Work Programme

The aim in this project is to replicate the art-ICA controllers in three real-world WWTPs. In particular, two specific goals will be addressed:

1. To quantify the real benefits of the art-ICA controllers in terms of autonomous performance, process robustness and, in particular, in terms of environmental impact (effluent quality, greenhouse emissions, energy use, etc.) with objective indicators;
2. More importantly, to make use of the abovementioned three replications to produce commercial materials of high value to support the dissemination and exploitation activities during and after the project (leaflets, brochures, poster presentations, videos, etc.).

Replication activities will aim to cover market scenarios in which greater business opportunities for the art-ICA controllers have been foreseen. Specifically, for the Spanish case, two WWTPs have been chosen: the Navarrosillos WWTP and the Velilla de San Antonio WWTP. Similarly, for the Portuguese case, the art-ICA controllers will be replicated in the Chelas WWTP. All these plants have been specifically chosen because they are operated either by Canal de Isabel II Gestión SA or SIMTEJO, two of the artICA4nr project partners, which will reinforce the commitment of the staff at these three plants to meeting the project’s objectives.

Our organization of the work into work-packages (WPs) is geared towards achieving a reasonable balance between minimizing the number of participants per WP as well as the number of work-packages. Based on the above criterion, work tasks have been grouped into seven WPs:

• WP1. Management
• WP2. Technical requirements and preparatory exploitation/dissemination
• WP3. Replication of the art-ICA controllers in the Navarrosillos WWTP in Spain
• WP4. Replication of the art-ICA controllers in the Velilla de San Antonio WWTP in Spain
• WP5. Replication of the art-ICA controllers in the Chelas WWTP in Portugal
• WP6. Business Plan & Exploitation
• WP7. Dissemination Activities

WP2 has been included in order to allow WP3, WP4 and WP5 to proceed separately but in a coordinated way. WP2, which involve all the partners, will be devoted to guaranteeing that the same procedure will be followed for the replication of the art-ICA controllers (WP3-WP4-WP5) wherever possible. Finally, the results from WP3-WP4-WP5 will form the baseline for implementing appropriate business strategies and effective exploitation and dissemination plans (WP6 and WP7). A schematic representation of interactions between work-packages is illustrated in the following figure.