Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NICE (INNOVATIVE AND ENHANCED NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN WATER CYCLE)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-05-31
Everyday cities face degradation of fundamental vital resources. Population growth, resource depletion, & climate change aggravate pressures on water resources. In response, cities are moving towards a circular water model integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as an important component of urban water management.
NbS are technologies & processes inspired by nature that address societal challenges providing environmental, social & economic benefits without consumption of new resources & helping build resilience. In this context, NbS are key for water treatment & reuse due to their efficient in pollutant removal, low energy consumption, easy maintenance. In addition, they act synergically with environmental, social, & economic sustainability. However, more research & innovative approaches are needed to improve & widen application of NbS: NICE addresses these gaps. The project is generating knowledge for design &implementation of NbS to close urban water loops.
Building on an extensive analysis of existing NbS, NICE develops & tests new approaches in labs & 'Urban Real Labs' (URLs), addressing all urban water cycle; wastewater, greywater, river basins, stormwater & combined sewer overflow. NbS include green walls, green roofs, rain gardens & hybrid subsurface wetl&s, enhanced with tailored strategies (bioaugmentation & innovative reactive media). Furthermore, to contribute to upscale & widespread of NbS, NICE includes an open-source modelling tool that can be used to test, for a given site, performance of different NbS & select the most suitable one to create sustainable urban water loops.
To achieve sustainable circular urban water loops, the project provides knowledge base for the integration of NbS in the urban context by:
• Enabling NbS scaling-up by developing standards, guidelines & methodologies, based on results from R&D on innovative NbS at lab & URL scales & review of existing NbS.
• Creating new business & investment models for cost-effective solutions benefitting the environment, economy & society.
• Identifying obstacles, barriers & opportunities in regulations to support NbS integration.
• Raising awareness, by involving local stakeholders in co-creation of the URLs.
NbS are technologies & processes inspired by nature that address societal challenges providing environmental, social & economic benefits without consumption of new resources & helping build resilience. In this context, NbS are key for water treatment & reuse due to their efficient in pollutant removal, low energy consumption, easy maintenance. In addition, they act synergically with environmental, social, & economic sustainability. However, more research & innovative approaches are needed to improve & widen application of NbS: NICE addresses these gaps. The project is generating knowledge for design &implementation of NbS to close urban water loops.
Building on an extensive analysis of existing NbS, NICE develops & tests new approaches in labs & 'Urban Real Labs' (URLs), addressing all urban water cycle; wastewater, greywater, river basins, stormwater & combined sewer overflow. NbS include green walls, green roofs, rain gardens & hybrid subsurface wetl&s, enhanced with tailored strategies (bioaugmentation & innovative reactive media). Furthermore, to contribute to upscale & widespread of NbS, NICE includes an open-source modelling tool that can be used to test, for a given site, performance of different NbS & select the most suitable one to create sustainable urban water loops.
To achieve sustainable circular urban water loops, the project provides knowledge base for the integration of NbS in the urban context by:
• Enabling NbS scaling-up by developing standards, guidelines & methodologies, based on results from R&D on innovative NbS at lab & URL scales & review of existing NbS.
• Creating new business & investment models for cost-effective solutions benefitting the environment, economy & society.
• Identifying obstacles, barriers & opportunities in regulations to support NbS integration.
• Raising awareness, by involving local stakeholders in co-creation of the URLs.
Until now NICE made significant strides toward its goal of advancing innovative Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in various urban contexts addressing urban water management challenges. During this time, NICE pilots (15) were designed, constructed, & integrated in 10 urban sites across Europe & beyond. These systems, such as vertical gardens, constructed wetl&s, & rain gardens, will be used for efficient treatment of various types of water—stormwater, combined sewer overflows, greywater, wastewater, & river water. The pilots have been designed incorporating results & outcomes from research at lab scale on different innovations. More specifically, the innovations explored & developed until now include:
- Substrate material capable of adsorbing nearly 100% of certain emerging contaminants from wastewater, & able to recover phosphorus for plant us.
- Identification of microorganism capable of reducing 90% of emerging contaminants, intended for integration into bioaugmented NbS.
- Efficient green walls designed to treat greywater under stressful conditions.
- Improved conditions for operating green walls to enhance the efficiency of greywater treatment.
- Enhanced aeration conditions for CW used in combined sewer overflow & stormwater treatment, energy savings, & improved water quality.
- Identification of plants with biocidal potential.
- Optimization of hybrid constructed wetl&s for efficient treatment of river & wastewater.
In addition, strategies, designs, & operational guidelines for full-scale NICE systems have been defined, enhancing their ability to address pollutants & advance sustainable urban water management. The main outcomes from this work, as well as those from full-scale systems, will be included into guidelines, a task that has recently begun. These guidelines will also include results on environmental, social impact, health, & cost-effectiveness of all NICE systems. Throughout the project, Life Cycle Cost, Life Cycle Assessment & Social Life Cycle Assessment have been done. The guidelines will support NICE portfolio of 100 innovative NbS cases identified worldwide, promoting dissemination of these solutions, which was completed during this period. In alignment with this, significant progress was made in developing an open source modeling software, including NICERXL tool, which now provides all necessary tools for testing by potential stakeholders. In outreach & public participation, until now, impactful activities included 29 clustering & participatory events such as NICE Cities Panel, which brought together NICE stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, & citizens interested in NICE solutions. This contributed to more than 8,000 visits to the project’s website & its social media channels. From a funding & exploitation perspective, activities & strategies to increase new business opportunities have been conducted, focusing on funding types & sources, intellectual property rights, & SWOT analyses.
- Substrate material capable of adsorbing nearly 100% of certain emerging contaminants from wastewater, & able to recover phosphorus for plant us.
- Identification of microorganism capable of reducing 90% of emerging contaminants, intended for integration into bioaugmented NbS.
- Efficient green walls designed to treat greywater under stressful conditions.
- Improved conditions for operating green walls to enhance the efficiency of greywater treatment.
- Enhanced aeration conditions for CW used in combined sewer overflow & stormwater treatment, energy savings, & improved water quality.
- Identification of plants with biocidal potential.
- Optimization of hybrid constructed wetl&s for efficient treatment of river & wastewater.
In addition, strategies, designs, & operational guidelines for full-scale NICE systems have been defined, enhancing their ability to address pollutants & advance sustainable urban water management. The main outcomes from this work, as well as those from full-scale systems, will be included into guidelines, a task that has recently begun. These guidelines will also include results on environmental, social impact, health, & cost-effectiveness of all NICE systems. Throughout the project, Life Cycle Cost, Life Cycle Assessment & Social Life Cycle Assessment have been done. The guidelines will support NICE portfolio of 100 innovative NbS cases identified worldwide, promoting dissemination of these solutions, which was completed during this period. In alignment with this, significant progress was made in developing an open source modeling software, including NICERXL tool, which now provides all necessary tools for testing by potential stakeholders. In outreach & public participation, until now, impactful activities included 29 clustering & participatory events such as NICE Cities Panel, which brought together NICE stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, & citizens interested in NICE solutions. This contributed to more than 8,000 visits to the project’s website & its social media channels. From a funding & exploitation perspective, activities & strategies to increase new business opportunities have been conducted, focusing on funding types & sources, intellectual property rights, & SWOT analyses.
Since the beginning the project has been strengthening the expected impact in various areas:
Technical: The project has advanced innovative technologies & solutions for urban water management. This includes design & optimization of systems such as constructed wetl&s, green walls. These technologies have been designed to efficiently treat various types of water, integrate seamlessly into urban environments, & offer scalable solutions for diverse contexts.
Environmental: The project will improve current water quality in various urban contexts, including removal of highly concerning pollutants such as emerging contaminants. NICE will provide alternatives for restoration of natural aquatic environments, mitigate effects of climate change such as flooding & extreme droughts, & promote use & valorization of natural resources. This includes waste materials as substrates in constructed wetlands & producing high-value products from this system biomass, as well as fostering circularity in agriculture by recycling nutrients from wastewater. NICE will also enhance local biodiversity integrating native plants in wetlands & promoting use of passive solutions to improve water quality without the need for energy, chemicals, or other reactive agents.
Social: NICE will contribute to improved public awareness & engagement regarding sustainable water management practices. By demonstrating successful implementations of these solutions in urban settings, the project will help build trust & acceptance among stakeholders & the public, leading to broader adoption of innovative water management practices.
Economic: NICE will create economic opportunities demonstrating cost-effective solutions for water treatment & resource recovery. Implementation of NbS can lead to significant savings in operational costs compared to traditional methods, & the use of local materials & resources can stimulate economic activities in urban areas. Moreover, the successful deployment of these systems will open up new business avenues & funding opportunities, contributing to economic growth & sustainability in the sector.
Technical: The project has advanced innovative technologies & solutions for urban water management. This includes design & optimization of systems such as constructed wetl&s, green walls. These technologies have been designed to efficiently treat various types of water, integrate seamlessly into urban environments, & offer scalable solutions for diverse contexts.
Environmental: The project will improve current water quality in various urban contexts, including removal of highly concerning pollutants such as emerging contaminants. NICE will provide alternatives for restoration of natural aquatic environments, mitigate effects of climate change such as flooding & extreme droughts, & promote use & valorization of natural resources. This includes waste materials as substrates in constructed wetlands & producing high-value products from this system biomass, as well as fostering circularity in agriculture by recycling nutrients from wastewater. NICE will also enhance local biodiversity integrating native plants in wetlands & promoting use of passive solutions to improve water quality without the need for energy, chemicals, or other reactive agents.
Social: NICE will contribute to improved public awareness & engagement regarding sustainable water management practices. By demonstrating successful implementations of these solutions in urban settings, the project will help build trust & acceptance among stakeholders & the public, leading to broader adoption of innovative water management practices.
Economic: NICE will create economic opportunities demonstrating cost-effective solutions for water treatment & resource recovery. Implementation of NbS can lead to significant savings in operational costs compared to traditional methods, & the use of local materials & resources can stimulate economic activities in urban areas. Moreover, the successful deployment of these systems will open up new business avenues & funding opportunities, contributing to economic growth & sustainability in the sector.