Resource efficiency solutions to boost European industry
Industrial processes in sectors such as ceramics, chemicals and steel manufacturing are characterised by large thermal energy consumption, high water demand and significant waste streams. This makes them key targets for technological innovation in the transition towards a circular economy. “Ceramic tile manufacturing for example relies heavily on natural-gas-fired spray dryers and kilns, which account for a large share of thermal energy consumption,” explains iWAYS(opens in new window) project coordinator Luca Montorsi from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia(opens in new window) in Italy. “Similarly, industrial plants often discharge wastewater containing valuable resources or requiring costly treatment before disposal. These practices represent a missed opportunity for resource recovery and circularity.”
Circular industrial resource management
The iWAYS project sought to address this by developing and demonstrating integrated technologies for circular industrial resource management. At the core of the project were three technological pillars, the first being heat recovery. A Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE) was used to reuse heat within the industrial process, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The project team also developed modular and adaptable wastewater treatment systems. These systems incorporated combinations of treatment units such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, dissolved air flotation, membrane distillation and photocatalytic nanofiltration. A third major innovation involved digital data monitoring and decision support systems. These integrated technologies were then validated through three large-scale industrial demonstration cases representing different industrial sectors: a ceramic tile manufacturing plant; a chemical processing plant; and a steel manufacturing facility.
Achieving process efficiencies
The iWAYS project demonstrated that integrated heat recovery, water reuse and digital monitoring systems can be used to improve industrial resource efficiency. One of the most significant achievements was the successful deployment of the HPCE in real industrial conditions. At the ceramic facility for example, the system recovered substantial amounts of thermal energy from spray dryer exhaust gases. “As the inventor of the HPCE and technical director of iWAYS, I’m proud of how boldly we’ve pushed boundaries,” says professor Hussam Jouhara from Brunel University of London(opens in new window). “iWAYS shows that when innovative ideas meet real industrial ambition, we can turn sustainability from aspiration into achievement.” In the chemical industry demonstration, the water treatment system enabled a reduction in freshwater consumption of up to 60 000 tonnes per year, significantly exceeding initial project targets. The project also successfully integrated sensors, industrial control systems and cloud-based analytics to provide high-resolution monitoring of industrial processes.
Towards industrial implementation
Montorsi and the team believe that the results of iWAYS provide a strong foundation for further technological development. Several important steps remain however in order to fully translate the project’s innovations into widespread industrial adoption. “One of the main next steps is scaling up and replicating the demonstrated technologies across additional industrial sectors,” he adds. “The underlying principles of heat recovery, water reuse and digital monitoring are applicable to many other industries.” Many of the technologies developed within the project also required further optimisation. This includes refining heat exchanger designs, improving membrane durability in water treatment systems and enhancing automation within monitoring platforms. Another critical step will be finding ways of overcoming practical barriers to adoption, such as high initial investment costs. “Overall, the next phase of work will focus on transforming these technological advances into scalable industrial solutions,” notes Montorsi. “The results we achieved together here demonstrate the power of collaboration and mark a significant step towards a more sustainable and resource efficient future.”
