SAFE - Sustainable water reuse practices improving safety in agriculture, food and environment

ID Call: PRIMA 2021 - Section 2

Funding Programme: Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area - PRIMA

Sapienza's role in the project: Beneficiary partner

Scientific supervisor for Sapienza: Antonio Zuorro

Department: Chemical Engineering, Materials, Environment

Project start date: June 1, 2022

Project end date: May 31, 2025

Project Abstract:

SAFE's main goal is to make one of the most precious resources of our planet reusable: water. In many Mediterranean countries, treated wastewater is reused for irrigating fields due to increasing drought. Treatment is currently carried out using costly methods; therefore, within this general framework, the SAFE project aims to implement existing purification plants with decontamination and disinfection systems based on natural materials. These systems will be tested for the irrigation of three types of plants: tomatoes, oregano and lettuce. These three crops are widespread throughout the Mediterranean area, so economically, too, an improvement in the quality and quantity of these crops would have considerable repercussions. To achieve this goal, SAFE will use natural materials such as adsorbents (UNIBAS) and anaerobic bioreactors (CNR-IRSA) for water decontamination and disinfection. These materials will be characterised using spectroscopic techniques (SAPIENZA). The quality and quantity of the crops will be improved through Trichoderma sp., thanks to which the plants will have a greater supply of water and mineral salts (UNIBAS). The analysis of the effects that the systems introduced by SAFE will have on the economy will also be very important. In particular, the use and costs of water and energy, the quantity of work and the quality and quantity of the products obtained will be taken into consideration (UNIBAS, SAPIENZA). As far as the decontamination and disinfection part is concerned, the operating parameters to be achieved will be indicated by the current legislative regulations in force in the countries where the field experiments will be implemented. As far as production is concerned, the plan is to harvest 1000 kg of tomatoes, a few kilos of oregano and 20 quintals of lettuce per hectare. Sapienza will coordinate all the technical, economic, and environmental modelling. It will also take care of the evaluation LCAs and coordinate the activities of all partners since the internal PI, Prof. Zuorro, has been appointed Project Manager of the action.