Project description
Water treatment platform for mining-affected site remediation
Water acidification ruins ecosystems worldwide, but hits hardest in mining regions. This is a crisis intensified by the skyrocketing demand for critical raw materials (CRMs). Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ReWATT project will develop a modular, circular, and transportable water treatment platform for remediating mining-affected sites, including remote areas. This platform will help recover valuable CRMs and reclaim clean water. The project will also facilitate staff exchanges among academia, industry, and public agencies across Europe and Latin America, in line with the EU Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Objective
Water acidification has been identified by the UN as one of the most urgent environmental challenges that society will face in the coming decades. Its scale and growing trend are alarming and more than 75% of mining districts worldwide are already affected. Beyond mine sites, natural acid drainage is increasingly emerging in high-altitude and polar regions, where it threatens low-resilient ecosystems and exposes vulnerable communities to persistent environmental degradation. In parallel, the growing demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) —essential for the green and digital transitions— has revealed the European Union’s dependence on external suppliers, creating economic and strategic risks. Efforts to secure domestic sources may inadvertently intensify the environmental impacts of mining, unless new, sustainable approaches are adopted.
ReWATT addresses this dual challenge not as an environmental liability, but as an opportunity for technological innovation. The project aims to develop and demonstrate a modular, circular, sustainable and transportable water treatment platform capable of remediating mining-impacted environments even in remote sites, while recovering valuable CRMs and reclaiming clean water. This will be achieved through international-intersectoral staff exchanges, from academia, industry, and public agencies across Europe and Latin America. The consortium unites universities (UAB, UNIBZ, UNAL, UMo), national research institutes (IGME-CSIC, INAIGEM, IAA), and industrial partners, combining expertise in geosciences, environmental engineering, chemistry, and biotechnology. Through structured, reciprocal mobility of up to 27 people and shared research infrastructures, ReWATT will build long-term collaboration, enhance technical capacity, and promote innovation in real-world contexts. Thus, it will contribute to a global network advancing sustainable resource recovery, aligned with the EU Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the UN SDGs.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE - HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-SE-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.