An eco-friendly ultrasonic system to control and prevent algal blooms and zebra mussel invasion in small and large water surfaces

Project Information

BLACK HAT

Grant agreement ID: 877611

DOI

10.3030/877611

Project closed

EC signature date 18 July 2019

Start date 1 August 2019

End date 31 January 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SOLVING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BLACK HAT (An eco-friendly ultrasonic system to control and prevent algal blooms and zebra mussel invasion in small and large water surfaces)

Reporting period: 2019-08-01 to 2020-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Algal blooms and zebra mussel´s infestations are an increasingly concern, as they can have ecological, aesthetic, human health and economic impacts. The economic losses are mainly related to both the precautionary measures taken to avoid more severe impacts (monitoring and management cost) and the direct effects in human health, fishery and tourism & recreation. Current methods to control species proliferations are harmful for the aquatic life, are limited to a reduced number of species, entail important maintenance and installation costs and its efficiency depends on site-specific conditions. Thus, there is an urgent need for cost-efficient solutions to prevent and control algal blooms and zebra mussels’ invasion without damaging the ecosystem. To solve this problem, we have developed an ultrasound technology which covers for the first-time an eco-friendly prevention, control and elimination of both zebra mussel´s infestations and algal blooms at the most competitive price.

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

We have identified the main challenges for the next stage of our product development that forms the content for the next innovation project. The challenges involve product/technological development, including the optimization of our pre-industrial prototype and its validation. We have also defined our technical, commercial and financial risk management plan with the corresponding mitigation measures. And we have conducted an analysis of the Water Treatment Systems market, performed an FTO assessment to confirm that we have no IP conflicts, and researched our competition. During the Feasibility Study, we have also established the total required budget for the execution of our EIC-Accelerator project, and estimated our financial projections for the first 5-year of commercialisation.

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)

At S2E we have developed BLACK HAT, the first floating buoy with transmitters that emit specific ultrasonic frequencies to eliminate different types of algae and zebra mussels. The uniqueness of BLACK HAT lies on the combination of real-time water quality monitoring system with the latest ultrasonic technology of low power that operates autonomously on solar energy. All these assets provide a complete and cost-efficient control and prevention of species proliferations in drinking water dams, irrigation reservoirs and in small pools and ponds. We expect to have a market-ready solution by 2023 and by 2027, it is expected to sell more than 60,000 units and obtain a profit of over €9.06M.

The problem and our innovation