Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SuPER-W (Sustainable Product, Energy and Resource Recovery from Wastewater)
Reporting period: 2018-03-01 to 2020-02-29
The European Union is a world leader in water research. It is the home to some of the largest water companies in the world as well as to a string of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) delivering diverse water technologies and engineering services. The EU supports integrated research projects that have successfully brought together scientists on particular aspects of the water cycle. It also supports training particularly at masters level through a diversity of water technology / management focused programmes. Considering the major investments made in the EU to improve the water infrastructure and the major financial interests existing with private and public entities, it is but logic that the EU harvests the scientific benefits as well as the commercial developments associated with it. Moreover, the EU could now become the ideal catalyst supporting the emerging paradigm shift from wastewater treatment to product, energy and resource recovery, driven by the ambition to boost economic growth in the water sector, as well as to reduce the (potential) impacts of increasing greenhouse gas emissions and resource scarcity. To enable this, there is also a clear need for young professionals having experience with 1. assessment of societal perception and (economical/social/environmental) sustainability of wastewater treatment and resource recovery systems; 2. identification of different types of (economical/technical/regulatory) bottlenecks in the implementation and exploitation of novel resource recovery technologies in Europe; 3. translation of research into policy through better understanding of the regulatory decision-making process and the ability to effectively communicate with policy-makers and other stakeholders; 4. business case development and establishment of industrial, urban, and mixed urban-industrial ecosystems. To match these needs, SuPER-W aimed to set up an international doctorate programme on product, energy and resource recovery from wastewater involving 5 top academic institutes in Europe, in alliance with industrial partners. This joint doctorate programme delivers a double or joint PhD degree from at least two of the involved academic institutions as well as a joint doctoral training certificate awarded by the entire consortium to all researchers successfully finalising the training programme and PhD research activities.
SuPER-W has set up a doctoral training programme having 4 pillars: 1. education through research, 2. education through exchange with the non-academic sector, 3. education through structured training courses, and 4. education through participation in public outreach activities. In their training, the SuPER-W researchers profited from the strong interactions with other early-stage researchers (ESRs), researchers from other institutions and companies active in the same field through the organisation of network-wide SuPER-W training courses and exchange activities. Explicit focus was laid on international as well as intersectoral mobility (obligatory internships), involvement of ESRs in dissemination, awareness raising and public outreach, and training in specific technical and complementary skills, such as entrepreneurship skills, IP management, conflict management, negotiation and discussion techniques, project management, career development, presentation techniques, popular writing and modern communication and networking skills. Furthermore, the ESRs were trained in translating research into policy, creative problem-solving, bottleneck identification for implementation of resource recovery technology, business case development, and more effective dissemination and exploitation of research results.
In total, the ESRs participated in 7 network-wide training events and workshops and a closing conference, in addition to the training they received in their local home and host institutions. All ESRs conducted a mandatory internship in the non-academic sector and a secondment of at least 6 months in the university that co-awards their double/joint PhD degree. Furthermore, they contributed to several outreach activities and tools, including a massive open online course (MOOC) on resource recovery from wastewater, the development of a workshop with didactical material on electrochemical resource recovery from water treatment, which they demonstrated for a group of school children in Peru, and a workshop for pupils on water, sustainability and resource recovery. In their research, the ESRs of SuPER-W tackled some major challenges towards making product, energy and resource recovery from wastewater more efficient. Technological challenges dealt with included the optimisation of transformation processes, concentration and separation, removal of unwanted compounds, and translation to low-tech environments. Non-technological challenges concerned enhanced exploitation of research results and translation of science into policy. The research programme was mainly technology-oriented, but significant attention was also given to the identification of (regulatory/economical/technical) bottlenecks in the implementation and exploitation of (novel) resource recovery technologies in Europe, stakeholder involvement, policy input formulation, the development of new business cases and industrial, urban, and mixed urban-industrial ecosystems, and assessment of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of wastewater treatment and resource recovery technologies. Two early-stage researchers focused specifically on these aspects.
In total, the ESRs participated in 7 network-wide training events and workshops and a closing conference, in addition to the training they received in their local home and host institutions. All ESRs conducted a mandatory internship in the non-academic sector and a secondment of at least 6 months in the university that co-awards their double/joint PhD degree. Furthermore, they contributed to several outreach activities and tools, including a massive open online course (MOOC) on resource recovery from wastewater, the development of a workshop with didactical material on electrochemical resource recovery from water treatment, which they demonstrated for a group of school children in Peru, and a workshop for pupils on water, sustainability and resource recovery. In their research, the ESRs of SuPER-W tackled some major challenges towards making product, energy and resource recovery from wastewater more efficient. Technological challenges dealt with included the optimisation of transformation processes, concentration and separation, removal of unwanted compounds, and translation to low-tech environments. Non-technological challenges concerned enhanced exploitation of research results and translation of science into policy. The research programme was mainly technology-oriented, but significant attention was also given to the identification of (regulatory/economical/technical) bottlenecks in the implementation and exploitation of (novel) resource recovery technologies in Europe, stakeholder involvement, policy input formulation, the development of new business cases and industrial, urban, and mixed urban-industrial ecosystems, and assessment of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of wastewater treatment and resource recovery technologies. Two early-stage researchers focused specifically on these aspects.
SuPER-W supported the long-term human resource management plan of European water innovators by developing skills in emerging water technologies, meanwhile coping with the increased need for water professionals and the natural aging of the present population of professionals in the water community. It brought together eminent scientists and non-academic sector representatives from multiple key disciplines to train young professionals, to optimise existing technologies and develop novel integrated technologies for product, energy and resource recovery from wastewater, to identify (potential) bottlenecks in the implementation and exploitation of these technologies and to stimulate policy input formulation. This was done this through the creation of an international doctoral programme offering top doctoral candidates the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary, international context of leading research institutions, industrial partners involved in technology development, service providers, consultancy/engineering companies, and policy makers participating in the programme. Collaborations between the institutions involved has resulted in better harmonisation of the doctoral programmes, strengthening the interaction and exchange of academic and non-academic resources. The training of skilled professionals in the field of product, energy and resource recovery will increase the position of European academia and industry on a global scale. Indeed, the existence of a network of professionals, linked by a common training and recognition of scientific as well as complementary skills, will unify efforts where possible and create new employment opportunities both in the academic and non-academic, private and public sector. Results obtained in SuPER-W will support technology development at large enterprises as well as stimulate the development of new technologies through spin-offs and SMEs.