Politecnico and SMAT, a solid partnership for innovation in water resource management

Remarkable results follow when high-level research is carefully applied to the management of a vital resource like water. This is evident in the more than twenty-year collaboration between SMAT and Politecnico, which began with the optimization of civil wastewater treatment and now extends to the many implications of climate change, alongside a continued focus on education and career development.

The now long-standing collaboration between Politecnico and SMAT (Società Metropolitana Acque Torino) - the water utility company for the Turin metropolitan area - began in 1984, when SMAT was still known as Azienda Po-Sangone. The relationship dates back to the launch of Italy's first civil wastewater treatment plant, a national first for the company, studied closely by numerous university students for teaching and research purposes.

"It was precisely these educational activities, including site visits, dissertations and research projects, that laid the foundation for a working relationship which, over time, grew into something consolidated and mutually beneficial, leading in 2010 to the signing of the first Partnership Agreement – explains Mariachiara Zanetti, Vice Rector for Local, National and European Affairs and academic coordinator of the agreement, now also – At the heart of the agreement is a constant focus on applied research. For Politecnico, having a real plant where research ideas can be tested is essential, while SMAT gets immediate answers to concrete issues and problems through research".

Over the years, civil wastewater treatment has been joined by other areas of research, including drinking water purification, the challenges linked to climate change, and consequently groundwater monitoring, water resource supply and management. More recently, SMAT and the university have also worked together on the approval process for a new thermal oxidizer for sewage sludge, again one of the first of its kind in Italy.

Also significant is the work related to hydraulic engineering and network modelling. "These are areas SMAT has developed thanks largely to Politecnico, often staying ahead of other water utilities – notes Elisa Brussolo, head of SMAT's Research Centre – We now collaborate with several university departments, including, more recently, the Department of Mathematical Sciences, on developing a data analysis model for the readings from our sensors, in order to build a predictive algorithm that can be used for more realistic design assumptions and for billing purposes".

But the collaboration between Politecnico and SMAT extends beyond applied research. "For the company – adds SMAT's CEO Armando Quazzo – it has been important over the years to connect with young students, and later graduates, who have had the chance to explore highly complex and sensitive topics, while also getting to know a company that plays a significant role in the region".

Thanks to these young people, selected periodically according to the company's needs, SMAT has built up a team of skilled technicians within its ranks who have added real value to its work serving the region. Over the years, SMAT and Politecnico have also taken part in numerous national and international projects, including, most recently, a programme for water management in developing countries.

SMAT and Politecnico's partnership spans more than twenty years of fruitful joint work serving the region, a partnership that is also looking ahead to future developments, including a joint training programme on water management that could soon become a reality.