The Finnish Research Impact Foundation has granted 201,462 euros of seed funding for the Integrated Bioprocess for Producing Value‑Added Building Blocks from Wastewater (Intrecovery) project. The project is led by Assistant Professor Merve Atasoy from the Department of Chemistry and Sustainable Technology at the University of Eastern Finland. The industrial partners of the project are Biopallo Systems Oy and NPHarvest.
Over 500 million cubic meters of wastewater are processed annually in Finland. Wastewater treatment consumes vast amounts of energy, and the process results in the loss of valuable carbon and nitrogen. The University of Eastern Finland’s Intrecovery project is developing biotechnology to recover carbon and nitrogen from wastewater and process them into high-value biobased chemicals.
Technology like this has not been implemented in wastewater treatment before. If successful, the project could fundamentally change how wastewater treatment plants operate – shifting them from cost centers into resource recovery hubs. At the societal level, the project reduces emissions and dependence on fossil-based substances, while accelerating Finland’s transition toward a circular economy.
“Instead of treating wastewater as waste, we treat it as a resource that can provide biobased chemicals and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our collaboration with Finnish industry ensures that the technology is designed from the start to be practical, scalable, and tailored to real industrial needs,” says Assistant Professor Merve Atasoy, Principal Investigator of the project.
Tandem Industry Academia (TIA) Seed funding is intended for researchers who have recently entered the Finnish research funding system, are early in their careers in Finland, and are on the professorial career path. It aims to initiate and accelerate research work and collaboration with industry.
