PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Water abstraction in the EU amounts to around 247 billion cubic metres per year. Around 17% of this total is used to supply the needs of households, the public sector and businesses. Inefficient use of water impacts on the availability of other resources that determine productivity rates and the sustainability of ecosystems. Water scarcity and droughts are affecting an increasing number of regions in Europe. Increasing water withdrawal rates are particularly affecting river basins, leading to lower water tables, saline intrusion and the drying out of rivers in the summer.
Consequently, the demand for water-saving technologies is increasing in order to improve the management of European water resources and reduce the threat of water scarcity.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE ReUseWATER project aims to validate and increase acceptance of the Orbital Bathroom. It features five key technological innovations owned, designed and produced by Orbital systems, integrating best practice water quality analysis, purification capability, flow and temperature regulation with cloud integration and real-time monitoring and decision-making. The Orbital Bathroom comprises the Orbital Shower (the world’s first commercialised closed loop shower system), the Orbital Tap, the Orbital Water Guard, the Orbital Smart Drain, and the Orbital Mirror.
Specifically, the project aims to:
- Obtain additional data on the environmental impact of the Orbital Bathroom, both on an individual unit level (i.e. private homes) and on a larger scale level (i.e. businesses such as hotels).
- Increase acceptance of the Orbital Bathroom in commercial installations.
- Prepare for large-scale commercialisation of the Orbital Bathroom in selected markets (i.e. Scandinavia and Germany) initially before a wider roll out.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Reduction of the water consumption of showers by up to 90%;
- Recycling 100% of the water from the tap to be utilized for flushing toilets;
- Reduction of the energy needed for heating water for showers by up to 80%;
- Project-wide total water savings of around 17 million litres;
- Project-wide total energy savings of around 450 000 kWh; and
- Reduction of around 325 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the total duration of the project.
