With growing regulatory and societal pressures, utilities worldwide face the daunting challenge of improving effluent quality for expanding populations while simultaneously reducing costs, footprint, energy use, and GHG emissions. Whether driven by stricter regulatory requirements or voluntary decarbonization goals, utilities are in urgent need of innovative technologies to meet these demands.

In this keynote, Nerea Uri Carreño will delve into the latest advancements in nutrient removal technologies, leveraging her extensive experience at VCS Denmark and insights from visiting leading wastewater treatment facilities globally. Nerea will introduce 'biofarming,' a groundbreaking approach to engineering activated sludge systems. This paradigm shift in wastewater treatment emphasizes the cultivation and management of microbial communities, aiming to enhance nutrient removal while achieving the seemingly impossible: minimizing footprint, energy and resource consumption, and GHG emissions—all at the same time.