Great anticipation among Leather Cluster Barcelona members on the visit to the pilot plant of the water regeneration station

At an event exclusively for members, on Friday 26 May the cluster organised a visit to the pilot plant of the water regeneration station (ERA) installed at the treatment plant (IDR).

This ambitious project to build a Water Regeneration Station (ERA) consists of treating the effluents from IDR’s treatment plant (the water leaving the plant, already treated) in order to obtain one flow of osmosis-treated water (practically pure water) and another of salt water, both reusable by the tanning industry or for other uses. In this regard, the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) has for years been committed to the use of non-conventional resources in order to increase the security and availability of water. One of these is regenerated water, obtained by applying an additional treatment to already treated water, by means of facilities known as tertiary treatments or Water Regeneration Stations (ERA). These tertiary treatments, through processes such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, give the water a quality suitable for various uses.

The ERA project consists of two stages. The first is a pre-treatment that conditions the water so that it can enter a membrane system. This first treatment was validated at a pilot plant during 2020 and 2021. In this year, 2023, the corresponding industrial plant will be built, with an investment of 1.5 million euros that will treat all the water leaving IDR’s treatment plant, that is, 4,000 m3/day.

The second, which is the heart of the facility, consists of separating the water from the salt and other elements present by means of various membranes such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and finally reverse osmosis, obtaining osmosis-treated water and softened salt water.

The current pilot plant, which incorporates both stages, is the one that will make it possible to determine the design parameters for a future industrial membrane plant and, at the same time, with the water being produced, the first experimental production runs are already being carried out at the factories.

During April, after a few months of fine-tuning, the pilot plant began production and the first tanks of regenerated water have already been delivered to Igualada’s tanning industries.

During the guided visit, the cluster’s members were able to see how the pilot plant works to regenerate and reuse the treated water and to learn about the latest advances in the ERA project.

In this regard, Bernat Vilarrubias, manager of the company Igualadina de Depuració i Recuperació SL (IDR) and president of Leather Cluster Barcelona, explained to members that an extension of the pilot plant has already been contracted, with higher-capacity external ultrafiltration membranes to increase production to 1 m3/hour and at the same time generate a new water flow of 3 m3/hour of lower quality but equally useful for the initial phases of the tanning process, where the level of requirement is lower, and at a lower cost, so as to cover the various needs of the tanneries, which will use this water in their processes on an experimental basis.

At such critical times with regard to the most valuable resource of all, water, Leather Cluster Barcelona is taking action in cluster mode and in a socially responsible way: regenerating and reusing water. A project that also contributes, among other things, to chapter 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which refers to Clean Water and Sanitation.

The tanners’ treatment plant, as well as being an exemplary case of competitive cooperation and of the advantage of being part of a cluster, is a pioneer in the integration of shared value, a business project that has a positive impact on society and that promotes a balance between business competitiveness and social and environmental awareness, helping to build a fairer, greener and more equitable economy.

This project to build a Water Regeneration Station (ERA) will not only transform the city of Igualada’s relationship with the River Anoia but will also serve as an example of sustainability for other cities with similar industries.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is an environment of competitive cooperation for promoting cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects with the aim of driving forward the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector. The cluster is an accredited body within the Catalonia Clusters programme and has the support of Acció.