Urban Water Services in Transition: from integrated assessment to applicable solutions for emerging contaminants, circular resources and climate-neutral utility

The integrated water service is entering an era of transformation, shaped by the urgent need for systemic water resilience and the strengthening of European and national mandates on micropollutants, resource recovery, and climate neutrality. This full-day conference addresses the dual challenge of ensuring the long-term safety of drinking water, wastewater, and sludge, while navigating the transition towards energy neutrality and net-zero emissions. To provide a comprehensive roadmap for this transition, the conference is structured around two complementary pillars:
Technological pathways and implementable solutions
An in-depth analysis of innovative processes, smart operations, and digitalisation in the drinking water, wastewater, and sludge sectors. This section places emphasis on the recovery of material and energy resources, the elimination of emerging contaminants, and the reduction of carbon footprints.
Holistic assessment and risk-based management: A holistic examination of the tools needed to ensure safety within a circular economy and a One Health perspective. This includes the enhancement of chemical and effect-based monitoring and the implementation of integrated decision-support tools. By linking advanced risk assessment with Water Safety Plans, this pillar ensures that the pursuit of circularity is underpinned by rigorous safeguards for public health and the environment.
By connecting technical innovation with holistic assessment, this conference defines the 'implementable solutions' needed to build a water-resilient society in the face of growing climatic and chemical pressures.

Session Chairs

Giorgio Bertanza, University of Brescia
Tania Tellini, Utilitalia
Camilla Braguglia, CNR-IRSA

Program

10.00 Morning Session — Technological pathways and implementable solutions

10.00 Opening by the Session Chairs

10.15 The challenges posed by the new directives and national laws on wastewater and sludge
Angiolo Martinelli, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

10.30 Implementation of the UWWTD: The chemical industry perspective
Lorenzo Ferrando, Federchimica

10.45 How the UWWTD will transform the Integrated Water Service
Tania Tellini, Utilitalia

Selected contributions from Call for Papers

11.00 Integrating Advanced Oxidation and Bioreactive Storage for Next-Generation Quaternary Wastewater Treatment and Water Reuse
D. Santoro (Western University), S. Mancini (AquaSoill)O. Santoro (AquaSoil,)

11.10 Emerging Micropollutants in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Integrated Monitoring Approach and Experimental Evaluation of Quaternary Treatments in Compliance with Directive (EU) 2024/3019
C. Ceci1, A. Paoletti1, Marco Lazzazzara2, A. Checa Fernandez2, V. Gioia2, S. Leoni2, G. Cecchini2. 1Acea Ato2 and 2Acea Infrastructure

11.20 The Gruppo CAP case study in the PFAS challenge: treatment technologies and pilot-scale experimentation
Maria Giovanna Guiso e Tommaso Amati, Gruppo CAP

11.30 From Conventional Activated Sludge to Aerobic Granular Sludge for the treatment of municipal wastewater: a feasibility study
Alessandro Alberti (1), Francesco Avolio (2), Paolo Gelli (2), Claudio Lubello (1), Tommaso Lotti (1); (1)Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence; (2) Hera SpA - Water Direction, Modena

11.40 Experimentation of the Anammox metabolic process on a side stream of a municipal wastewater treatment plant and on a main stream of an industrial physico-chemical plant. The pilot with Anita™Mox technology.
Francesco Avolio1, Matteo Venturi1, Giacomo Spallone1, Paolo Gelli1, Fabrizio Fanello2, Roberto Boschi2, Luca Quadri3, Francesca Cecchin3, Eva Tykesson3, Claudio Lubello4, Tommaso Lotti4 1Hera SpA. Direzione Acqua, Bologna, Italy 2HerAmbiente SpA.,Italy 3 AnoxKaldnes Veolia Water Tech,Lund Sweden 4Univerisity of Florence, DICEA, Italy

11.50 Strategic Valorization of Septage from Decentralized Treatment: Applicable Strategies for Resource Recovery in Centralized Wastewater Treatment Plants
Pesenti M., Hernandez Sanchez M.J., Cecconat D., Berni A., Facco O.**, Turolla A.* * Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale (DICA), Milano, **Alfa S.r.l., Gallarate (VA)

12.00 Innovative metrics for the quantitative assessment of the carbon footprint of plants managed by Alfa Varese
Daniele Cecconat1, Simone Pigato1, Francesco Piccioli1, Annalisa Berni1, Nicolò Ciuccoli2, Federica Simonetti2, Salman Nisar2, Alessia Cherubini2, Anna Laura Eusebi2, Francesco Fatone2. 1: Alfa Srl, Gallarate (VA). 2 Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, Ancona

12.10 From policy to practice: energy consumption and UWWTD implementation in ACEA wastewater treatment plants
Giulia Sagnotti, Simone Leoni, Giancarlo Cecchini - Acea Infrastructure SpA, Unità Ricerca Applicata; Niccolò Ciuccoli, Francesco Fatone, Anna Laura Eusebi - Dipartimento Scienze ed Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, Università Politecnica delle Marche; Massimo Spizzirri, Alessia delle Site, Luisa Merluzzi, Camilla Cassol - Acea Ato2 S.p.A.

12.20 Development of a multi-scenario analysis tool to support circular economy pathways in municipal sewage sludge management
Giulia Nardella (1), Silvia Di Fabio (2), Antonietta Cerbone (2), Massimiliano Fabbricino (1), Luigi Petta (2). (1) Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II – Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile e Ambientale (2) ENEA – Dipartimento Sostenibilità, circolarità e adattamento al cambiamento climatico dei Sistemi Produttivi e Territoriali

12.30 Discussion and Round Table

Lunch break

14.00 Afternoon Session — Holistic assessment and risk-based management

14.00 Opening by the Session Chairs

14.15 Precision monitoring of emerging contaminants in water and complex matrices
Sara Castiglioni, Mario Negri Institute

14.30 Challenges in risk assessment for drinking water (WSP)
Susanna Murtas, Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Selected contributions from Call for Papers

14.45 Sampling and characterisation of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants: towards a standardised and regulatory-compliant approach
Valentina Gioia1, Alicia Checa-Fernandez1, Mario Castellani1, Alessandro Frugis1, Simone Leoni1, Giancarlo Cecchini1, Ilaria Miozzo2, Alessia Delle Site2, Riccardo Chelli3, Stefano Batistini3. 1 Acea Infrastructure SpA; 2 Acea Ato 2 SpA; 3 Opus Automazione SpA

14.55 Microplastics in urban water services: in situ monitoring of drinking water and wastewater systems in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Raffaele Bruschi (1,2), Lucia Gardossi (1), Monia Renzi (2,3), Samantha Scarfò (4), Massimo Battiston (4) (1) Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste (2) Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste (3) Bioscience Research Center, Grosseto (4) CAFC S.p.A., Udine

15.05 From monitoring to risk-based decision support: integrating experimentation, modelling, and risk assessment in urban water systems in transition
Manuela Antonelli, Beatrice Cantoni, Jessica Ianes, Luca Penserini, Sara Piraldi, Alberto Desca - Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale (DICA)

15.15 Integrated Effect-Based Assessment of Wastewater Treatment Plant Emissions for sustainable wastewater management
Marta Domini, Roberta Pedrazzani, Donatella Feretti, Selena Sironi, Giorgio Bertanza, University of Brescia; Politecnico of Milano; 5 Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milan;

15.25 From energy dependence to self-production: the Pavia Acque model for widespread self-consumption and sustainable transition
Alberto Lodroni, Pavia Acque

15.35 Metallic impurities in iron-based coagulants: implications for sludge quality and the sustainability of wastewater treatment
Andrea Gialdrone, ALTAIR Chemical Srl

16.00 Discussion and Round Table

16.45 Closing by the Session Chairs

SELECTED E-POSTER 

1 - Ferriti di calcio multifunzionali per la rimozione di contaminanti emergenti e il recupero circolare di nutrienti nelle acque reflue urbane
Maurizio Vespignani, Istituto di Scienza, Tecnologia e Sostenibilità per lo Sviluppo dei Materiali Ceramici (CNR-ISSMC)

2 - Preparation of Chitosan-Geopolymer Composites, Their Characterization and Application in Heavy Metals Adsorption from Mine Effluents
Francesco Fatone, Tero Luukkonen, Mohammad Bhuyan, Abdallah Alrefaie, Marche Polytechnic University and University of Oulu

3 - Monitoraggio in real-time della qualità delle acque mediante sensori spettroscopici
Antonella Giuliana Luminare, ARCHA S.r.l.; Francesca Gambineri, ARCHA S.r.l.

4 - A Concept Device for Microbial Monitoring in Industrial Water Streams
Olga Morozova, Pasi Karjalainen, Ilkka Leinonen, Kyösti Karttunen, Irina Raykhel, Tiina Tolonen, Riitta Lotvonen, Jarmo Hietanen

5 - Optimisation Study of an Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant for Oil-Water Mixtures
Felix Kiem, Thomas Senfter, Martin Pillei, MCI Innsbruck

6 - Strategie sostenibili per l'abbattimento di fosforo e azoto in aree sensibili: modellazione e combinazione con cicli alternati nell'impianto di depurazione di Cuasso al Monte
Daniele Cecconet, Luca Sessolo, Francesco Piccioli, Annalisa Berni, Alfa S.r.l.; Samuele Roma, Elisabetta Sieni, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria

7 - Da impianto convenzionale a EcoHub circolare: il caso Caronno Pertusella come modello di transizione per il servizio idrico integrato
Francesco Piccioli, Daniele Cecconet, Annalisa Berni, Alfa S.r.l.

8 - From Source to Tap: The New European Framework for Drinking Water Safety
Francesca Fasano, Chemsafe S.r.l.

9 - Better Together than Apart: Degradation of Emerging Contaminants and PFAS in Concentrated Streams Using UV/Sulphite(/Iodide) and UV/Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment Trains
Marco Minella, Iván Sciscenko, Department of Chemistry, University of Turin, Via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125 Turin, Italy

10 - Controllo in continuo del fosforo per depuratori più efficienti e conformi alla nuova Direttiva europea
Maria Serena Gironi, Sales Support & Application Excellence Manager

11 - Sviluppo di un sistema di monitoraggio delle acque in reticolo idrico urbano
Giuseppe Zanotti, Green Evolution S.r.l. SB

12 - Tecnologie integrate su scala pilota per il potenziamento del trattamento di reflui conciari: il caso dell'impianto di Solofra
Lucia Terracciano; Bruno Brancato; Raffaele Morello; Andrea Raimo

13 - Digital-Twin-Ready CFD-DEM Simulation of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors: A Predictive Tool for Resilient, Future-Proof Wastewater Infrastructure
Efraim Riess-Gonzalez, Invent

14 - AMRready4KARL – Establishment of a quality-assured molecular surveillance strategy for municipal wastewater to detect Gram-negative bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance
Widera, Marek (Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany), Wilhelm, A. (Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany), Goettig, S. (Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Vredenburg, J. (Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen e.V. , Germany)

15 - Quarry lakes and their self-decontamination ability by sunlight-induced photochemical reactions in a framework of water reuse
Carena L.(1,5), Bonetta S.(2,5), Bonetta S.(4,5), Carraro E.(4,5), Cocca D.(3,5), De Luca D.A.(3,5), Egidio E.(3,5), Lasagna M.(3,5), Minella M.(1,5), Mittaridonna A.(1,5), Pignata C.(4,5), Pigozzi G.(1,3),5, Vione D.(1,5), Bianco Prevot A.(1,5).

16 - Governare l'acqua creando valore attraverso l'Asset Management: integrare l'approccio One Health, la gestione dei rischi e la teoria dello Shared Value nel caso applicativo di Uniacque
Daniele Angelo Bressan, Uniacque SpA - Giovanni Ruggeri, Università degli studi di Bergamo - Serena Brignoli, Uniacque SpA - Enrico Cagnoni, Università degli studi di Bergamo

17 - What Water Managers Want to Know about the UWWTD?
Ana Carolina Maganha de Almeida PhD, Regulatory Intelligence, Viterbo Italy, Founder & Senior Consultant

18 - Verso il monitoraggio in linea delle microplastiche nelle acque potabili: dal campionamento multistadio all'analisi Raman in near-real-time
Stefano Batistini - Opus Automazione Spa (Gruppo Orion)

19 - WaterScan: Intelligenza Artificiale ed Edge Computing per la tutela ambientale
Francesco Avolio1, Vittorio Crepaldi1, Simona Olivi1 Andrea Tagliaferri2 1Hera SpA. Direzione Acqua, Bologna, Italy 2Dabohn srl, Val Tidone (PC), Italy

20 - Photocatalytic quaternary treatment for wastewater: performance evaluation under Directive (EU) 2024/3019 for microcontaminants and microplastics removal
Juan F. Ferrer(1)+, Javier Ivañez(1), Alejandro Ramirez-Torres (1), Laura Díaz-Esplá(2), Clara Diaz-García(2), (1)AIMPLAS-Instituto Tecnológico del Plástico, Paterna, Spain. (2)LABAQUA, Alicante, Spain