.993
August
98.000
1.448
99
132.202
187
1,3
18.326
978
September
286.500
2.755
114
756.647
342
1,1
97.983
1.757
October
328.500
3.070
122
968.418
332
2,3
109.062
1.832
November
307.700
2.949
132
866.791
326
3,4
100.310
1.873
Dicember
250.600
2.602
120
621.989
262
0,7
65.657
1.656
Mean ann.
279.883
2.973
125
822.904
313
2
90.176
1.793
INDIRECT ELECTRO-OXIDATION OF POLLUTANTS
Mediator-reduced form
Electrons
Pollutants
Homogenous phase oxidation
Mediator-oxidised form
Oxidized pollutants
ANODE
C
C++ R O+ C
C++
e-
C - mediator,
R - pollutant in the reduced form,
O - pollutant in the oxidised form.
Conditions for Indirect Electro - Oxidation
 the rate of production of the mediator should be high;
 the rate of the reaction of the mediator with a given pollutant
should be higher than the rate with other compounds eventually
present;
 the potential at which electrogeneration of the mediator occurs
should be distant (lower) from the potential of solvent
electrolysis, to prevent energy-loss in an unproductive process;
 the electrode should not be prone to adsorption of the pollutant,
to avoid the occupation of active sites otherwise free for the
reaction of the mediator.
Indo-Italian Workshop, December 2005, Pune
The mechanism of electro-oxidation
mediated by chlorine and other species
pH
< 3.3
Predominates dissolved
CHLORINE
< 7.5
> 7.5
Production of hypochloric
ion
Production of hypochloric acid
HClO  H + + ClO
-
Cl2(sol) + H2O HClO + H + + Cl -
Chlorine
Hypochloric acid
Hypochloric ion
“ACTIVE
CHLORINE”
Reduced at
the cathode
Reacts with the
pollutants
ClO - + H2O + 2e -  Cl - + 2OH
R + HClO  Products + Cl -
-
Mediated elettro-oxidation
(examples)
Decay of the concentration of
different pollutants in time
The influence of current density on
the removal of tannins
Influence of current density on the
removal of colour, textile wastewater
2
Abs/Abs0
200 (A/m )
2
1,0
300 (A/m )
0,8
400 (A/m )
0,6
600 (A/m )
2
2
2
800 (A/m )
0,4
0,2
0,0
0
5
10
15
Time (min)
20
25
ELECTRO-COAGULATION
ELECTRO-FLOTATION
ELECTRO-COAGULATION / ELECTRO-FLOTATION
Electro-coagulation
Flotation
Electrical field existing
between electrodes
(slow process)
Sacrificial anodes
Enhanced by a
formation of gas
bubbles
Destabilisation
of colloids
occurs as a
consequence:
The action of
coagulating
compounds
Quantity is
proportional to the
charge passed
between electrodes
Main process involved:
• Electrochemical reactions at electrode surfaces, resulting
in generation of coagulants in the ionic form and gas
bubbles, both processes being a function of applied
current;
• Transport of coagulants into bulk of the aqueous phase;
• Neutralization of the zeta potential of colloids and
agglomeration of electrically neutral suspended particles
into flocks (flocculation);
•Collection of flocks of solid particles by gas bubbles and
their removal by flotation.
Normalized Absorbency
TIME TRENDS OF COLOUR REMOVAL
MECHANICAL MIXING
1,2
1
0 rpm
0,8
180 rpm
0,6
300 rpm
0,4
540 rpm
MIXING BY PUMPING
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
time (min)
Removal of color at different rotation rates
(initial pH=4.65, I=200 A m-2,
[Cl-]=4300 mg L-1)
Normalized Absorbency
0,2
1,2
1
0 ml/min
250 ml/min
0,8
0,6
500 ml/min
1000 ml/min
0,4
0,2
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time (min)
Removal of color at different pumping rates
(initial pH=4.65, I=200 A m-2, [Cl-]=4300 mg L-1)
TREATMENT TIMES
MECHANICAL MIXING
Time of electro-coagulation [min]
MIXING BY PUMPING
Total time [min]
300 A m-2
Pumping
rate
[ml min-1]
Time
elcoag
[min]
Total
time
[min]
7,1
5,5
0
3,4
7,1
9,5
5,2
4,7
180
3,2
5,6
1,8
6,4
3,7
1,8
300
2,5
4,6
1,1
5,1
2,6
2,2
540
1,9
3,4
Rotation
rate
[rpm]
100 A m-2
200 A m-2
300 A m-2
100 A m-2
200 A m-2
0
6,8
3,5
2,3
14
180
5,6
2,4
2,2
300
4,1
2,3
540
3,3
1,4
Electro-oxidation coupled with
a biological process
Different schemes of a possible combination between electrochemical
and biological methods to treat tannery wastewater
Table 4. Volumes, energy requirements and sludge production for different
combinations of electrochemical and biological processes
N
.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Option
single
sludg
e
Energy consumption
/kWh m-3
Required volume
/m3
For each
unit
Totally
for the
option
For
unit
nitrification
3.02
8.47
1153
denitrificatio
n
0.55
772
pumping
4.90
------
anaerobic
47.2X10-3
electrolysis
53.30
anaerobic
conditioning
5.22x10-3
electrolysis
53.30
aerobic
-----
electrolysis
74.70
aerobic
-----
aerobic
1.10
electrolysis
27.90
53.31
1736
each
Totally for
an option
Sludge
produced
/kg day-1
431
1925
1800
72
238
17
94
0
64.5
53.31
174
64.5
-----
74.70
93.7
-----
29.00
364
34
398
546
Final remarks concerning combination of
electrolysis with biological treatment for
tannery wastewater
Electro-oxidation coupled with a biological process can be a
challenging alternative to a traditional treatment based on biological
nitrification and denitrification. Applying any of the four proposed
alternatives e.g. to treat tannery wastewater can allow to avoid the
implementation of biological nitrification, a process that can be
easily inhibited and which, as such, cannot be considered as totally
reliable. On the contrary, using electro-oxidation to remove nitrogen
and a conventional aerobic sludge process to pre-treat the
wastewater in order to lower the content of organic substances, can
offer the advantage of higher reliability and a reduction in the
necessary volume of the plant. In the case when cheap energy is
available electro-oxidation can be proposed as a unique treatment
process.
Thank you