Background Contaminants in wastewater from the brewing industry come mainly from equipment cleaning operations and treatment processes. The main pollutants are sulphates (1.2-2.0 Kg/h), bicarbonates (0.2-0.4 kg/hl) and nitrates (30-100 mg/l), which all cause severe environmental problems (especially in water bodies). The best techniques currently used for reducing pollutants in brewing industry wastewater are based on membrane processes (dead-end, cross-flow and dynamic filtration), as an alternative to conventional solid-liquid separations. These techniques reduce the presence of pollutants in effluents by 75-85%, enabling them to be discharged into river basins or used for irrigation. Other pollutant removal techniques include biological treatments (aerobic and anaerobic) and chemical oxidation. All these techniques reduce pollutant levels in wastewater from the different production stages, but they do not represent a zero-discharge solution and incur with high energy costs. Objectives LIFE-ANSWER will demonstrate an integrated and innovative technology for treating wastewater from breweries, and other food and drink sectors. In particular, the proposed technology will combine electrocoagulation and bioelectrogenesis microbial treatments for the complete (100%) removal of wastewater pollutants. This technology will be implemented in Alovera (Spain) in a pilot waste water treatment plant (WWTP) able to treat 10 m3/h of wastewater. The final dry residue will be valorised for both energy production (making the process energy efficient) and fertiliser. The project is in line with the Water Framework Directive and its objective of achieving good status for all EU water bodies. The specific objectives of the project are to: Characterise the obtained treated water for each technology combination and identify its possible uses; Mitigate existing environmental and health impacts (diseases), as well as obtaining a reduction in the carbon footprint of WWTPs; Evaluate the wastewater situation in food and drink industries, assess and transfer the project results, and apply the best available technology in WWTPs; Assess the socio-economic impact of the demonstration plant implementation on the local economy, and also for European regions with similar water pollution problems; and Reach stakeholders with the benefits of using the LIFE ANSWER technology. Expected results: A new technology that supplies 30% of the total electrical consumption of the wastewater treatment process and 3% of its thermal needs; Improvement in the quality of the wastewater resulting from the purification process, allowing the tertiary treatment by reverse osmosis and the use of reclaimed water for cleaning purposes; Estimated prevented water loss during the project of 87 000 m3/year, for the 10m3/hour wastewater pilot plant, once the system is fully implemented; Volatile Fatty Acids (mg pollutants/L water) down to: 0.0007; Biological Oxygen Demand (mg pollutants/L water): 5.00; Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) (mg pollutants/L water): 40.00; Nitrogen (mg pollutants/L water): 5.00; Phosphorus (mg pollutants/L water): 0.25; Intensity principal wastewater plant Alovera (kwh/m3 treated): 1.85; An LCA of the proposed technology; and An overview of the wastewater treatments used in the European food and drink industry.