Electra, FHNW School of Life Sciences

The ELECTRA project is an EU-China RTD joint initiative that will deliver two innovative sets of novel electromicrobiology based environmental biotechnologies, to facilitate and improve electron transfer during microbial degradation processes. Our approach will accelerate the elimination of several classes of pollutants and mixtures thereof in contaminated wastewater, groundwater, sediment and soil.

The first set of biotechnologies employs bioelectrochemical systems requiring low energy input and no chemical addition. The second set comprises biotechnologies, which necessitate no energy input and minimal chemical amendment using electromicrobial concepts.

ELECTRA biotechnologies will build on recent advances in biotechnology to develop them for environmental bioremediation applications and test the 4 most advanced technologies during field trials under various environmentally relevant conditions in both Europe and China to prove their efficiency and robustness.

The ELECTRA project addresses the accelerated elimination of compounds representative of hydrocarbons and derivatives, emerging pollutants, metals and nutrients and mixtures thereof in environmentally relevant concentration as a wise and careful approach taking into account the real problem of contaminations by organic and inorganic pollutants as well as nutrients. ELECTRA is a consortium of European and Chinese partners for a 4-year project. The EC-funded consortium gathers 22 partners from 6 EU countries,1 Associated Country and China.

The FHNW School of Life Sciences will develop 3D-printed biofilms for the degradation of pollutants, such as antibiotics in wastewater, and implement redox-stat reactor systems for the sanitation of antimony. We will also evaluates the eco-efficiency of the developed technologies using life cycle analysis and the EU's Circular Economy Act.

EU project website