Louro
Consortium
Management
The consortium for managing the ur-
ban water cycle of the Louro River,
comprising the city councils of Mos,
Porriño, Salceda de Caselas, Tui and
the Xunta de Galicia, awarded a ma-
nagement contract for the public ser-
vice to the Louro Consortium, a joint
venture in which FCC Aqualia holds a
controlling 70% stake.
The contract contemplates mana-
gement of the supply and sanitation
services in these municipalities in the
province of Pontevedra; maintenance
of the Guillarei waste water treatment
plant, two waste water treatment
plants at the Consello de Mos, and
three drinking water pumping stations
situated in Tui, Porriño and Salceda de
Caselas.
The provision of this comprehensive
service by FCC Aqualia implies full en-
vironmental protection for the Louro
River, not just in terms of sanitation,
but also one with a stricter inspection
system for industrial discharges.
Thanks to this development by the Inno-
vation and Technology tea at FCC Aqualia,
the waste water treatment plant in Galicia
will remove nitrogen from waste water more
efficiently than by using the conventional
process, consuming 60% less oxygen and
producing only 10% of sludge.
What has the real-scale installation of
this “laboratory” technology meant for
you personally?
A great satisfaction certainly. The fact that
a 100% Spanish project which started in a
small scale and gradually passed various
phases until being implemented in an in-
dustrial scale is the maximum aspiration of
any researcher. As we often discuss among
our project colleagues, this is a small step
in research worldwide, but a great step for
FCC Aqualia’s R+D+i.
Although he does not consider himself as such, José Ramón
Vázquez could be the prototype of what at one time was
known as a JASP (Spanish acronym for “Young, although
highly prepared). Holder of a doctorate degree in chemical
engineering, specialising in Environmental Engineering and
Bioprocesses from the University of Santiago de Compos-
tela, Jose’s day-to-day activities are currently conducted
between Vigo, where he lives, Frinova, the company where
he is launching the new R+D+i project, and the Guillerei was-
te water treatment plant in Pontevedra, a small town near
the border with Portugal where FCC Aqualia is building the
ELAN
®
system.
Head of the ELAN
®
(Autotrophic
Nitrogen Elimination) project
Interview with
José Ramón Vázquez
How do you think that R+D+i will help
to enhance the efficiency of processes
at waste water treatment plants? Do you
think this is essential? Is this what the
future holds in store?
Without any doubt. The future of waste wa-
ter treatment involves the development of
R+D+i. Traditional waste water treatment
technology is 100 years old. Moreover, due
to the serious current crisis, enhancing effi-
ciency is now a priority. Perhaps because of
this, waste water treatment is underpinned
by: quality, efficiency, and sustainability.
In this context, the research that we are
conducting with ELAN
®
addresses these
demands, since it does not only improve
