Periodic Reporting for period 3 - REWAISE (REsilient WAter Innovation for Smart Economy)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-09-01 al 2025-08-31
REWAISE will create a new “smart water ecosystem”, integrating an intelligent digital framework for decentralised water services and decision-making, involving all relevant stakeholders to embrace the true value of water, reducing freshwater and energy use, and recovering nutrients and materials. The results will be a carbon-free, sustainable hydrological cycle in line with the concept of a resilient circular economy.
REWAISE reveals the full Value of Water, considering three key, sought-after technical, economic and social factors:
value in water: by extracting minerals from seawater brine, recovering nutrients from wastewater, and converting all organic matter and biomass into energy
value from water: developing the business of sustainable services and innovative products along the entire water cycle, working with start-ups and SMEs to give them privileged access to large utility users
value through water: generating social wellbeing through stakeholder participation and new governance procedures that maximise the positive effects of innovation on users and the environment
With Living Labs as a springboard to enhance social engagement, REWAISE will boost new business models, adapt normative barriers and develop common digital tools in a holistic approach seeking a water-smart society.
The 9 living labs, grouped into 3 hubs (Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental) will demonstrate real-world technological innovation business models and new governance methods that will contribute to a secure water supply for Europe. The concepts will be scalable and replicable to other municipalities and utilities across EU and the world, fostering the transition towards resilient and smart water services.
REWAISE comprises 25 European entities from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
REWAISE reveals the full Value of Water, considering three key, sought-after technical, economic and social factors:
value in water: by extracting minerals from seawater brine, recovering nutrients from wastewater, and converting all organic matter and biomass into energy
value from water: developing the business of sustainable services and innovative products along the entire water cycle, working with start-ups and SMEs to give them privileged access to large utility users
value through water: generating social wellbeing through stakeholder participation and new governance procedures that maximise the positive effects of innovation on users and the environment
With Living Labs as a springboard to enhance social engagement, REWAISE will boost new business models, adapt normative barriers and develop common digital tools in a holistic approach seeking a water-smart society.
The 9 living labs, grouped into 3 hubs (Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental) will demonstrate real-world technological innovation business models and new governance methods that will contribute to a secure water supply for Europe. The concepts will be scalable and replicable to other municipalities and utilities across EU and the world, fostering the transition towards resilient and smart water services.
REWAISE comprises 25 European entities from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
At this stage, REWAISE has successfully deployed its first demonstration pilots across Europe to address key challenges in improving water management efficiency. The project operates through Living Labs (LLs), which function as real‑life case studies where decentralised water solutions are developed, tested and validated in close collaboration with local stakeholders, covering the full water cycle and resource valorisation.
In the Skaane LL, several pilots are already in operation, focusing on water reuse, resource recovery and circular solutions. These include rainwater harvesting with ultrafiltration for irrigation, sewer‑integrated storage linked to green urban areas, carbon utilisation activities at the Källby wastewater treatment plant, and urine separation technologies aimed at producing safe fertilisers. In the Galicia LL, progress includes an operational anaerobic bioreactor and the design of a sewer‑mining demonstration unit to enable industrial water reuse, biogas production and nutrient recovery, complemented by pilot tests for methane recovery and lithium extraction. The Midlands LL is implementing digital water network modelling, smart sensors and advanced leakage detection technologies, while also advancing electrochemical research on ammonia recovery and valorisation. Further progress has been achieved in other LLs, including Denia, where energy‑efficient reverse osmosis membranes are being tested, and Extremadura, where reservoir monitoring campaigns were conducted to assess water quality and algal bloom risks.
In parallel, the REWAISE digital platform is under development to support integrated modelling of water systems, initially focusing on individual assets such as reservoirs, drinking water treatment plants, distribution networks, sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants prior to system integration. Project impacts are tracked through a comprehensive framework of more than 30 technical, environmental, economic and social key performance indicators. Stakeholder engagement activities have also progressed, including mapping exercises, sociological interviews, the publication of Living Lab factsheets, and the release of the first Living Labs methodology handbook.
All activities are closely coordinated with the other H2020 SC5‑04‑2019 projects within the CIRSEAU cluster, including joint methodological work and dialogue with the European Research Executive Agency to align project outcomes with EU water policy priorities.
In the Skaane LL, several pilots are already in operation, focusing on water reuse, resource recovery and circular solutions. These include rainwater harvesting with ultrafiltration for irrigation, sewer‑integrated storage linked to green urban areas, carbon utilisation activities at the Källby wastewater treatment plant, and urine separation technologies aimed at producing safe fertilisers. In the Galicia LL, progress includes an operational anaerobic bioreactor and the design of a sewer‑mining demonstration unit to enable industrial water reuse, biogas production and nutrient recovery, complemented by pilot tests for methane recovery and lithium extraction. The Midlands LL is implementing digital water network modelling, smart sensors and advanced leakage detection technologies, while also advancing electrochemical research on ammonia recovery and valorisation. Further progress has been achieved in other LLs, including Denia, where energy‑efficient reverse osmosis membranes are being tested, and Extremadura, where reservoir monitoring campaigns were conducted to assess water quality and algal bloom risks.
In parallel, the REWAISE digital platform is under development to support integrated modelling of water systems, initially focusing on individual assets such as reservoirs, drinking water treatment plants, distribution networks, sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants prior to system integration. Project impacts are tracked through a comprehensive framework of more than 30 technical, environmental, economic and social key performance indicators. Stakeholder engagement activities have also progressed, including mapping exercises, sociological interviews, the publication of Living Lab factsheets, and the release of the first Living Labs methodology handbook.
All activities are closely coordinated with the other H2020 SC5‑04‑2019 projects within the CIRSEAU cluster, including joint methodological work and dialogue with the European Research Executive Agency to align project outcomes with EU water policy priorities.
The REWAISE project has demonstrated significant progress that clearly surpasses the state of the art in multiple areas of the urban water cycle. In terms of water efficiency, the Living Labs have achieved reductions of over 30–40% in drinking water consumption thanks to a combination of rainwater harvesting, greywater recovery and digital network optimisation, whilst the digitalisation of DWTPs and WDSs has enabled operating costs to be reduced by over 40% and leaks by 42%, far exceeding what current commercial solutions offer. In resource recovery, brine mining technologies have reached TRL 8–9, extracting Mg, Ca, NaCl and Li with purities exceeding 95%, and energy consumption well below state-of-the-art levels (for example, CapDI at 0.7 kWh/m³ compared to 3 kWh/m³ for reverse osmosis). Pilot projects for the recovery of nutrients, biogas and fertilisers including struvite, ammonium and biomethane; have demonstrated superior performance and efficiency compared to conventional technologies, positioning REWAISE as a European benchmark in the circular water economy. Furthermore, innovations in smart networks, urine separation, predictive systems and digital twins consolidate a set of technological advances that surpass what is available on the market and validate the maturity of the project’s solutions.
Before the project concludes, the aim is to consolidate all the results that will fully demonstrate a smart, carbon-free water cycle across the nine Living Labs, in line with the project’s objectives. This includes increasing the recovery of reclaimed water, maximising the recovery of nutrients and minerals, and completing the validation of digital solutions for decision-making, DWTP–WDS coordination, and the predictive operation of sanitation and wastewater treatment networks. Furthermore, it is planned to complete resource recovery systems (such as struvite, ammonium and critical minerals), finalise pending pilots related to predictive models and water quality (THMs, algae), and strengthen the governance models and new regulatory frameworks demonstrated in each Living Lab.
The project’s current and projected results indicate a highly positive environmental, economic and social impact. REWAISE promotes more efficient water use and a significant reduction in emissions, whilst creating new business and employment opportunities centred on innovative technologies. The Living Labs have demonstrated reductions of 39–42% in network costs and losses, as well as a 42% reduction in drinking water consumption thanks to collection and reuse solutions. The recovery of minerals and nutrients exceeds initial targets, creating new value chains, whilst energy recovery through biogas and biomethane reduces the carbon footprint by more than 100% in specific processes and generates direct municipal savings. Technologies such as IWAN and inspection robots enable the detection of up to 86% more leaks and speed up repairs by 74%. Furthermore, the creation of spin-offs, the mobilisation of over €20 million and strong public engagement, with 87% acceptance of reuse applications, consolidate the social impact and facilitate the replication of these solutions across Europe.
Before the project concludes, the aim is to consolidate all the results that will fully demonstrate a smart, carbon-free water cycle across the nine Living Labs, in line with the project’s objectives. This includes increasing the recovery of reclaimed water, maximising the recovery of nutrients and minerals, and completing the validation of digital solutions for decision-making, DWTP–WDS coordination, and the predictive operation of sanitation and wastewater treatment networks. Furthermore, it is planned to complete resource recovery systems (such as struvite, ammonium and critical minerals), finalise pending pilots related to predictive models and water quality (THMs, algae), and strengthen the governance models and new regulatory frameworks demonstrated in each Living Lab.
The project’s current and projected results indicate a highly positive environmental, economic and social impact. REWAISE promotes more efficient water use and a significant reduction in emissions, whilst creating new business and employment opportunities centred on innovative technologies. The Living Labs have demonstrated reductions of 39–42% in network costs and losses, as well as a 42% reduction in drinking water consumption thanks to collection and reuse solutions. The recovery of minerals and nutrients exceeds initial targets, creating new value chains, whilst energy recovery through biogas and biomethane reduces the carbon footprint by more than 100% in specific processes and generates direct municipal savings. Technologies such as IWAN and inspection robots enable the detection of up to 86% more leaks and speed up repairs by 74%. Furthermore, the creation of spin-offs, the mobilisation of over €20 million and strong public engagement, with 87% acceptance of reuse applications, consolidate the social impact and facilitate the replication of these solutions across Europe.