Objective
In order to meet the rising water demand required by an expanding population, which has already crossed the 7 billion mark
and is expected to reach 8,5 billion by 2030, and 9,7 billion in 2050 , desalination of seawater is envisaged as a solution to
provide a portion of the shortfall to fill the gap between supply and demand. Desalination becomes in many parts of the
world, and also in Europe, a promising option to combat water stress. Nonetheless, desalination plants generate huge
volumes of concentrates, also known as brines, which represent a potential hazard for marine ecosystems. Brines form a
very dense hypersaline plume (heavier than normal seawater) that spreads over large areas affecting marine ecosystems,
especially to seagrass meadows which are one of the most ecologically important ecosystems in coastal areas. ECOS has
developed VENTURI+ a diffuser solution, with a capacity of minimizing in a 99% the environmental impact associated to
brines discharges due to a potential dilution capacity 131% higher than conventional diffusers. Thus, VENTURI+ represents
a technological leap towards tackling one of the most robust environmental barriers that are holding the full deployment of
desalination plants.
ECOS requests funding to elaborate a feasibility study to define market uptake at National, European and International level.
The most important markets identified are the Mediterranean region (EU and non-EU countries), the Middle East, the US
and other countries such as India and China.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmarine biology
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdesalinationreverse osmosis
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.2.5. - Cross-cutting marine and maritime research
- H2020-EU.3.2.3. - Unlocking the potential of aquatic living resources
- H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
Coordinator
35013 Las Palmas De Gran Canaria
Spain
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