The official launch of the European research project “NAMOR – A Novel compact and Advanced hybrid Microalgae-membrane photobioreactor Optimized for Retrofitting decentralized water and wastewater management systems” was successfully made with the project’s kick-off meeting held on 1–2 July 2025 at the premises of the International Hellenic University (IHU) in Thermi, Thessaloniki, together with site visits to the CERTH facilities, and the demo scale microalgae cultivation unit located at the premises of BIOGAS Lagada S.A. plant.
NAMOR project is part of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021–2027) and is funded by the European Commission under the call HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRCBIO-02, addressing the topic on “New circular solutions and decentralised approaches for water and wastewater management”. With a total budget of €5,329,100.00 euros, NAMOR project will be implemented over a period of 48 months, from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2029.
NAMOR brings together a multidisciplinary and international consortium of 12 institutions from 7 countries, coordinated by IHU. The consortium includes universities, research institutes, SMEs, networks, and organizations with expertise in environmental technologies, water resource management, circular economy, and innovation. CERTH is represented by three Laboratories, the Natural Resources and Renewable Energies Laboratory (NRRE) and the Laboratory of Polymer Reaction Engineering (LPRE) of the Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) and the Multimedia Knowledge & Social Media Analytics Lab (MKLab) of the Information Technologies Institute (ITI).
NAMOR aims to develop and implement hybrid microalgae-bacteria membrane photobioreactor systems (MPBRs), integrating cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies such as digital twins, machine learning, and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to optimize decentralized water and wastewater management. These innovations are expected to advanced systems for producing high quality effluent with minimum energy demand and maximum nutrients recovery capacity, allowing water reclamation and reuse in various applications, while ensuring sustainability and adaptability to various geographic locations and climatic conditions.
Moreover, the project will assess the scalability of these technologies across different climates and regions, addressing real-world challenges. The international collaboration is reinforced by the participation of IIT Guwahati, India, which contributes with advanced expertise in bioremediation and nutrient recovery, and SUNDOSOFT Co, Korea, Ltd, which will support the development of advanced digital twin platforms. In addition, efforts will be focused on citizens participatory approach to promote the acceptance and enhance the implementation potential of the advanced systems and the corresponding approach by relevant stakeholders.
