Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SYMSITES (Industrial Urban symbiosis and its social, economic and environmental impact on different European regions)
Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-11-30
SYMSITES’ main objective is to develop new technologies and stakeholders’ engagement methodologies to prove the concept of regional Industrial-Urban Symbiosis (I-US) in four European regions, different in their social-economic, and environmental aspects, from the north, Denmark, through the mid-Austria, and southern Spain and Greece.
Main R&I Objectives
O1. An advanced co-treatment system of WW and BW based on AnMBR integrating new advanced membranes and a tertiary treatment by Adsorption Column.
• Metabolic routes that allow the co-treatment of different WW and BW in a classical AnMBR.
• A new anti biofilm membrane for the AnMBR –by different treatments: Membrane Magnetic Vibration (MMV) treatment, coating with anti-biofilm nanoparticles (NPs) or with Carbon Dots (CDs).
• An Adsorption Column (AC) to remove emerging pollutants from the WW enabling water reuse in an I-US.
O2. To develop a pyrolysis system for the treatment of solid NRW to obtain different platform molecules and chars.
• A pyrolysis method to treat solid non-recyclable wastes (waste with complex composition) and to generate new streams (gas, liquids, and solids). The energy source for the pyrolysis will be the energy vector (CH4) obtained in the AnMBR.
• A purification method of the pyrolysis streams to obtain different platform molecules with applications in different industrial sectors (i.e. cosmetics, textiles, etc.).
• To develop low costs activated carbon and carbon dots from the solid stream of the pyrolysis.
O3. An IT Regional Management Platform (ITRMP) to foster and manage the implementation of I-U symbiosis activities at regional level. This platform will integrate two modules:
• To develop the IT Regional Management Platform architecture to include Edge/Cloud architecture, SQL/NoSQL data sources, and database architecture and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Federated Artificial (F-AI) applied to dynamic control and processes optimization.
• A Social Decision Support System (SDSS) to support policymakers and practitioners’ access, interpret and understand information from data, analyses, and models.
• An IIoT management platform (IIoTMP) for the water streams as part of the ITRMP - online monitoring the quality, quantity, and disruption of the treated wastewater flows
O4 To demonstrate and validate the technologies and the 4 I-US based EcoSites.
O5 Social innovation actions based on research settings to maximise the outcome and further drive the I-US replication in Europe.
• A set of facilitation services for I-US replication by iidentifying bottlenecks and define guidelines towards.
• An innovation non-profit social spin-off (Go-SYM) - To replicate the initiative.
• A network of waste associations, including those from the EcoSites, to assure the continuation of the dialogue on I-US.
• Establish a stakeholder forum at each EcoSite, to act via yearly meetings, written and online material for communication towards the assimilation of the I-US concept.
• A ‘Virtual I-US Game’ as a tool able to evaluate symbiosis concepts virtually.
O6 Asses the environmental, economic, and social impacts (including Societal Readiness Level - SRL) using Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis as per (e.g. ISO 14000)
Main R&I Objectives
O1. An advanced co-treatment system of WW and BW based on AnMBR integrating new advanced membranes and a tertiary treatment by Adsorption Column.
• Metabolic routes that allow the co-treatment of different WW and BW in a classical AnMBR.
• A new anti biofilm membrane for the AnMBR –by different treatments: Membrane Magnetic Vibration (MMV) treatment, coating with anti-biofilm nanoparticles (NPs) or with Carbon Dots (CDs).
• An Adsorption Column (AC) to remove emerging pollutants from the WW enabling water reuse in an I-US.
O2. To develop a pyrolysis system for the treatment of solid NRW to obtain different platform molecules and chars.
• A pyrolysis method to treat solid non-recyclable wastes (waste with complex composition) and to generate new streams (gas, liquids, and solids). The energy source for the pyrolysis will be the energy vector (CH4) obtained in the AnMBR.
• A purification method of the pyrolysis streams to obtain different platform molecules with applications in different industrial sectors (i.e. cosmetics, textiles, etc.).
• To develop low costs activated carbon and carbon dots from the solid stream of the pyrolysis.
O3. An IT Regional Management Platform (ITRMP) to foster and manage the implementation of I-U symbiosis activities at regional level. This platform will integrate two modules:
• To develop the IT Regional Management Platform architecture to include Edge/Cloud architecture, SQL/NoSQL data sources, and database architecture and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Federated Artificial (F-AI) applied to dynamic control and processes optimization.
• A Social Decision Support System (SDSS) to support policymakers and practitioners’ access, interpret and understand information from data, analyses, and models.
• An IIoT management platform (IIoTMP) for the water streams as part of the ITRMP - online monitoring the quality, quantity, and disruption of the treated wastewater flows
O4 To demonstrate and validate the technologies and the 4 I-US based EcoSites.
O5 Social innovation actions based on research settings to maximise the outcome and further drive the I-US replication in Europe.
• A set of facilitation services for I-US replication by iidentifying bottlenecks and define guidelines towards.
• An innovation non-profit social spin-off (Go-SYM) - To replicate the initiative.
• A network of waste associations, including those from the EcoSites, to assure the continuation of the dialogue on I-US.
• Establish a stakeholder forum at each EcoSite, to act via yearly meetings, written and online material for communication towards the assimilation of the I-US concept.
• A ‘Virtual I-US Game’ as a tool able to evaluate symbiosis concepts virtually.
O6 Asses the environmental, economic, and social impacts (including Societal Readiness Level - SRL) using Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis as per (e.g. ISO 14000)
1. Lab scale optimization of the bio-gas production by the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR), (D1.2)
2. Development of low costs char-based antibacterial/antiviral adsorption materials for tertiary treatments (D1.3)
3. The ITRMP is a special website tool made to help cities and businesses work together better. One big win is the first design of the ITRMP tools.
4. Development, construction, and installation of the 4 EcoSites in Denmark Greece, Spain and Austria (D4.2).
5. A series of 4 stakeholder forums are held each year. Non-technological barriers to I-US are being identified through stakeholder workshops and action plans to overcome them developed with key pilot partners. The relevance of project results for European standard development is being assessed and related recommendations co-created with relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, the replication potential of project results is explored and a network of interested waste associations established. Finally, training materials to build capacity on I-US for local governments and other relevant actors are being developed as an exploitation output as well as a spin-off created, to widen and deepen the I-US pilot case on the Island of Bornholm/Denmark.
2. Development of low costs char-based antibacterial/antiviral adsorption materials for tertiary treatments (D1.3)
3. The ITRMP is a special website tool made to help cities and businesses work together better. One big win is the first design of the ITRMP tools.
4. Development, construction, and installation of the 4 EcoSites in Denmark Greece, Spain and Austria (D4.2).
5. A series of 4 stakeholder forums are held each year. Non-technological barriers to I-US are being identified through stakeholder workshops and action plans to overcome them developed with key pilot partners. The relevance of project results for European standard development is being assessed and related recommendations co-created with relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, the replication potential of project results is explored and a network of interested waste associations established. Finally, training materials to build capacity on I-US for local governments and other relevant actors are being developed as an exploitation output as well as a spin-off created, to widen and deepen the I-US pilot case on the Island of Bornholm/Denmark.
SYMSITES started to implement a regional industrial urban symbiosis in four European sites different in social economic, and environment aspects, from the north Denmark, through the mid, Austria to the south of Europe Spain and Greece.
SYMSITES explores replication through innovative methods utilizing a virtual game to assist scenario building and wider upscaling of I-US beyond the scope of the project. Addressing the non-technological barriers to I-US, the project contributes to a wider, multi-disciplinary conversation necessary to advance the concept and its implementation across Europe. Through the in-depth engagement work delivered in this project, a wide network of stakeholders are activated to work on I-US within the pilot sites and beyond.
SYMSITES explores replication through innovative methods utilizing a virtual game to assist scenario building and wider upscaling of I-US beyond the scope of the project. Addressing the non-technological barriers to I-US, the project contributes to a wider, multi-disciplinary conversation necessary to advance the concept and its implementation across Europe. Through the in-depth engagement work delivered in this project, a wide network of stakeholders are activated to work on I-US within the pilot sites and beyond.