NEW SOLUTIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REMEDIATION OF BRINE DISCHARGES

Project Information

VENTURI PLUS

Grant agreement ID: 774219

DOI 10.3030/774219

Closed project

Start date 1 June 2017

End date 30 November 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ECOS, ESTUDIOS AMBIENTALES Y OCEANOGRAFIA SL
Spain

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 sciences › biological sciences › marine biology
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › energy and fuels › renewable energy
• engineering and technology › chemical engineering › separation technologies › desalination › reverse osmosis
• natural sciences › biological sciences › ecology › ecosystems
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › atmospheric sciences › climatology › climatic 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

Topic(s)

• SMEInst-08-2016-2017 - Supporting SMEs efforts for the development - deployment and market replication of innovative solutions for blue growth

Call for proposal

H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017

See other projects for this call

Sub call

H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017

Funding Scheme

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

Coordinator

ECOS, ESTUDIOS AMBIENTALES Y OCEANOGRAFIA SL

• Net EU contribution: € 50 000,00
• Address: Calle alfred nobel 31b ; 35013 Las palmas de gran canaria ; Spain
• Region: Canarias › Canarias › Gran Canaria
• Activity type: Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
• Other funding: € 21 429,00