International Training Programme on Wastewater Management and Solar Energy - 1st day report

On the first day of the International Training Programme on Wastewater Management and Solar Energy, organized by ICPE and co-sponsored by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Acting Director General of ICPE, Mr. Janez Podobnik, warmly welcomed the participants. ADG also presented the history of ICPE, ICPE’s successful past and current activities as well as the postgraduate MBA programme in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics of University of Ljubljana.

Then the participants listened to the lecture of Dr. Danijel Vrhovšek, founder of LIMNOS, Company for Applied Ecology Ltd. Dr. Vrhovšek presented Ecoremediation or ERM – a method for stabilization or for removing pollutants from contaminated sediments, soil and wastewater. It is based on the idea of self-purification, a natural process and ability of water to rid itself of pollutants, with the help of plants.

With ERM being at the heart of every project of LIMNOS, Dr. Vrhovšek presented two innovative solutions to wastewater management, LIMNOWET and LIMNOS. The first is a constructed wetland (CW) and therefore an ecological solution for the treatment of wastewater (from households or industry) by aquatic plants, as Dr. Vrhovšek explained to the participants and the latter is an innovative rehabilitation method of landfill sites, approved in accordance with legislation. Due to their long-term, sustainability, efficiency, cost moderation and landscape attractiveness, this method is becoming more and more popular in Slovenia as well as the world.

Dr. Vrhovšek concluded the lecture by asking the participants to think of ERM as a bridge between man and nature, to always turn to nature and see how it resolved the problem, as well as to remember the importance of teaching children about the environment.

The participants concluded their first day with a field trip to the Central Wastewater Plant, Domžale – Kamnik, where Dr. Meta Levstek presented the two-stage biological treatment plant designed to remove carbon components from wastewater.