PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Water scarcity is a growing concern in Europe, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, urbanisation and economic activities. In 2019, water scarcity affected 29% of EU territory for at least one season, impacting 38% of the population and costing between €2-9 billion a year. Climate change is expected to worsen the situation, making the sustainability of surface and groundwater a key focus of the EU's climate adaptation strategy.
Southern Europe faces the most severe water stress, with 30% of its population experiencing permanent water scarcity, and up to 70% affected seasonally, particularly in summer. Coastal regions, which are home to 41% of the EU population, are especially vulnerable. The Mediterranean coastline is the most populated, and these areas have a population density that is 10% higher than inland regions, with significant seasonal peaks.
To address water scarcity, alternative water resources (AWR) such as water reuse and desalination of brackish water and seawater are being explored. Only a small fraction of treated wastewater (2.4%) is reused, however, and just 1.2% of freshwater in the EU comes from seawater desalination. Only 32.9% of the desalination capacity is in use.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE SALTEAU project aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative, cost-efficient and sustainable approach to enhancing the treatment of saline AWR (wastewater, brackish water and seawater). This will not only increase freshwater availability in coastal and island areas that are facing severe water scarcity and high water demand, but also recover high-value resources.
A comprehensive exploitation plan has already been developed, covering the value proposition, customer segments, revenue streams and replication strategies. Within this context, the specific objectives of the project are to:
- scale up cutting-edge technologies, including microbial desalination cells, membrane-based processes (direct nanofiltration, biomimetic membranes and membrane distillation), capacitive deionisation and a calcium/magnesium recovery system
- integrate the above technologies with renewable energy sources (solar, wind and organic matter)
- validate the advanced multipurpose infrastructure over the long-term at 2 demonstration sites, one in the Mediterranean and one on the Atlantic coast
- produce approximately 400 000 m³ of freshwater and recover around 140 tonnes of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg)
- use the results as a showcase for early adopters and end-users of freshwater and Ca/Mg products
- achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional desalination methods, thereby improving economic competitiveness
- replicate the project solution at 6 wastewater treatment plants, 6 brackish water treatment plants and 6 seawater treatment plants
- showcase how the groundbreaking capabilities of the project solution can fully harness the potential of these ARW.
RESULTS
The expected results of the LIFE SALTEAU project are:
- production of approximately 166 659 m³ of freshwater at the Mediterranean site and 229 173 m³ at the Atlantic site – 145 000 m³ from brackish water, 230 000 m³ from seawater and 22 000 m³ from wastewater
- recovery of 77 tonnes of Ca and 66 tonnes of Mg
- reduction of desalination energy consumption by 26% for brackish water, 50% for seawater and 80% for wastewater, resulting in energy savings during the project of 25 988 kWh at the Mediterranean site and 17 702 kWh at the Atlantic site (a total of 43 690 kWh)
- savings of 8 475 kg of CO2 emissions
- generation of 365 000 kWh of thermal energy and 405 520 kWh of electricity (367 920 kWh from solar panels and 37 600 kWh from a wind farm)
- reduction in operating costs due to lower energy consumption, resulting in savings of €84 517 over the course of the project
- improvement in the cost efficiency of freshwater production compared to conventional methods for brackish water (0.5€/m3 vs 0.3 €/m3)
- Improvement in the cost efficiency of freshwater production compared to conventional methods for sea water (0.6€/m3 vs 0.4 €/m3)
- Improvement in the cost efficiency of freshwater production compared to conventional methods for reclaimed water (0.5€/m3 vs 0.3 €/m3)
- replication of solutions at 6 wastewater treatment plants, 6 brackish water treatment plants and 6 seawater treatment plants, producing a total of 495 cubic hectometres (Hm³) of freshwater between 2028 and 2032 (129Hm³ from wastewater treatment plants, 71Hm³ from brackish water desalination plants, 295Hm³ from seawater desalination plants).
