Demonstration of water loops with innovative regenerative business models for the Mediterranean region

Project Information

HYDROUSA

Grant agreement ID: 776643

DOI

10.3030/776643

Project closed

EC signature date 20 April 2018

Start date 1 July 2018

End date 30 June 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 12 015 448,75

EU contribution

€ 9 958 706,88

Coordinated by

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HYDROUSA (Demonstration of water loops with innovative regenerative business models for the Mediterranean region)

Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2023-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Currently, in the Mediterranean Region, more than 180 million people suffer from water scarcity. Water reserves are scarce and irregularly distributed, while the high tourism activities during the summer months place additional stress on limited water reserves. Non-conventional water sources are usually not valorised and wastewater is not properly managed, while energy-intensive processes are applied to purify it.
To overcome these challenges, the 12 million € Horizon2020 project of HYDROUSA aims to provide a circular water management approach for the Mediterranean areas to close the water loops and decrease the problem of water scarcity, boosting the agricultural and energy profile. The HYDROUSA concept is materialised in 6 demonstration sites at full scale in 3 Mediterranean islands (Lesvos, Mykonos, and Tinos). HYDROUSA goes beyond current water management practices by adopting regenerative nature-based solutions (NBS), characterized by low energy and carbon footprint, to valorise non-conventional water sources (wastewater, rainwater, surface runoff, vapour water, seawater) and recover valuable products and resources. HYDROUSA supports the water value chain by closing the interrelated water, food, and energy loops to restore, regenerate, and optimise the natural and social water cycles, namely:
• Rainwater/stormwater and rural runoff collection and aquifer recharge system for residential and agricultural water use
• Coupling anaerobic processes with constructed wetlands (CWs) and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to produce nutrient-rich, pathogen-free water to be valorised in an agroforestry system
• Combination of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) with traditional water technologies for low-cost digital water management
• Development of a resilient biodiverse agroforestry system fertigated by reclaimed water
• Innovative and low-cost solar-driven seawater desalination system
• Development of novel business and financial circular models providing economic, social, and ecosystem benefits
• Development of low-cost monitoring systems for use in the water sector
The integration of NBS together with grey infrastructure has multiple benefits and helps to build climate resilience.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The HYDROUSA Consortium worked intensively to develop, integrate, test, demonstrate, and validate HYDROUSA solutions and to enable their subsequent long-term demonstration and feasibility. The solutions were developed with the involvement of the local stakeholders who impacted the design procedure through co-creation events. All the demonstration sites have been fully operational for more than two years. Comprehensive monitoring, enabling ICT integration, was conducted to assess the efficiency of the systems and provide results for the circularity assessment. Critical analyses, reviews, and “fitness checks” of relevant EU Directives, ongoing policy initiatives, and regulatory and financing frameworks have been carried out to better steer and support the exploitation and replication. HYDROUSA solutions were evaluated concerning their technical, economic, environmental, and social sustainability within the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus, capturing the extended supply chains.

The replication and feasibility of the HYDROUSA solutions were investigated in 26 replication sites across the world (15 in Europe, 5 in the Middle East and North Africa, and 6 in Australia, Africa, and America). Comprehensive business models were developed around 6 business cases and 9 technologies ready for the market to demonstrate their economic viability. The payback period of the solutions ranged from 3.5 to 8.2 years, making them attractive to investors. The market assessment shows that within 10 years, with a 10% share in the Mediterranean area, the exploitation of HYDROUSA solutions could generate a growth worth 394 M€. HYDROUSA results were exploited into three policy briefs and integrated into 19 new projects. The project received international and local awards, including the PRIMA WEFE NEXUS Award, the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Award, the Green Tech Award for Best European Project for the Environment at the Verde-tec expo (2022), and the Greek Local Governments Organisation Award (OTA Awards). Furthermore, HYDROUSA developed a serious game available on various platforms for educational purposes, and the consortium contributed significantly to the field of circular water management with 16 scientific publications. The HYDROUSA online social media (website, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, YouTube) have also enjoyed very high visibility. Overall, 632 dissemination activities have been implemented during the 60 months of the project.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The main ambition of HYDROUSA is to develop a novel circular business model, which is suitable for decentralized Mediterranean and other water-scarce regions. The model is based on the valorisation of non-conventional water sources at a local level to generate water suitable for different uses (agriculture, aquifer recharge, domestic use) as well as to produce high-added value products (crops, superfoods, edible salt, compost, essential oils) to regenerate the interrelated circular economy loops. The main advantage of the HYDROUSA approach is that all recovered products and resources are exploited locally for the benefit of local stakeholders, minimising in this way the long supply chains and eliminating externalities. This model strongly supports the concept of social justice and fairness in the utilisation of resources among communities. HYDROUSA verified that the integration of anaerobic processes with CWs and UV disinfection can safely and consistently produce class A reclaimed water for unrestricted irrigation, as this process was awarded the Environmental Technology Verification. Furthermore, it proved that the use of fertigation as a practice can eliminate the use of inorganic fertilizers and can enhance soil biodiversity without any toxicity issues. Within HYDROUSA, complete risk assessments were implemented regarding the potential risks of the presence of emerging contaminants and heavy metals to freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and human health, showing that crops are safe to consume and that the vast majority of emerging compounds do not pose any threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

To assess the level of circularity of HYDROUSA solutions, a novel holistic circularity assessment framework was developed, known as the Multi-Sectoral Water Circularity Assessment (MSWCA). This framework assesses the circularity and sustainability of complex water systems following a multi-sectoral systems approach, symbiotically managing key water-related socioeconomic and non-economic (i.e. natural environment) sectors.
HYDROUSA supports the governments in identifying water and water-related small and decentralized services delivering regenerated closed loops. HYDROUSA water loops support the European Green Deal without leaving individual houses or small regions behind and ensure a fair and inclusive transition. The project consortium developed three policy briefs (i) Sectoral policy brief published on the consultation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, (ii) a policy brief on the barriers of wider nature-based solutions adoption for closing water loops and (iii) on HYDROUSA support to the European Green Deal and the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

HYDROUSA Water Loops

HYDRO5 Seawater Solar Desalination

Non Conventional Water Sources and Products

HYDRO4 Residential Rainwater/Stormwater Valorisation

Project Logo

HYDRO1 Anaerobic treatment

HYDRO3 Remote Rainwater Harvesting

HYDRO1 Aerial view Constructed wetlands

HYDRO2 Agroforestry

HYDRO6 Ecotourist facility