Reactive barriers for water renaturalization during managed aquifer recharge in the Baix Camp region

The overall goal of REMAR is to demonstrate the feasibility of a nature-based MAR technology to remove CECs, pathogens and microplastics and to reduce ARGs from treated wastewater to re-naturalize it, and thus increase the reserves of water for various uses. The basic concept is to supplement Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) with a reactive barrier (rbMAR) to create a broad range of sorption sites to retain solutes and colloids, while adding organic carbon to favour a sequence of redox states to promote degradation of recalcitrant compounds. This should allow not only water quality to improve beyond standards for water reuse (like the recent European Parliament Decision of 13 May 2020), but also to replenish aquifers and improve ecosystem status in a safe way.
The demo site is the Cambrils WWTP (Tarragona, Spain). Hopefully, the method will be applicable throughout Med countries, including also other regions of Spain.

Funding: LIFE programme of the European Union

Managed recharge of aquifers and use of organic substrates to accelerate the renaturalization of water

The general objective of RESTORA is to improve the managed recharge of aquifers using reactive layers and demonstrate that it is a safe technology to tackle new challenges of pollution. These layers, coupled with a conventional purification system, allow water to be renaturalized in the aquifer without any risk to human health or the ecosystem, benefiting water quantity and quality in Catalonia.

Funding: Agència Catalana de l'Aigua (AGA)