TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS IN THE WATER, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SOLID WASTES SECTOR

1. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS IN THE WATER, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND SOLID WASTES SECTOR EMBASSY OF ITALY NEW DELHI Prof. Lidia Szpyrkowicz Embassy of Italy Scientifico.newdelhi@esteri.it __________________________________________________________________ Ganga River Basin: Environment Management Plan, IITD, 22-23 September 2011

3. 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

4. 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)

5. Main Institutional Actors in S&T

6. 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

7. Universities in Italy A complete list of Italian Universities: http://www.universitaitaliane.it/

8. Non-University Research InstitutesInstitutes 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

9. ENEA: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development • 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. http://enea.it

10. ENEA Research Centres ENEA – EU liaison office in Brussels (Belgium) http://enea.it

11. 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: Your proposal will be re-directed to the ENEA relative department. ideas@enea.it APPLY NOW! ENEA is ready to Welcome you into its organisation! http://ideas.enea.it http://enea.it

12. 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

13. 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, 12-14 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

14. 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_rapporti_bilaterali/Cooperazione+scientifica/Eventi/

15. 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

16. 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

17. Executive Program of Scientific and Technological Cooperation Years 2008-2010 (extended to 2011) Types of the Projects Significant projects Mobility projects (the expenses of the research covered) (finances the mobility of the researchers) http://www.esteri.it/MAE/doc_politica_estera/Cultura/CooperScientificaTecnologica/Programmi%20esecutivi/39_PE_S_&_T_India_2008-2010.pdf

18. Priority areasNOW • 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

19. 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

20. 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 SUBMITTED PROJECTS

21. Italian Tanning Industry

22. Tannery wastewater treatment plant – an example

23. Plant operation data

24. Pollutants Mediator-reduced form Electrons Homogenous phase oxidation Oxidized pollutants Mediator-oxidised form ANODE C  C++ e- C++ R O+ C INDIRECT ELECTRO-OXIDATION OF POLLUTANTS C - mediator, R - pollutant in the reduced form, O - pollutant in the oxidised form.

25. Indo-Italian Workshop, December 2005, Pune 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.

26. > 7.5 Production of hypochloric ion < 3.3 Predominates dissolved CHLORINE HClO  H + + ClO - < 7.5 Production of hypochloric acid Cl2(sol) + H2OHClO+ H + + Cl - Reduced at the cathode ClO - + H2O + 2e - Cl - + 2OH - R + HClO  Products + Cl - Reacts with the pollutants The mechanism of electro-oxidation mediated by chlorine and other species pH • Chlorine • Hypochloric acid • Hypochloric ion “ACTIVE CHLORINE”

27. Decay of the concentration of different pollutants in time The influence of current density on the removal of tannins Mediated elettro-oxidation(examples)

28. Influence of current density on the removal of colour, textile wastewater

29. ELECTRO-COAGULATION ELECTRO-FLOTATION

30. ELECTRO-COAGULATION / ELECTRO-FLOTATION Destabilisation of colloids occurs as a consequence: Electro-coagulation Electrical field existing between electrodes (slow process) The action of coagulating compounds Flotation Quantity is proportional to the charge passed between electrodes Sacrificial anodes Enhanced by a formation of gas bubbles

31. 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.

32. TIME TRENDS OF COLOUR REMOVAL MECHANICAL MIXING MIXING BY PUMPING Normalized Absorbency Removal of color at different rotation rates (initial pH=4.65, I=200 A m-2, [Cl-]=4300 mg L-1) Time (min) Removal of color at different pumping rates (initial pH=4.65, I=200 A m-2, [Cl-]=4300 mg L-1)

33. TREATMENT TIMES

34. Electro-oxidation coupled with a biological process

35. Different schemes of a possible combination between electrochemical and biological methods to treat tannery wastewater

36. Table 4. Volumes, energy requirements and sludge production for different combinations of electrochemical and biological processes

37. 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.

38. Thank you