| projects-481 |
739507 |
BRINE MINING |
Applying circular economy solutions in industrial wastewater management: request of SME Associate to develop the necessary energy simulation tools for recovery of waste heat from industrial operations |
H2020 |
H2020-INNOSUP-2016-2017 |
INNOSUP-02-2016 |
2017-09-01 |
2018-08-31 |
Completed |
€ 000 082 000.00 |
"Global competition for water is increasing and is expected to lead to social, economic, environmental and geo-politicalconsequences. Desalination provides a promising solution for the water crisis. However, current desalination technologies cause serious environmental impacts, due to the wastewater effluent called ""brine"". At the same time, this brine contains valuable materials which can, if recovered, create significant value and job opportunities for our economies. BRINE-MINING project aims to develop the 1st Circular Economy Plan for closing the loop of desalination wastewater, by applying an eco-innovative technology developed in previous EU projects in industrial environment, while exploiting waste heat available.The company is commercializing an eco-innovative technology that was demonstrated successfully at pilot scale, within the European project SOL-BRINE (BEST LIFE 2015 ENVIRONMENT project). The research was further advanced through a second EU funding, to elaborate a feasibility study (SME Project No. 674455). To do so, our company needs expertise in advanced simulation tools that will allow integration of our technology in the industrial environment, by making optimal use of the waste heat available. This is expected to reduce drastically the operating expenditure of the solution provided, achieving competitive prices and thus empowering our unique selling proposition. The ultimate goal will be to recruit a talented researcher in the position of Senior Software Development Engineer, who will be able to apply his expertise in order to realize our innovation potential. This is expected to contribute significantly to the growth of our company, creating approximately 6 new job positions and the possibility to collaborate with the SME Associate on a permanent basis towards our game changing path of making desalination circular." |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/739507 |
Coastal waters' |
| projects-482 |
957272 |
PortPath |
PortPath: A Portable Device for Detecting Pathogens |
H2020 |
ERC-2020-PoC |
ERC-2020-POC |
2020-08-01 |
2022-07-31 |
Completed |
No data |
Many of today’s water resources are contaminated by pathogenic bacteria, which cause serious diseases, especially in low-income countries. One particularly grave concern is Vibrio cholerae, the disease-causing agent of cholera, with an estimated 1.3 to 4.0 million cases worldwide every year and an estimated annual mortality rate of up to 143,000 people. The current state-of-the-art detection methods for this pathogen have high demands on the equipment and on the expertise of the investigating person. In addition, a positive detection generally takes several hours and is very expensive. PortPath presents a completely new approach for the detection of pathogens (with emphasis on the cholera pathogen), which is based on automated analysis of water samples contaminated with pathogens. PortPath is not only much faster and cheaper than previous detection methods but can also be used by non-medical laypersons. An easy-to-use software together with low-cost hardware shows whether pathogens are present in a water sample. The software uses the recent developments in computer technology, especially in machine learning strategies. Significant components of PortPath have already been developed. The two objectives during the Proof of Concept phase are (1) the technical validation with a first prototype of PortPath, and (2) the development of a business plan for PortPath. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/957272 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Water reservoir', 'Lake', 'Groundwater', 'Urban water', 'Coastal waters' |
| projects-483 |
886209 |
AquaGen |
Water quality biomonitoring combining AI and environmental genomics |
H2020 |
H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
2019-12-01 |
2020-03-31 |
Completed |
€ 000 071 429.00 |
The impact of human activities on the environment is regularly monitored by environmental agencies and by the industry. This trend is growing due to public recognition of environmental threats and pressure for transparency as well as more stringent regulations tackling water pollution. ID-gene goal is to provide environmental agencies and industry that cannot respond to the growing demand for environmental impact assessments with fast, sensitive and reliable eDNA tests/assays for species detection and bio-indication. Founded with the idea of applying environmental genetics to environmental impact assessments and developing new technological solutions, ID-Gene is implementing customer-focused approach. Time is spent on listening to customers making sure that their needs are thoroughly understood and brainstorming possible solutions.A spin-off of the University of Geneva, ID-Gene services are certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for the environmental impact assessment of salmon farms. The company developed & led the €1.3 million SYNAQUA project for the development of eco-genomic tools & is involved in international projects enforcing environmental genomics for biodiversity monitoring. ID-Gene is also involved in the DNAqua.net COST action, being considered an expert in the field of eDNA for water quality monitoring. ID-Gene technology on water quality monitoring has been field tested since 2015 onward, with field trials in over 400 sites, with continuous testing taking place as the technology development.ID-Gene possesses a state-of-the-art laboratory, controlling all steps of the analysis, from eDNA sampling to high-throughput sequencing & sequencing data analysis with well-established and customs tools. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/886209 |
Coastal waters', 'Rivers and estuaries', 'Urban water' |
| projects-484 |
877611 |
BLACK HAT |
An eco-friendly ultrasonic system to control and prevent algal blooms and zebra mussel invasion in small and large water surfaces |
H2020 |
H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
2019-08-01 |
2020-01-31 |
Completed |
€ 000 071 429.00 |
An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system and can be harmful for the environment, human health and aquatic life due to the production of toxins and the consequences of accumulated biomass. The zebra mussel is an increasingly problematic invasive organism found in waterbodies difficult to control due to their fast proliferation. Both invasive species can cause in fresh water systems taste and odour issues, operational problems by clogging filters and pumps and disrupt the ecosystem. There is an urgent need to efficient control their proliferation, since current methods are expensive, cumbersome and environmentally unfriendly. Solving systems engineering (S2E) is an advanced services enterprise in electronic engineering, specialized in integrated electronic system design, R+D projects and energetic advisory. We have developed a cost-efficient and eco-friendly floating buoy (BLACK HAT) based on ultrasonic technology to control and prevent algal blooms and zebra mussel plagues in small and large water surfaces. The system operates autonomously on solar energy, reducing electricity consumption, carbon foot print and operational costs. In addition, the device emits in a frequency bandwidth that kills efficiently different types of algae and zebra mussel without damage fish and plants.We have planned technical and commercial activities to ensure a success entry of BLACK HAT into the market. With BLACK HAT, we forecast a gross profit of €23.8 million after five years of commercialization and the creation of 22 new positions within in our company to satisfy growth needs. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/877611 |
Lake', 'Water reservoir', 'Urban water' |
| projects-485 |
868462 |
WaMoS |
Wastewater Treatment Monitoring and Advisory System |
H2020 |
H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 |
2019-05-01 |
2019-10-31 |
Completed |
€ 000 071 429.00 |
The biggest pain point of WaMoS customers, i.e. small and medium size Urban Waste Water Treatment Plants (UWWTP, 18.842 in EU), is that state-of-the-art of commercially available technological solutions for real-time and online monitoring of aerobic biological nutrient removal (BNR), responsible for cleaning of organic pollutants from wastewater, does not meet the demands of the market. Lack of suitable solutions forces operators of UWWTPs to »drive blind« in critical situations. This often results in discharge of pollutants into receiving rivers with estimated environmental cost of 300 million EUR per year in EU.Our innovation : WaMoS is affordable online, real-time, monitoring, diagnostic, alarming and advisory system for monitoring BNR process status, designed as Platform as a Sevice (PaaS). Our Key enabling technology is industrial biotechnology supported by Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies. It can completely remove risks of pollution due to problems with BNR process and as such it is an industry gamechanger. Our target is 80% reduction of unwanted biological treatment events during operation of small and medium size UWWTPs. Our customers are reponsible for cleaning waste water of 150 million inhabitants of European Union.WaMoS is positioned as Smart Water Technology , available market amounts to 360 - 400 million EUR globally, we target market share of 30% till 2025. The main market drivers are new EU legislation, technology (IoT, ML/AI, blockchain) and strong public pressure. Our main competitor is Hach RTC solution, which is still too expensive. WaMoS will be launched on the market for the 3rd of the price of the competition.Our unique competitive advantage is a combination of long-term (30 years) experience with excellent knowledge and understanding of biotechnology and biological processes, combined with knowledge of IT technology, water business and entrepreneurship. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/868462 |
Urban water', 'Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-486 |
691527 |
ShaleSafe |
Development of a monitoring system for inspection of soil and aquifer contamination by shalegas and fracking chemicals |
H2020 |
H2020-FTIPilot-2015-1 |
FTIPilot-1-2015 |
2016-10-01 |
2019-06-30 |
Completed |
€ 002 990 102.50 |
In the United States, shale gas rose from less than 1% of domestic gas production in 2000 to over 20% by 2010. It is projected that it will account for 46% of United States gas supply by 2035. It has revolutionized the US economy by creating 600,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributed $49 billion annually to government revenues. With only a handful of well rigs (72 in Europe compared to over 2000 in the US as of 2012); Europe is 8-10 years behind the USA.The most imminent challenge for oil and gas industry in Europe (and the rest of the world) is therefore being able to demonstrate/guarantee safe exploration and extraction techniques in order to address the associated environmental concerns. The ideal way to do this will be by continuously monitoring environmental conditions and effects (including in the long term) of the underground soil and water in-situ during exploration to be able to effectively mitigate for the soil and aquifer contamination by methane gas and fracking chemicals in the possible event that they occur. With reports in the U.S. of cases where mistakes were made, this is a possibility. This problem has led to a fragmented political landscape regarding shale gas, with Poland being a main backer; the U.K., Lithuania and Romania moving cautiously ahead and others being hesitant. Currently, soil and water inspection is done by testing samples in the lab which is expensive and time consuming. In the FP7 SOIMON project, a soil monitoring system embedded in a sonic drilling pipe has been developed and tested in the field. The system allows soil monitoring while drilling a hole in the soil. This system, used in ShaleSafe, allows monitoring of the soil and groundwater above the shale gas reservoir and around the shale gas well by performing monitoring in hydrogeological wells. This method is quick, cost effective and allows for long term monitoring. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/691527 |
Groundwater' |
| projects-487 |
770469 |
CUTLER |
Coastal Urban developmenT through the LEnses of Resiliency |
H2020 |
H2020-SC6-CO-CREATION-2016-2017 |
CO-CREATION-06-2017 |
2018-01-01 |
2020-12-31 |
Completed |
€ 005 080 125.00 |
Coastal urban development incorporates a wide range of development activities that are taking place as a result of the water element existing in the fabric of the city. This element may have different forms (i.e. a bay, a river, or a brook) but in almost all cases the surrounding area constitutes what maybe considered as the heart of the city. Every city that incorporates the water-element in its fabric is confronted with the fundamental requirement of developing policies for driving development in the surrounding area, while balancing between: a) economic growth, b) protection of the environmental, and c) safeguarding social cohesion. This requirement is tightly connected with the concept of Urban Resilience, which is the capacity of individuals, communities, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and grow no matter what chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. In developing policies that add value to the resilience of a city, we shift the existing paradigm of policy making, which is largely based on intuition, towards an evidence-driven approach enabled by big data. Our attention is placed on policies related to the water element. Our basis is the sensing infrastructures installed in the cities offering demographic data, statistical information, sensor readings and user contributed content forming the big data layer. Methods for big data analytics are used to measure the economic activity, assess the environmental impact and evaluate the social consequences. The extracted pieces of evidence are used to inform, advice, monitor, evaluate and revise the decisions made by policy planners. Finally, effective policies are developed dealing with: a) the economic and urban development of Thermaikos Bay, Thessaloniki, b) the transformation of Düden Brook into a recreation and park area, Antalya, c) the development of a Storm Water Plan, Antwerp, and d) the review of the Country Development Plan in the River Lee territory, City of Cork. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/770469 |
Urban water', 'Coastal waters', 'Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-488 |
689687 |
FERTINNOWA |
Transfer of INNOvative techniques for sustainable WAter use in FERtigated crops |
H2020 |
H2020-WATER-2014-2015 |
WATER-4b-2015 |
2016-01-01 |
2018-12-31 |
Completed |
€ 002 999 273.40 |
In European countries, the cultivation of fertigated crops experience scarcity of water, and the intensity of cultivation poses significant risks to water quality. The main objective of the FERTINNOWA thematic network is to create a meta-knowledge database on innovative technologies and practices for fertigation of horticultural crops. FERTINNOWA will also build a knowledge exchange platform to evaluate existing and novel technologies (innovation potential, synergies, gaps, barriers) for fertigated crops and ensure wide dissemination to all stakeholders involved of the most promising technologies and best practices.A multi-actor integrated approach will be used through the FERTINNOWA platform which will involve various stakeholders (researchers, growers, policy-makers, industry, environmental groups etc.) at several levels including the socio-economic and regulatory level (national and European) with a special focus on the EU Water Framework Directive and Nitrate Directive. Information will be gathered at national level to feed a European benchmark study that will evaluate and compare existing technologies used at various horticulture sectors, including vegetables, fruit and ornamentals in different climate zones.All tools, databases and other resources generated will be shared within the consortium and the stakeholders’ group and will be made available to the broader scientific community, policy-makers, the industry and the public at large. FERTINNOWA will help the growers to implement innovative technologies in order to optimize water and nutrient use efficiency thus reducing the environmental impact. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/689687 |
Groundwater', 'Urban water' |
| projects-489 |
794711 |
MarginScapes |
Long-term land use and water management strategies in arid margin landscapes |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 |
MSCA-IF-2017 |
2018-03-19 |
2020-03-18 |
Completed |
€ 000 195 454.80 |
MarginScapes aims to bring together large-scale, multi-temporal and multi-source geospatial analysis to identify long-term sustainable land use strategies in arid regions, with a special focus on investigating the dynamics between past desert populations, climate change and the availability of water. Many populations inhabiting drylands maintain traditional strategies, the origin of which can be traced to distinct socio-ecological contexts. However, in recent decades, intensification of anthropogenic influence has caused a rapid transformation of the landscape and an alarming intensification of the processes has led to desertification, increasing the sensitivity and vulnerability of these regions to climate influences and, ultimately, endangering the preservation of archaeological and cultural landscapes.MarginScapes will explore the nature of human occupation of arid margins by re-evaluating the socio-ecological dynamics that have shaped the cultural landscapes of South Asia. The present extent of the Cholistan desert and the northern margins of the Thar desert were core areas for the development of the Indus Civilisation (ca. 3300-2500 BC). These regions have been the subject of considerable historical interest due to the presence of extensive network of relict riverbeds that are thought to have supported several ancient sites in what is today an extreme arid ecotone. By using a novel combination of Earth Observation data and analysis in a petabyte-scale cloud computing environment, machine learning geostatitics, GIS-based topographic analysis and Network Analysis, MarginScapes will provide new methodological tools and quantifiable open access data to: 1) understand the relationships between past hydrological systems, relict palaeosoils and the distribution of ancient sites; 2) identify historical and modern landscape transformations; and 3) foresee the mechanisms of how populations coped and adapted to climate change, water scarcity and desertification. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/794711 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Groundwater' |
| projects-490 |
727211 |
EnviroALARM |
Early alarm system for groundwater contamination monitoring |
H2020 |
H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017 |
SMEInst-11-2016-2017 |
2016-06-01 |
2016-11-30 |
Completed |
€ 000 071 429.00 |
EnviroALARM is an eco-innovative online monitoring system specially developed to significantly improve the existing technologies for groundwater (GW) pollution surveillance, contributing to radically reduce the potential environmental impact of contaminant leakages from hydrocarbon and/or chemical storage sites. There are over 1 million sites with high potential to contaminate GW worldwide (petrol stations, refineries, storage centres, etc.). At present, there is not an affordable and reliable system to daily detect hydrocarbon leakages to groundwater. EnviroALARM fits within the European priorities to prevent and minimize environmental impacts, developing an eco-innovative product to continuously monitor the potential presence of hydrocarbons in the GW. The global environmental monitoring market is poised to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.5% during 2015-2020, and is expected to reach a value of ~$20.5 Billion in 2020.The main advantages of EnviroALARM over current competitors are: i) Daily monitoring, promoting the early detection and hence the measures to mitigate the contamination; ii) High sensitivity to the presence of contaminants, detecting leaks below 0.4 l/h. iii) Reliable without false alarm based on a proprietary sensor technology; iv) Wireless system not requiring civil work installation; v) Significant cost reduction (up to 80%) over current market competitive solutions. EnviroALARM innovative sensor based on a physicochemical reactions is unique in the world. This solution present a huge market opportunity, since it applies to a worldwide problem offering an easily replicable and transferable technology that fulfils the increasing regulations at EU and international level.The main objective of the present proposal is the determination of EnviroALARM technological and economic feasibility. After checking its feasibility, an upgraded EnviroALARM prototype will be developed in order to conduct several demonstration activities. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/727211 |
Groundwater' |
