These projects are co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Regional Operational Programme.

EXTRACTIS is a partner in the European collaborative project SALTGAE

The treatment of saline and organically-laden wastewater is a challenge for many industries. Conventional treatments are often ineffective at high salinity levels because they will inhibit the bacterial processes usually used. In this context, EXTRACTIS is now a partner in the European SALTGAE project (within the framework of Horizon 2020) which aims to develop an innovative and effective solution for the treatment of saline effluents through the use of microalgae and halotolerant bacteria, known for their resistance to high salinities. Three sectors generating effluents with different salinities are particularly studied in this framework: the aquaculture sector (with effluents having a salinity of around 3 g/L), the whey industry (10 g/L) and the tanning industry (40 g/L). The objective of the SALTGAE project is to use microalgae to relieve effluents of the organic matter and nutrients necessary for their cultivation. They are then harvested and fractionated into compounds of interest for different sectors. In parallel, SALTGAE’s work is also to valorise all the co-products generated throughout the process. The project involves three demonstration sites for the microalgae cultivation part, in Slovenia, Italy and Israel, and trials up to the pilot stage. Thanks to its experience in the fractionation of plants and the valorisation of co-products, EXTRACTIS is particularly involved at two levels: in the fractionation of freshly harvested microalgae and in the ultimate treatment of the effluents after harvesting.