Microwave assisted catalytic treatment of agricultural wastewater (MICROCAT)

MICROCAT’s aim is to develop a novel step-change technology for the treatment and recycling of agricultural and industrial wastewaters which offers a potential global saving of up to 17000ML/day of blue water. The proposed treatment system will use an advanced textile material (ATM), surface func-tionalised and nanocoated, to serve as a catalyst in the treatment of agricultural wastewater. This inn-ovative project will couple microwave energy to this catalytic material to enhance reaction rates and enable an industrial scale treatment system. Key objectives: couple microwave energy to the catalytic system (highly innovative) to increase catalytic efficiency by 500%; double surface area and efficiency of ATM by developing novel textile structures; optimise nano-coating process to reduce costs by 20% with adaptation for scale-up for manufacture; optimise system process parameters in field trials to meet water regulations. This technology has potential to treat currently untreatable wastewaters