Quorum Quenching Utilizing Advanced SustaInable MaterIals for Ongoing Durable Operations of Wastewater Treatment – QUADO

The project QUADO focuses on improving the efficiency of a rapidly expanding technology in the context of treated domestic wastewater reuse, namely membrane bioreactors (MBR). These reactors, combining microbial pollution degradation and membrane separation, enable the production of treated wastewater of sufficient quality for irrigation. However, the formation of a biofilm on the membrane surface leads to membrane fouling, resulting in high operating costs. The challenge of this project is to offer a sustainable solution to inhibit or delay biofilm formation, with minimal environmental impact, using a bio-inspired approach based on disrupting inter-organism communication (Quorum Quenching). QUADO is dedicated to encapsulating bacteria capable of producing specific enzymes that degrade the molecules responsible for bacterial communication leading to the biofilm formation. The consortium, with complementary expertise in materials science, chemistry, and process engineering, aims to develop durable porous materials derived from bio-based polymers using gentle chemistry processes for bacterial encapsulation. To address this challenge, the study will revolve around three key actions: the development of new polymer/silica composite materials, the characterization of the behavior of these new materials in terms of transporting molecules of interest related to the hydrodynamics applied in BAM, and the potential of these new supports to reduce membrane fouling.