Partners - PURATREAT
New Energy Efficient Approach to the Operation of Membrane Bioreactors for Decentralised Wastewater Treatment

The faculty of Sciences Semlalia (University Cadi Ayyad) was created in Marrakesh in 1978. The Faculty comprises 6 departments: Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Data Processing. It integrates 470 teachers and researchers. The faculty is composed of 42 laboratories gathered in Units of Formation and Research (UFR).

The research team in the consortium has a long term experience in environmental microbiology, eco-toxicology and reuse of wastewater. Since 1985, the group is testing the viability of reusing wastewaters treated through systems specially adapted to regions with limited financial resources. The department has carried out several research projects focused on the characterisation of microbial communities developed in sewage treatment processes in Morocco, among them the Microbiologic study of experimental stabilization ponds (anaerobic, facultative) (Action intégrée Franco_marocaine). The department has also participated in several European commission funded projects within the INCO programme.In the Puratreat project the Department of Biology of the University Cadi Ayyad is in charge of characterising the microbial community within the reactor for each operating condition studied. They are also involved in determining the concentration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in order to study their influence on air transfer efficiency and fouling mechanisms. The network of Departmental contacts are referred to in order to define the state of sanitation in the MENA countries and to achieve an effective dissemination of the project outcomes.