Periodic Reporting for period 3 - AccelWater (Accelerating Water Circularity in Food and Beverage Industrial Areas around Europe)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-11-01 bis 2025-04-30
The food and beverage industry is EU’s biggest manufacturing sector. At the same time, it is is one of the most water and energy intensive industries worldwide, while the companies belonging to that sector produce a lot of waste. More specifically, the food and beverage industry consumes 56% of the available water for industrial and urban use.
Additionally, food processing embeds 28% of the total energy used for production, while the total direct energy consumed by the European food industry amounted to 28.4 Mt oil equivalent, while 30.6 Mt of food waste are produced in this industry. Although, huge steps have been made in increasing the water use efficiency through the use of modern technologies and methods, there is limited effort from the food and beverages industry to minimize freshwater use during the raw material processing.
In addition, high water consumption in industrial areas lead to increased production costs due to the fact that the tariffs for public wastewater treatment can be very high in European cities as well as the industrial electricity prices can also be very high. Currently, solutions for wastewater treatment in industries include the use of clarification, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, process water polishing, disinfection with water treatment chemicals and UV, and biological treatment technologies. However, the use of these technologies under a water-waste-energy nexus is very limited.
AccelWater’s project main objective was to optimize freshwater water consumption in the food and beverage industry under a water-waste-energy nexus by introducing beyond state-of-the-art water reclaiming, reusing and Artificial Intelligence enabled monitoring and control technologies that permit the use of reclaimed water in the manufacturing processes of food and beverages. At the same time, it allows waste and energy reclamation, optimization and management and results to environmental sustainability, cost savings and the development of added value products and value chains through material recovery.
The project’s objectives were:
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate water reclaiming and reusing technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate waste valorization technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate energy recovery and reuse technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate modern ICT solutions for optimizing food and beverage production with focus on water and environmental sustainability
- Establish the water-waste-energy nexus for circular economy and environmental assessment
- Replicate this concept to as many other places as possible with additional funding for increasing the project’s impact
- Train the current and next generation of the employees to the water-waste-energy nexus
Additionally, AccelWater project responded to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which encourages the peace and prosperity for the current and next generations of people as well as the planet’s sustainability.
The AccelWater project concluded by demonstrating a holistic and innovative approach to enhance sustainability in the food and beverage industry through the integration of advanced water reclaiming, reuse, and AI-enabled monitoring technologies.
Additionally, food processing embeds 28% of the total energy used for production, while the total direct energy consumed by the European food industry amounted to 28.4 Mt oil equivalent, while 30.6 Mt of food waste are produced in this industry. Although, huge steps have been made in increasing the water use efficiency through the use of modern technologies and methods, there is limited effort from the food and beverages industry to minimize freshwater use during the raw material processing.
In addition, high water consumption in industrial areas lead to increased production costs due to the fact that the tariffs for public wastewater treatment can be very high in European cities as well as the industrial electricity prices can also be very high. Currently, solutions for wastewater treatment in industries include the use of clarification, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, process water polishing, disinfection with water treatment chemicals and UV, and biological treatment technologies. However, the use of these technologies under a water-waste-energy nexus is very limited.
AccelWater’s project main objective was to optimize freshwater water consumption in the food and beverage industry under a water-waste-energy nexus by introducing beyond state-of-the-art water reclaiming, reusing and Artificial Intelligence enabled monitoring and control technologies that permit the use of reclaimed water in the manufacturing processes of food and beverages. At the same time, it allows waste and energy reclamation, optimization and management and results to environmental sustainability, cost savings and the development of added value products and value chains through material recovery.
The project’s objectives were:
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate water reclaiming and reusing technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate waste valorization technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate energy recovery and reuse technologies
- Develop, integrate and demonstrate modern ICT solutions for optimizing food and beverage production with focus on water and environmental sustainability
- Establish the water-waste-energy nexus for circular economy and environmental assessment
- Replicate this concept to as many other places as possible with additional funding for increasing the project’s impact
- Train the current and next generation of the employees to the water-waste-energy nexus
Additionally, AccelWater project responded to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which encourages the peace and prosperity for the current and next generations of people as well as the planet’s sustainability.
The AccelWater project concluded by demonstrating a holistic and innovative approach to enhance sustainability in the food and beverage industry through the integration of advanced water reclaiming, reuse, and AI-enabled monitoring technologies.
From the beginning of the AccelWater project until its end in month 54 (M54), significant progress has been made across all work packages, achieving key milestones and results in line with the project’s objectives. The foundational framework for project implementation, including project management guidelines, risk mitigation strategies, ethical compliance, and data management protocols, was successfully established and followed throughout the whole period. Demonstrator sites for tomato, meat, fish processing, and industrial symbiosis were designed, implemented and operated successfully, with installation of industrial and low-cost sensors and the development of a centralized data repository. The AI-driven AccelWater platform was designed and developed to support real-time monitoring and control, while a robust communication and dissemination strategy—featuring newsletters, printed/digital materials, project videos, exceeding most of the KPIs.
Technologically, the project delivered substantial environmental and resource efficiency outcomes. More than 8,000 m³ of stormwater was harvested, 7 types of water quality were managed, freshwater use was reduced by 30%, 9 types of water/wastewater treatment, reclaiming and reusing technologies were developed, 11 technologies related to waste processing were developed and the quantity of materials extracted exceeded 10.000kg. More than 10 types of materials extracted, as well as thermal and electrical energy recovery, further validated the project’s water-waste-energy nexus. In Spanish demonstrator up to 25% of treated wastewater was reused on-site, along with the production of nutrient-rich agronomic products and renewable biogas and biomass fuels.
On the exploitation and business development front, an exploitation plan and replication assessment methodology were established. The project’s innovations have gained traction internationally, with low-cost technologies adopted by three municipalities and one football federation, and ten follower cases confirmed globally. AccelWater has also inspired over ten externally funded projects, exceeding initial targets. The project also ensured widespread dissemination and high replication potential.
Technologically, the project delivered substantial environmental and resource efficiency outcomes. More than 8,000 m³ of stormwater was harvested, 7 types of water quality were managed, freshwater use was reduced by 30%, 9 types of water/wastewater treatment, reclaiming and reusing technologies were developed, 11 technologies related to waste processing were developed and the quantity of materials extracted exceeded 10.000kg. More than 10 types of materials extracted, as well as thermal and electrical energy recovery, further validated the project’s water-waste-energy nexus. In Spanish demonstrator up to 25% of treated wastewater was reused on-site, along with the production of nutrient-rich agronomic products and renewable biogas and biomass fuels.
On the exploitation and business development front, an exploitation plan and replication assessment methodology were established. The project’s innovations have gained traction internationally, with low-cost technologies adopted by three municipalities and one football federation, and ten follower cases confirmed globally. AccelWater has also inspired over ten externally funded projects, exceeding initial targets. The project also ensured widespread dissemination and high replication potential.
The AccelWater project successfully advanced the state of the art in sustainable industrial practices by implementing a holistic, integrated approach to optimizing water, energy, and waste management across the food and beverage sector. At its core, the project combined an AI-powered orchestration platform with a suite of innovative and existing high-value technologies deployed at four industrial demonstrators—tomato, meat, fish processing, and industrial symbiosis. These sites incorporated advanced tools such as IoT-enabled monitoring and control systems, water reclaiming and reuse solutions, and energy and material recovery processes. This integrated technology framework enabled real-time data assimilation, predictive control, and process optimization, resulting in performance that exceeded initial expectations.By the end of the project, AccelWater had not only met but significantly overachieved its targets for wastewater treatment efficiency, water and energy reclamation, resource reuse, and production cost reduction. Key outcomes included: up to 95% water recovery, 93% wastewater reuse, a 30% increase in resource and water efficiency and the extraction of valuable by-products such as proteins, lycopene, and nutrient-rich materials. Energy recovery through biogas and biomass fuel production further contributed to improved sustainability and cost savings. The technologies developed and validated under real industrial conditions proved both scalable and transferable, with project innovations already adopted by multiple municipalities and industry stakeholders.The s-LCA confirmed improvements in job creation, workforce skills, community engagement, and reductions in social risks across sectors. Stakeholder surveys revealed strong willingness to adopt sustainable practices, particularly in water recirculation and circular economy models. By engaging a diverse, audience and promoting inclusive innovation, AccelWater strengthened the foundations for socially responsible industrial transformation.