Objective

The REFRAME project aims to transform WasteWater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) into Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs), utilising wastewater and sewage sludge as raw materials for producing bio-based compounds. It focuses on recovering valuable biomolecules found in wastewater, including cellulose, which is the primary component of toilet paper.

The project will develop an innovative method that uses bacterial metabolism to extract cellulose from primary sludge and convert it into bio-based volatile fatty acids and polyhydroxyalkanoates, suitable for energy and animal feed applications.

Objectives of REFRAME project are:

1. Understanding the bioprocess mechanisms to achieve the optimal production of targeted volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from cellulosic primary sludge (CPS) through a fine control by oxidation-reduction potential (ORP);
2. Investigation of the recovery and purification efficiency of the bio-based VFAs and PHAs as a platform of chemicals, precursors for bioplastics and ingredients for feed;
3. Evaluation of the link and interactions between the extracellular ORP with the microbial communities through metagenomic analyses.