Project partners
The project partners are represented in the chart below and undertake to carry out the activity of their respective competence, promoting synergistic actions of cooperation, according to the principles of equal opportunities and non-discrimination, to achieve the objectives defined in the project.
Outline of the partnership
Research institutions
Research and development on environmental issues
Research on biodiversity and sustainability in mountain ecosystems
Public entity
Provincial Biological Laboratory:
public health and environmental monitoring
Large enterprises and SMEs
Management of the Province's waste treatment plants and integrated water service (including wastewater treatment plants)
Management of wastewater treatment plants and a sewage sludge treatment plant in Val Pusteria
Specialisation in environmental, hydraulic, energy technologies
Specialisation in electrotechnical installations and industrial automation
To ensure the success of the project, the partnership integrates scientific and technical expertise, i.e., it consists of an interdisciplinary team. From the description of the WPs as well as individual activities, the competencies and division of roles of individual partners can be inferred in detail.
Their main activities are summarised below:
- Eco Research is a leading research centre, especially for its diverse and innovative analysis technologies. By having the opportunity to invest in human resources and technology in the analysis of micro- and nanoplastics, it could acquire specific know-how in an area that is currently little known. Thanks to its laboratory experts and available instrumentation, it will be able to determine which is the best analysis procedure, comparing different methodologies. He will contribute to WP1, WP3 and WP4.
- Eurac Research, specifically the Institute for the Alpine Environment, studies freshwater ecology, biodiversity and the functioning of mountain ecosystems. It will be in charge of choosing the sampling stations for the most "natural" matrices, organising sampling, experimenting with the most suitable sampling methods, and will be responsible for invertebrate sampling, their taxonomic classification and the preparation of samples for subsequent analysis. It will be responsible for the pretreatment of fish and their internal organs. He/she will contribute to WP1, WP2 and WP3.
- eco center is a company of the municipalities of South Tyrol and manages the main integrated water services in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. Within this project, it will focus on water resources for human consumption and sludge from wastewater purification (identification of sampling points for analysis, sample collection) and will support the testing of the prototype (a pilot filtration unit) in its purification plants. It will contribute to WP1, WP2 and WP4.
- The company ARA Pusteria Spa operates on behalf of the Wastewater Consortium Pustertal and manages five sewage treatment plants, the Val Pusteria main collector and the sewage sludge drying and incineration plant. It will make one of its plants available for prototype testing, as well as monitor the parameters and operating conditions of its plants. It will contribute to WP1 and WP4.
- The company Atzwanger Spa is today a leading European company in the fields of environmental technology, hydraulics, energy and domestic installations. It will support the project in achieving the optimisation objectives in the wastewater treatment process and will be responsible for the development of the cloth filtration prototype that can be used as a barrier for the removal of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, as well as for the implementation and testing of its operation. It will contribute to WP1 and WP4.
- The company Obrist srl with its expertise will support the installation of the developed prototype by designing optimal and environmentally friendly technical solutions. It will contribute to WP1 and WP4.
- The Provincial Biological Laboratory of the Provincial Agency for the Environment and Climate Protection of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (Partner not beneficiary of funding) will share technical aspects and experiences in surface water sampling and MP identification. Thanks to its experience gained on the provincial territory, it will provide important support and will be a reference point both for sampling and for the elaboration of suitable analytical methodology for the determination of MPs in running and lake waters. It will contribute to WP1, WP2 and WP3.