Application of Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence in Wastewater Treatment

Introduction

• Appreciation for natural aquatic environments (rivers, beaches, oceans, groundwater).
• Contrast between clean environments and contaminated waters.
• Link between the two scenarios: human inefficiency in waste management.

Human Impact on Water

• Inefficient consumption and waste production.
  • Daily activities (e.g., eating) produce solid and liquid waste.
  • Industries generate significant amounts of wastewater.
• Scale of problem:
  • 50 cubic meters of wastewater per year per European.
  • Estimated wastewater production by 8 billion people worldwide.

What is Wastewater?

• Initially clean water used in various anthropogenic activities.
• Becomes contaminated with various toxic compounds:
  • Antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, viruses, colorants, etc.

Wastewater Treatment

• Wastewaters undergo treatment before being released back into the environment.
• Issues with current wastewater treatment plants:
  • Expensive, energy-consuming, and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • 35% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants.

Loss of Precious Elements

• Valuable elements are lost during wastewater treatment:
  • Example: Nitrogen (used in proteins and fertilizers).
    • Producing 1 kg of nitrogen for fertilizers requires 1 kg of fossil fuels, producing CO₂.
  • Example: Phosphorus (used in bodily molecules and car batteries).
    • Natural phosphorus sources are limited and depleting.

Towards a Circular Economy

• Goals: Remove contaminants, recover valuable resources, and reduce emissions.
• Research focus: Biotechnologies for more efficient wastewater treatment.

Why Biotechnologies?

• Microorganisms can naturally clean the environment.
• Use of bioreactors to control and amplify the potential of microalgae and bacteria.

Microalgae and Bacteria in Wastewater Treatment

• Microalgae
  • Accumulate nitrogen and phosphorus, transform them into valuable molecules (biofuels, bioplastics, biofertilizers).
  • Perform photosynthesis, capture CO₂, and produce oxygen for bacteria.
• Bacteria
  • Consume oxygen, provide vitamins, and break down complex molecules for algae.

Mathematical Models for Understanding Ecosystems

• Develop mathematical representations of ecological dynamics.
• Models provide insights into microbial interactions and efficiency improvements.

Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AI to understand and control complex microbial ecosystems.
• Use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)
  • Learn from collected data, identify hidden patterns and phenomena.
• Potential AI applications
  • Climate change mitigation, energy reduction, and clean water provision.
  • Broader environmental monitoring (deforestation, air and water quality, ecosystem health).

Conclusion

• AI offers deep insights and solutions for environmental challenges.
• Collaboration of biotechnology and AI can lead to a sustainable and ecologically balanced future.

Speaker

• Researcher at Inria, working on biotechnologies and AI in wastewater treatment.