PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The frequency and extent of droughts has increased in recent years; about 10% of the EU population and over 15% of its territory has been affected by water scarcity. In a 2018 proposal for a regulation on minimum requirements for water reuse, the EU set out a potential increase in water recycling from 1 billion m3 to over 6 billion m3.
One recycling source is industrial wastewater, such as that from the automotive industry. But this is often polluted by difficult to degrade organic contaminants, including phenols and mineral oils. Conventional municipal wastewater treatment facilities do not effectively remove these, and even release them into natural water bodies, damaging the environment. In addition, suspended and solid waste from conventional wastewater treatment techniques also negatively impact the environment. One example is the discharge of concentrated brines from reverse osmosis.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of LIFE HIDAQUA is to demonstrate a sustainable water management approach in high water-demanding industries such as the automotive industry by applying the zero-liquid-discharge and the zero-waste concepts. The ultimate aim is to decrease emission of pollutants and preserve the quality of natural water bodies and natural drinking water resources while exploiting alternative water sources.
Its specific objectives are:
introduce and optimise a new integrated concept for alternative water supply at the HIDRIA factory, primarily using recycled/recovered wastewater, supported by rainwater harvesting and exploitation of brackish water; optimise and demonstrate the feasibility of a water treatment system based on electro-dialysis and reverse osmosis using recycled membranes, and use this to prepare demineralised water for industrial purposes from all three alternative sources (recycled water, harvested rainwater, and brackish water); and optimise and demonstrate the zero-liquid-discharge and zero-waste approaches and technical solutions, combined with the proposed water treatment system, so that all residues will be recycled in secondary raw materials mainly destined for the construction sector; and establish a water innovation hub on good practices for sustainable water supply and decentralised systems. The project will directly contribute to implementing, updating and developing several EU policies and legislation, including the 7th Environmental Action Programme, the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework directive, the Waste Framework Directive, the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe and the Circular Economy Package.
RESULTS
Expected results:
treatment of 4 000 m3 of industrial wastewater per year, containing an average chemical oxygen demand of 20 000 mg O2/L; production of around 8 000m3 of drinking water per year from rainwater and brackish water, at 24 m3/day capacity, representing about 50% of the HIDRIA factorys annual water demands; production of salt and building composites for the construction sector (0.5 tonnes of salt and 1 tonne of ready-to-use construction products) made from water treatmentresidues using the zero-liquid-discharge and zero-waste approaches; a decision-making tool for water management operators at industrial sites, municipal operators and technology providers on optimal and sustainable approaches to exploit alternative water resources (at least five different potential users across the EU); and a feasibility plan to further optimise sustainable water management at HIDRIA and wider transfer across the EU (with at least three letters of intent to replicate).
