A New Solution For Wastewater Treatment

The first in-person meeting of the WATCHµBio project, an international project dedicated to developing an innovative technology for wastewater treatment, was held at SUPSI. The project is led by the Environmental Biotechnology Sector of the SUPSI Institute of Microbiology, ZHAW Zurich with partners from Thailand and Türkiye.

The three-year WATCHµBio – Wastewater Treatment with Conductive Copolymer Hydrogels covered with Microbial Biofilm project (2026–2028) aims to develop an innovative hydrogel-based microbial solution for wastewater treatment, integrating recycled PET (rPET), conductive materials, adsorption properties and microbial activity.

The system will remove nitrogen-based nutrients and emerging contaminants (ECs) and will be tested on municipal and aquaculture wastewater in Türkiye and Thailand.

The first meeting in presence was held on Monday, 28 September 2026, at the Mendrisio Campus of the SUPSI Department of Environment Constructions and Design. The project brings together the Environmental Biotechnology Sector of the SUPSI Institute of Microbiology, Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, Erciyes University in Türkiye, and the Institute of Materials and Process Engineering at ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The project is funded through the SEA-Europe Joint Funding Scheme.

SUPSI was represented at the kick-off meeting by Pamela Principi, associate professor of Environmental Biotechnology and head of the Environmental Biotechnology Sector (Institute of Microbiology), together with Camilla Perego (environmental engineer), Francesco Recanatini (materials and environmental engineer) and Melania Reggente (microbial electrochemistry researcher).

The Environmental Biotechnology Sector
The Environmental Biotechnology Sector develops processes based on microbial activity, including biofilm-based processes, for applications in the energy, environmental and built-environment sectors. In the energy field, research focuses on converting waste biomass into energy carriers such as methane. In wastewater treatment, processes are developed to remove nutrients and contaminants, while applications in the built environment focus on biotechnological processes for the consolidation of soils and structures.

For more information, visit https://www.im.supsi.ch/en/environmental-biotechnology