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The initiative: 10+10 Business Case for Climate
Companies #PorElClima is the initiative of the #PorElClima Community that promotes the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Spanish business sector. It encourages the ambition of the private sector to stop the climate emergency and move together towards decarbonisation.
The BIOBOX® proposal: BIOBOX® Nitrates, Mar Menor Murcia case study
The BIOBOX® application for climate action has recently been approved.
Name of the initiative
Success story BIOBOX® Nitrates, Mar Menor Murcia
Objectives and scope
The Mar Menor lagoon, located in Murcia (Spain) is the largest permanent saltwater lagoon in Europe. It is a unique natural enclave of great ecological and scenic value. However, it is currently facing problems of nutrient pollution, mainly nitrates. They have caused a serious process of eutrophication of the lagoon.
As part of the specific action plan to solve this problem, it was decided to use a biofiltration process based on biological heterotrophic nitrification. It was then when BIOBOX® proposed to carry out a pilot project to demonstrate the effectiveness of the BIOBOX® Nitrates technology.
BIOBOX® is the new company that designs and manufactures Plug&Play compact water treatment plants. 100% automated plants for the treatment of drinking water, urban or industrial wastewater and reuse. The brand is the result of an intense effort in R&D&I. It is based on the experience and lessons learned by two leading companies in the sector: Ingeobras and Filtralite (Saint-Gobain).
BIOBOX® Nitrates integrates a proprietary patented technology called Puremust-sn®. Unlike other traditional separation technologies, such as reverse osmosis or anionic resins, BIOBOX® Nitrates is able to transform nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas through the natural action of bacteria.
It is a 100% sustainable technology whose nitrate removal yields are over 95%. Moreover, it is a viable solution available to all types of companies, with operating costs of less than €0.15/m3 when treating drinking water and less than €0.10/m3 when treating wastewater.
This pilot project, which lasted four months, obtained outstanding results. In fact, BIOBOX® has been chosen by the Government of Murcia as a viable solution – technically and economically – to eliminate nitrates from the watercourses that flow into the Mar Menor.
Replicability
BIOBOX® Nitrates (Puremust-SN®) already has numerous references from national and international projects. It has also been certified by the the Swiss multinational company SGS and is accepted by Spanish health authorities. Each BIOBOX® plant is tailor-made and adapted to the needs and space requirements of each client.
Associated Indicators
Results of the Mar Menor Murcia pilotage:
- Nitrate removal performance over 97%.
- Removal remains constant and stable
- COD at outlet well below discharge to public watercourse and below COD at inlet
- Treatment cost below 0.1 €/m3
Stakeholders
This initiative once again demonstrates the effectiveness of the BIOBOX® Nitrates technology. It is a project of interest to all technicians or managers (in both public and private industry) who identify a need in the treatment of their water and require a solution that is adapted to their needs and is environmentally friendly.
Moreover, finding a solution to a problem that has been threatening the biodiversity of the lagoon for decades is a matter of general interest.
Next steps:
The selection of the most outstanding initiatives will be made by the expert committee from 16 October. The results will be published on the initiative’s website from 1 November 2022 and officially presented at COP27 in Sharm el-Seikh.