The Maresme Waste Consortium is working on a project to harness wastewater from the Mataró Wastewater Treatment Plant and use it in waste treatment processes
In view of the drought that Catalonia has been suffering for months and with the aim of anticipating similar situations in the future, Maresme Circular, the brand of the Maresme Waste Consortium, is taking another step forward in its commitment to sustainability. To this end, it is working on a project to make use of wastewater from the Mataró Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and use it in the processes of the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery to cut the consumption of drinking water by 50%.
In the first phase, the plan is to use this wastewater in the air treatment, biomethanisation and ultrafiltered water production processes of the mechanical-biological treatment plant, which is responsible for stabilising organic matter and recovering recyclable materials from the residual fraction – the grey bin.
These three processes have an annual consumption of 20,000 m3 of water and this proposal will reduce the consumption of drinking water by 20%.
In a second phase, the intention is to use the wastewater in the Centre’s energy recovery plant, meaning an estimated reduction of 30,000 m3 per year in the consumption of drinking water, i.e. a reduction of a further 30%.
The first stage of the project is awaiting the corresponding authorisations from the Catalan Water Agency, the relevant competent body, while the second phase is currently undergoing a technical and economic feasibility study.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Located in the Les Hortes industrial estate, right next to the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery, the wastewater treatment plant has a dual-stage biological process in its water line, as a result of the impact of the industrial waters, and a sludge line, with recirculation, thickening, dehydration and storage of the sludge.
The treated water is discharged into the sea via a 2,000-metre-long underwater outfall. The Maresme Circular project proposes to use this water in its processes before it is discharged into the sea.
The Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery
From its Integral Waste Recovery Centre, Maresme Circular treats more than 190,000 tonnes of residual waste from Maresme and Vallès Oriental per year, prioritising the recovery of materials from all recyclable products, including organic matter – in 2023 it recovered 20,300 tonnes of materials – and then optimising energy recovery.
It also treats bulky waste – 14,700 tonnes in 2023 – and transfers the waste from the selective collection of the packaging, organic and glass fractions collected in the 28 consortium municipalities in the region.
Aerial image of the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery with the Mataró Wastewater Treatment Plant next to it / Maresme Circular
