Start-up of livestock wastewater treatment system at Fresh Milk farm in Thessaly, Greece

In early March 2026, the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory (SEL) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and AERIS teams successfully carried out the start-up of the livestock wastewater treatment system installed at the Fresh Milk dairy farm facilities in Thessaly, Greece, marking an important milestone for the AquaLoops4Med project.

Fresh Milk dairy farm facilities in Chrysavgi, Thessaly, Greece.

The entire wastewater treatment train consists of a pump with an integrated shredding unit, a sieve, an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for biogas production and organic matter removal, followed by an SBR system for nitrogen removal, and tertiary treatment through sand filtration and UV disinfection. The system has been designed by AERIS as a fully automated treatment process to ensure reliable operation and efficient treatment of livestock wastewater under real operating conditions. The reclaimed water produced will be stored in a flexible storage tank and reused for the irrigation of cattle feed crops, contributing to improved water circularity in livestock farming.

Submerged feed pump and collection/storage tank of untreated livestock wastewater.

Livestock wastewater treatment pilot plant installed at the Fresh Milk dairy farm.

During the start-up phase, the anaerobic reactor and the downstream SBR system were inoculated with appropriate microbial inoculum to initiate the biological treatment processes. Following inoculation, the system was gradually fed with untreated livestock wastewater from the cattle farm and entered into operation. Several tests were carried out by the AquaLoops4Med partners to verify the correct operation and performance of the system. Moreover, after a few days of operation, the first sampling campaign was conducted by the SEL-NTUA team to carry out the necessary physicochemical analyses and evaluate the initial performance of the treatment system.

Start-up and commissioning of the AquaLoops4Med livestock wastewater treatment pilot plant at the Fresh Milk dairy farm.

The Fresh Milk team played an important role during this start-up phase by supporting the installation and operational activities, while the HYDRASPIS team contributed significantly by providing technical support through its regional network when needed.

This circular approach demonstrates how interregional collaboration can support the implementation of innovative and sustainable water management solutions in the agri-food sector.