Objective
Three out of four people in EU drink water from groundwater subjected to severe nitrate contamination by fertilizers and sanitary products used in intensive agriculture & farming. High levels of nitrates in drinking water put human health at risk and have been reported to threaten 26% of EU biodiversity. Current technologies do not meet the needs of small water suppliers, who must face costs derived from high energy consumption (3-7 kWh/m3), poor nitrate selectivity, residual streams and by-products, and continuous costly maintenance. 33% of suppliers in Europe are not compliant with quality standards, particularly nitrate levels. ZIRONITRO is the result of 8 years of research and development by Ofra Aqua Plants, an Israeli company with over 25 years’ experience in bioengineering and phytoremediation. Based on the concept of using nature to cleanse nature, ZIRONITRO is a constructed wetland to biologically treat groundwater by removing nitrates to obtain high-quality drinking water (98% removal), at 84% lower cost than current. ZIRONITRO’s innovation resides in the system’s nitrate removal specificity, with a design that allows low-cost operation and maintenance, along with very high rates of nitrate breakdown by bacteria. The key factor is the selection of the best combination of both bacteria and plants, along with the optimal proportion of methanol as carbon source. The particular environment we have generated inside our ponds reduces hydraulic retention time by 90% and uses 100 times less ethanol than current constructed wetlands. Indeed, we do not use synthetic chemicals, energy input needed is negligible, and neither residuals nor wastewater are generated, so it has no negative impact on the environment. On the contrary, it contributes to both biodiversity conservation and landscape value. For 2020-2022, we forecast €61.3 M cumulative revenues (profitability ratio of 12%), increasing workforce to 40 people.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes drinking water treatment processes
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation phytoremediation
- natural sciences biological sciences biodiversity conservation
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry alcohols
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.3.5. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1791000 TZIPPORI
Israel
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.