Supported projects in water management

WATER

Water management is understood as all topics dealing with the use of water for agriculture and urban areas

GWASOCO - Ground Water Solution for Communities

Partner: Geoservei (Spain)

The main idea of the GWASOCO project is to develop and promote an instrument to help the community of users (citizens, policy makers, industry, etc.) to reduce environmental impacts and groundwater usage at regional and national level. These improvements will be achieved through the continuous data sharing between the members of the community making a greater benefit over specific comunities’ actions. Based on this overall idea, the project will be focused on elaborating an ICT open architecture that combines open sensing, linked open data technology and a recommender system to encourage the users to provide information at same time as get personal benefits (e.g. provide energy savings in industry). In detail, this architecture will be transferred from a research centre as CTM to GeoServei, permitting this last company to improve their services catalogue in reference to geo-spatial services and environmental studies. In detail, the platform will be composed by an open-sensor layer in charge of measuring and gathering general environmental and water quality parameters (e.g. pH, nitrates, conductivity, water flows, among others). Field measurements will be tested and validated with standard laboratory techniques, using data sets in CSV, under a data integration layer. This layer will be composed by micro-services for subscribing and publishing information through data interfaces (CSV data, raw information) and store this information under a common database. Moreover, this layer will have a specific connection with environmental model already elaborated by GeoServei to provide specific recommendations and impacts monitoring to the different users (public administrations, industry, farmers, etc.). In the user interaction level, a web and mobile APP will permit to share the stored information between the members of the community according to their interest. To maintain the community active, this visualization environment will provide specific recommendation to them. Finally, to facilitate manual data sets entries, the web application will facilitate CSV/ XML data introduction and the mobile APP will provide mechanism to download from sensors raw data and upload it into the application. As a result, the proposed architecture will enlarge the paradigm of communities of citizens as a mechanism to improve environmental and urban/rural groundwater management and quality.

CykloP-Smart filters for recover phosphorus from wastewater

Partner: DiaPure AB (Sweden)

DiaPure® -a conceptual new way of treating wastewater and recycle P

Phosphorus (P) is an essential micronutrient for food production, and one of the world top 5 resources. EU are largely depending on P resources from outside of Europe, fx Morocco. Phosphorus is a limited resource and EU has a key focus on phosphorus recycling to reduce import. Over fertilization with P has caused P eutrophication of lakes and coastal zones. In other parts of Europe, the soil suffers from nutrient deficits. DiaPure® is a smart filter material, designed to recover P from wastewater from single households. Most P cleaning materials on the market are cheap, raw materials or waste materials. DiaPure® can compete with these materials because it has been designed for recycling of P and the filter can be rinsed and reused again and again. The P can be recovered and reused as a fertilizer. DiaPure® filter material is a naturally porous, light weight material with a high permeability and high P retention capacity, with a P capturing coating on the surfaces. Hence, it is ideal for P capture in flow-through filters for treatment of sewage from single households. The concept has been proven in small scale, so the aims of the project are: i) Bring the regeneration technology from lab to pilot scale. ii) Design a novel self-cleaning-plug-in-prototype.

Large-scale optimisation of chemical precipitation in water and sewage plants on the international market

Partner: FloCell AB (Sweden)

Chemical precipitation is used nowadays all over the world for water and wastewater treatment. The market is growing as a result of urbanisation, a growing population, climate change and the need for better drinking water and improved wastewater treatment. FloCell has developed a new system for optimisation of the precipitation process which is patented and under patent application. The method fulfils the requirements for blue growth due to a reduced use of chemicals and less quantities of sewage sludge, as well as improved purification results. After extensive trials, both pilot studies and full-scale research, a container-based method has been developed. The method can be installed in an existing or new treatment plant and has the capacity to optimise the precipitation process in a plant that serves maximum 100,000 pe. or an industrial plant of similar size. To reach an international market involving large cities and industries, the development of a larger plant with higher capacity is necessary. One of the aims of the project therefore is to commission construction drawings and draw up plans to be able to pitch such a plant. One important parameter for the construction of a full-scale plant, is that many large wastewater treatment plants use precipitation chemicals of low quality, which can cause problems. Another aim is to use aluminate and/or green liquor as a hydroxide source. The project will be started on a laboratory scale. Attempts will primarily aim at using green liquor and aluminate. Assuming the attempt at using aluminate/green liquor is successful a pilot unit will be built. The project continues with studies on the difficulties which can arise due to the use of contaminated coagulants. For the study, the existing container plant can be used, as long as other scheduled trials have been completed by then. Based on previous experiences and new a base construction drawing for a full-scale plan including the financial calculations will conclude the project.

The future water recycling product for households combining two patented technologies

Partner: Watersprint AB (Sweden)

Watersprint was created in 2013 focusing on product development that resulted in a world leading technology based on blue LED technology to disinfect bacteria, viruses and protozoa in water.

The new groundbreaking technology enables Watersprint products to be an energy efficient, chemical free, robust, safe to use and environment friendly water purification tool. The LED product development is rapid and Watersprint launched an improved version during 2017 ready for the global market.

Watersprint is active in the blue and green sector and our mission and vision is safe drinking water with minimum environmental footprint, accessible for everyone. Watersprint would like to challenge the climate action preparing for sustainable cities, focusing on circular water problems, in a joint action with another SME located in Finland, Sofi Filtration. The joint action starts with self-cleaning water filters innovated and patented by Sofi Filtration and the UV-LED based water disinfection unit innovated and patented by Watersprint. Our joint innovation is unique in the sense that it is energy efficient, mitigating waste and free from chemicals with long lifespan and low maintenance.

Sofi Filtration has developed a self-cleaning filter for industrial purposes and water recycling. Experiencing domestic water problems in California an idea to downscale the innovation appropriate for household level was developed. Watersprint is developing the second generation of UV-LED based water disinfection units with a very good disinfection capacity at higher flow rates which match the needs for a household. The two innovations would jointly solve the water problems in a household producing potable water. The outcome of our complete package with sensors, automation and power supply in a compact solution can act as a mini circular recycling unit.

The project includes development and testing of a prototype that shall initially be marketed to households, private- and public- institutions for potable water. This is the stepping stone for the next phase where we will further develop the joint innovation to include recycling of grey-water in micro and macro environments.

Prevention of biofouling in marine and coastal heat exchangers

Partner: EPFF AB (Sweden)

EPFF uses weak electromagnetism to prevent or reduce biofilm in pipes for drinking water and beverages, reducing or removing the need for harmful chemicals that are otherwise used. They have identified marine and coastal heat exchangers as a promising new market segment for their technology. Such heat exchangers are exposed internally to sea water which causes fouling from microbes (biofilm) and larger sea organisms. Such biofouling reduces the efficiency of heat exchangers, making it necessary to clean or replace them regularly. If biofouling can be reduced, large savings would be possible in terms of energy, cleaning chemicals and maintenance.

CROSSCLIMATE

Partners: Amigo Srl (Italy) and Map (Greece)

The objective of the CrossClimate project is to develop a prototype of a Decision Support System (DSS) which integrates climate information in a decision process tool for drinking water management in urban areas of the Mediterranean countries and a business model to bring on the market the above prototype.

The product will be based on the exploitation of the seasonal forecast of the EU Copernicus Services, infrastructural data of Water Utilities (WUs) and on the data integration through a GIS system for water manager, municipalities and decision makers.

The project has the ambition to exploit climate services in the market of drinkable water, which is still untouched and represents an important environmental and economic resource at European and planetary level. Facing changes due to climatic conditions, is becoming an obligation for drinking water suppliers, both for optimization of water distribution (network optimization) and for correct evaluation of requirement trends by the users (consumption estimate).

CrossClimate identified the small / medium municipalities and their WUs as the main target clients because, in most of the cases, those cities have outdated network information and they have simple Decision Support System for water network management.

The new service, integrating Climate information, social, economic and infrastructural data may improve the overall water management system in different ways:

- Detailed evaluation of the risk profile and of possible changes thereof in view of climate change on both short (days, weeks, months, seasons) and long term (decades);

- Optimized use of the water network, by using innovative remote sensing products and by introducing newly available comprehensive dataset.

The CrossClimate project integrate the state-of-the-art climate knowledge with the network data and aims to produce the optimal customized process to respond to the users-need using the GIS technology based on desktop & WEB GIS. The outputs are depicted on reports, maps and also on a dashboard with various analytics.

Besides limiting the risks, in the logic of being oriented towards adaptation, the CrossClimate intends to pinpoint the opportunities given by a better modulation of sources and fluxes, according to seasonal forecasts, therefore exploiting any possible advantage resulting from the given climate change scenarios and (water) network structure.

ANASYWA - Advanced Nano filtration system for water treatment

Partners: Stea Tech Srl and SC ELECTRONIC APRIL Srl (Romania)

Water management in rural environments has become an important issue nowadays due to increased quality demand in human consumption and agriculture and growing local industrialization. Ordinary sources of ground and surface water are usually improper for drinking, agriculture or industrial use because of water hardness and various chemical and biological pollutants. Another critical aspect is the difficulty to offer consistent regular and maintenance support for the deployed equipment at an economic cost.

ANASYWA project aims to find a better proposition in drinking water production for small and medium communities and for companies aiming at similar quality standards, with less power consumption, pollution, footprint, maintenance and consumables. The prototype will use nanofiltration membranes able to replace the classic combination of resin based ion exchange water softener and membrane filtration (ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis). The newest available types of nanofiltration membranes (Hollow Tube, Smart Comb, LF Nano, Ceramic Flat and Tube) will be tested in cross-flow and direct-flow configuration for water hardness reduction, chemical and biological pollutants removal. In addition the project will try to cover two other major aspects: variable flow and quality of the water source and power consumption. By using multistage centrifugal pumps with efficient IE5 motors with variable speed drives, proportional valves instead of manual ball or needle valves and electronic sensors instead of classic measuring instruments (manometers, rotameters), the system will be able to self-adapt to the variations of the flow and quality of the water source and sensibly reduce the power consumption. The automation system will contain a scalable high performance PLC unit and all the embedded software will be in-house developed with focus in reducing human intervention and power consumption optimization. Optional dosing modules for antiscalant, pH correction and chlorination will be provisioned. The prototype will be assembled in a skid that, at a larger scale, will form the building block for higher capacity units. The co-applicant will develop the system that will perform the remote monitoring, data aggregation and alarm functions over Internet for integration on a higher supervising system. The functionality and the efficacy of the ANASYWA unit will be tested in the field at potential customers with various quality water sources.

Increasing the efficiency of nutrients removal in small community wastewaters

Partners: ECOTRUST Srl (Romania) and ECO-SISTEMI Srl (Italy)

The aim of the project is to join the efforts of two European SMEs, EcoSistemi (Italy) and Ecotrust (Romania), for demonstrating in a real environment the efficiency of the integration of two waste water treatment technologies: a traditional primary treatment (three chamber Imhoff tank) and an innovative secondary biological treatment (RCBR biofilm reactor). This new application layout will increase water treatment quality standards, providing high efficiency in a compact design, high reduction of plant complexity, and high reduction of ecological footprint.