Area 3: Environmental Technologies ( incl. technologies related to water and soil)

TEG 3.1: Sustainable and cost-effective policies and technologies on water uses (production, consumption, recycling) for preventing and reducing environmental risks on water and soils, controlling pollution, and balancing demand and supply

CALL LINE 3
Novel preventive management tools and cost-effective technologies tailored for specific needs of industrial wastewater treatment and re-use

Justification

Industry is the second largest water using sector in Europe: it has therefore a significant impact on water resources and reversely some industrial branches are highly dependent on water availability, water quality and water uses related costs. A small volume of highly polluted industrial wastewater can despoil large volumes of freshwater in the receiving body that it discharges into. There needs to be much better accord between the various sectoral users of water - so that large volume users (like the agricultural sector) introduce more efficient working practices and enable the water resources needed by expanding industrial and municipal sectors to be provided. The approach can be introduced either by pre-use treatment of water by technologies suited to large volumes of water at low pollutant concentration, or post-use treatment by technologies suited to small volume high concentration technologies. Either way even if pollution control regulations are introduced there will remain a strong need in water-limited societies for clean-up technologies to be developed.

General objectives

• To reduce water use as well as the pollution load from industries by developing and/or adopting preventative management tools
• To develop robust cost-effective treatment technologies for specific needs of industrial wastewater reuse and/or discharge

Specific objectives from perspective of the New Member States

• Control of toxic and hazardous chemicals (xenobiotics) in industries, such as textile, metal-finishing, and chemical-pharmaceutical etc.
• Overuse of industrial process water
• Compliance with related EU directives (such as the Water Framework Directive).

Background / state-of-the-art

The problems of water conservation and water pollution are distinguished in the Eastern European region by the low availability of investment for implementation of control technologies, and especially for operation and maintenance. (There are examples of how STWs [Sewage Treatment Works] have been turned off because of their relatively high energy and running costs compared to the beneficial effect they have on the water bodies they discharge into.) There is a vital role for water quality management procedures not just in Europe but throughout the world, but the requirement for cost-effective technologies is particularly felt among NMC and ACC countries of Eastern Europe

Ongoing and completed projects on issues raised

There are few ongoing or completed projects on technologies for wastewater treatment within the Framework Programmes of the EC . The work that has been done has been carried out predominantly by individual companies

Priorities of FP7 and WSSTP SRA addressed by objectives

The call line 3 refers to WSSTP priority: Sustainable water management for industry and to FP7, theme Environment, Activity III – Environmental Technologies, priority 1 - Environmental technologies for the sustainable management and conservation of the natural and man-made environment.

Suggestion for most appropriate type of project

Collaborative research project

Specific research highlights:

• Determination of the specific water use in different industrial sectors relative to reference indicators such as IPPC, BATs
• Possible water use reduction opportunity by means of preventive management tools such as waste reduction audit, chemical substitution assessment, and life cycle assessment
• Comparative assessment of the novel treatment technologies
• Investigation of factors affecting the performance of novel treatment technologies

Existing expertise / Required expertise ( Table 2)

Expertise relates to different technologies for water treatment, these include:

• Membrane technology
• Reactive barrier technology
• Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
• Electrochemical oxidation, and (v) sequential treatment.

International expertise is already extensive in all these technologies (except for reactive barrier technology in which it is limited, and in AOPs in which although laboratory research is extensive the application at pilot scale has still to be carried out)
However within NMC and ACC countries (such as Turkey), the development of these technologies to fit local needs is generally limited, and there remains a strong requirement for adaptive research to develop procedures that are appropriate for Eastern European situations.
On the positive side, at least for AOPs and electro-chemical oxidation technologies extensive lab work is under way (including electro-oxidation of stable organic pollutants on Pt, Au and MOS electrodes; and electro-fenton oxidation on oxygen diffusion electrodes). Research on sequential treatment technologies is under way but has yet to be focused on individual industries that create certain pollutants.

Gaps in knowledge

Membrane Technology
• Development of more durable and cheaper systems
• Pretreatment needs
• Identification of applicability and feasibility for various industries
Reactive Barrier Technology
• Assessment of rates and extents of biotransformations for specific compounds.
• Assessment of its potential efficiencies and costs
• How to dispose satisfactorily of spent barrier material.
Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)
• Research efforts for EU WFD priority pollutants have so far been fragmented and need better coordination.
• Potential use of solar energy in the production of efficient coating systems
• Investigations needed on formation intermediary compounds (that are potentially toxic)
• Investigation of biodegradability of treated wastewater
• Separation and reuse of photocatalysts
Electrochemical oxidation
• Studies are needed on current efficiency, and the stability and cost of electrodes
Sequential Treatment
• Research is needed on the feasibility of developing sequential treatment for various different industries; also on the types of chemical treatment that would be needed within each industry.

Societal, economic and European relevance

The drivers for such research to be carried out are the need for less industrial waste discharge, and for more efficient utilization of scarce water resources (through wastewater reuse). The improvements that can be delivered to a range of European societies, and even to potential users in countries outside the EC, NMC and ASC, include region lower waste management costs and improved public health. All of which would lead to the twin goals of improved environmental conditions and more rational and efficient use of water resources.