The EU approves the LIFE DESIROWS project, led by REGENERA

The EU subsidizes a project to eradicate nitrates from the Mar Menor. A consortium led by the company Regenera will develop a new industrial process to convert brine into recyclable water and salts.

The European Union has chosen to finance a project that removes existing nitrates from the groundwater that drains into the lagoon and thus contributes to reducing the nutrients that reach the Mar Menor. From an industrial perspective, the elimination of nitrates and the recycling and reuse of all groundwater are addressed. This project will reduce the arrival of nitrates to the salty lagoon.

The brine from the desalination of groundwater has a multitude of dissolved salts that, when properly separated, can be used, also allowing the generation of additional water resources. The project LIFE-DESIROWS The aim is to recycle the brine by first eliminating the nitrates, recovering part of the less soluble salts for later use as fertilizers and allowing the rest of the salts to have an industrial use. At the same time that the salts are concentrated, up to 98% of the desalinated water is recovered when at present yields of less than 75% are achieved. Everything is done by renewable energy obtained by combining photovoltaic solar energy and that generated by biomass.

Francisco Gallego manager of Regenera points out that the project can contribute to expanding the benefits and use of desalination as we know it today and recalls that there are currently several areas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas where the competent American administration is studying the implementation of this type of zero liquid discharge projects. Francisco Gallego comments that the project consortium includes the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, the Arco Sur Irrigation Community and companies from the Murcia Region with experience in this type of project, such as Hidrogea and Hidrotec.

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