PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
An isosugar producing plant in Hungary generates some 2000m³ of wastewater daily. The wastewater contains a high amount of carbohydrate (COD@3500mg/l) and suspended matter (@1500mg/l). This is currently flushed into clean water streams and results in a daily deposit of 80m³ of activated sludge (dried matter content being around 3 percent) and increases the yeast mass continuously. This is hazardous due to the fact that neither the amount nor the type of symbiosis forming organisms can be determined precisely.
OBJECTIVES
The RETOXMET project was to develop two semi-industrial plants. One would be suitable for the bio-conversion of food industry waste or wastewater into a new kind of yeast mass. The second would be a demonstration plant removing heavy metals from wastewater. The project aimed to: - Process, reuse and bio-convert locally food industry by-products, wastes and/or wastewater into yeast mass. - Develop an effective system to neutralise wastewater containing hazardous heavy metals.
RESULTS
A new waste water cleaning technology was developed: the hazardous waste, containing heavy metals, was treated with a biosorbent produced by a newly isolated yeast strain. As a result, the heavy metals were more concentrated in their bound form, so they became easier to treat. A demonstration plant was built to show how the new technology works. The RETOXMET project is highly innovative applying a new approach and integrated solutions: with the newly developed yeast species, the biomass is suitable for the detoxification of ground waters from heavy metal polluted soils, and for the removal of heavy metals from industrial waters, and their neutralization or recycling. The new technology has a twofold environmental advantage: winning of a new biosorbent product with the utilization of food industry byproducts and winning of heavy metals (usually hazardous for the environment) which through the detoxification process of wastewaters and polluted soils can be bound, and – if economical viable– regained. With current technologies, heavy metals are removed from the waste waters, mainly with reduction/precipitator/separation/ion exchange or bound with active carbon, and are regarded as hazardous waste. Other solutions, like electrolysis or the incineration of concentrated mud are expensive and energy consuming procedures. These methods have several disadvantages like: incomplete extraction, high energy and chemical substance demand, and the resulting great quantity of hazardous waste requiring secure disposal. Cleaning water from toxic heavy metals by using yeast is a more natural and healthy way of water treatment than any other artificial method, so the project has a positive impact on people using water. The health and well-being of people using water cleaned by the new method was fully considered. Another advantage of the new RETOXMET technology is that it requires no unique equipment. It is possible to use the new technology in already existing fermentation plants, at half of the costs for establishing a new one. By modifying the existing plant it can become suitable for the production of the new yeast biomass, and the heavy metal detoxification. However, its has been pointed out that one threat to the future sustainability and continuation of the project is the cost effectiveness of exporting the technology. It is economic to operate such a plant only over a certain size. Dissemination activities included the following - website (in Hungarian and English) http://www.retoxmet.hu/ and a BLOG http://retoxmet.blogter.hu/ (both will continue to operate). - special RETOXMET logo was created, posters and newsletters. - open days at the plant (beneficiary planned to continue them after the project ended) - demonstrative operations at the plant; 94 professionals attended and 19 written "expressions of interest" declarations in implementing the new technology. - Participation and presentations at workshops and international symposium, "Trace elements in the food chain", May 2006 Budapest (H). Two notable actions are mentioned in the After-LIFE communication plan: 1) The Consortium had made contacts with several organizations interested in giving extra publicity to the RETOXMET project, namely: Multi Marketing Group, Ahead Asian-Hungarian Economic Association for Development, Jövőház Public Utility Co., ÖKOTECH 2007, and the Felhő Pavilon. 2) The beneficiary planned to draw attention to the project by using street artists to decorate the outside and/or inside surfaces of the Tatabánya Retoxmet Demonstration Plant. It was hoped that this would raise the profile of the project with a wider public. This project has been awarded the title of "Best of the Best" from a shortlist of 21 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2007-2008
