OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The LIFE BITMAPS project will establish a pilot plant that will demonstrate a new and never-before attempted process for the treatment of effluents from electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
The project will contribute to the implementation of the WFD by introducing more efficient treatment technologies that will help reduce TMAH pollution at source. By recycling wastewater, it will also demonstrate the application in practice of the circular economy priority of water reuse and savings in industrial processes. Moreover, in proposing a more efficient, effective and innovative solution for industrial wastewater treatment, the project will also contribute to one of the priority areas of the European Innovation Partnership on Water.
The project's specific objectives are to:
- Design, construction and validation of a semi-industrial pilot plant enabling the treatment of spent photoresist/tetramethylammonium hydroxide ( PR/TMAH), and other mixed solutions generated by the E&S (Electronic & Semiconductor) manufacturing processes.
- Demonstrate, at industrial scale, the biodegradation of TMAH to non-toxic biomass plus NH3 by using some specific savage microorganisms selected during the previous R&D phase.
- Prove the cost sustainability of the process, in a LCC perspective, also taking into account the actual annual operating costs for the PR/TMAH concentrated disposal.
- Set up a more efficient water management approach proving that it is possible to reduce the net water consumption by saving water of the currently used ionic exchange process, and evaluate the total reuse of treated wastewater in the company's industrial plant.
- Promote the project through dedicated dissemination and networking means and activities.
- Pave the way for replication and transfer of the results to E&S Sector.