Isolux Corsán Investigates Re-use of Waste Water for Human Consumption

MADRID, November 17, 2011 -

• The technology under development will reduce energy consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases compared to conventional treatments.
• It will be applicable in areas where water is a scarce resource.
• The ADECAR project has a €1.3m budget, partly financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The acronym is Spanish for Application of Capacitive De-ionization of Waste Waters.

Isolux Corsán is researching the development of a new technology to achieve sustainable purification of waste waters for re-utilisation at a quality fit for human consumption.

Isolux Corsán is doing this through the ADECAR project (Application of Capacitive De-ionization of Waste Waters), together with the IMDEA Energy Institute (expect in the project’s technology). Its aim is to develop the capacitive de-ionization process so that it can be applied to regenerating urban and industrial waste waters, efficiently eliminating solids dissolved in the water (ions of nitrogen and phosphorus, sulphates, boron, lithium and arsenic).

With this research, Isolux Corsán is anticipating future legislation on water, energy efficiency and active waste recycling. It is heading an R&D project to develop a leading-edge technology applicable in all those areas, both inside and outside Spain, wherever water is scarce.

This kind of water purification is a technological, sustainable alternative to more conventional techniques (inverse osmosis), as it consumes less energy, emits fewer greenhouse gases and is more compact, requiring less space. This aspect becomes especially important on coastal areas, where land is at a premium.

The ADECAR project has a budget of €1.3m and lasts 3 years. More than 70% of its funding comes from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under its Sub-programme INNPACTO, within the 2011 tender for projects.

Isolux Corsán’s experience in the application of waste-water treatment technology enabled it to lead this project, which involves other entities, such as the IMDEA Energy Institute, Nanoquimia, Proingesa and Córdoba University and is backed by various technology platforms and regional governments with devolved powers for water management.

About Isolux Corsán

Isolux Corsán is a global major in energy, concessions, construction and maintenance of large infrastructure projects. It operates in over 30 countries on four continents. Isolux Corsán manages concessions for over 5,200 km of power lines in India, Brazil and the USA, through its subsidiary Isolux Infrastructure; over 1,600 km of toll roads in Brazil, India, Mexico and Spain, and the annual generation of 250 GWh of clean power through its 43 solar PV plants, with an installed capacity of 175 MW online in Spain, Italy and India, and a further 55 MW under construction in India and Peru. The group also has more than 21,000 parking spaces under concession agreements. In the power industry, Isolux Corsán is one of the largest EPC project companies world-wide in the photovoltaic sector, with over 290 MW under operation in 2010. It ranks high among the major companies building EPC power plants, with 1,500 MW currently under construction. It is also involved in industrial processes, with turnkey projects in the oil & gas and biofuel industries.  In 2010, the company reported over €3.24 bn in revenues, an EBITDA of €311m and a backlog of €30.18 billion. www.isoluxcorsan.com.

Isabel Saracho, i.saracho at isoluxcorsan.com,
+34-91-449-32-93; Macarena Ramírez, +34-91-449-32-93 mramirez at isoluxcorsan.com