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H2020Doctoral network2019–2023

NOWELTIES · Joint PhD Laboratory for New Materials and Inventive Water Treatment Technologies. Harnessing resources effectively through innovation

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2019-02-01 → 2023-01-31
EU contribution
€3,422,142
Participants
15
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Joint PhD Laboratory for New Materials and Inventive Water Treatment Technologies. Harnessing resources effectively through innovation

The NOWELTIES PhD laboratory has designed a research program aimed at the development of new materials and inventive water treatment technologies that offer opportunities and innovative concepts to tailor water qualities to local demands arising from the implementation of a true circular economy with a plethora of interconnected streams while closing local and regional water cycles. The issue of organic micropollutants (OMPs) requires decisive legislative action to prevent deterioration of water resources and establishment of environmental quality standards (EQS), as well as drinking water quality standards regarding OMPs. Meeting such new standards requires the adaptation of current wastewater treatment approaches and the provision of new processes capable of delivering high quality water, including efficient elimination of OMPs. Recent technological and methodological developments offer a range of opportunities for transitioning to smart water management and adopting treatment approaches capable of significantly enhancing the degradation of OMPs whilst exhibiting a low energy footprint and residual stream: Opportunity #1: Enhancing existing biological treatment by exploiting microbial, metabolic and biocatalyst diversity Opportunity#2: Advancing physico-chemical treatment based on oxidation Opportunity #3: Exploring the potential of new materials, specifically by nanotechnology Opportunity #4: Innovation in hybrid systems offer effective barriers against a broad spectrum of contaminants Therefore, NOWELTIES aims to fill in the gaps and improve our understanding of a new generation of wastewater treatment processes and ability to solve future challenges.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Future challenges, including climate change and the resulting unpredictability of precipitation patterns and temporal or permanent water scarcity, generate a high diversity of demands on water treatment technologies obliging them to be able to cater towards a variety of source and target water qualities across multiple scales, depending on application. It is evident that this will generate a market pull towards the development of new water treatment technologies, employing new materials or improving the integration of existing technologies. However, the integration of research and innovation within the water sector needs to be supported by education of a new generation of interdisciplinary trained wastewater professionals able to face future challenges and implement wastewater-related directives in practice. The primary objective of NOWELTIES is to organize a platform (European Joint Doctorate) that will provide cutting edge training opportunities for the education of tomorrow`s water treatment experts. The core activity is the research programme (composed of 14 individual research projects) aimed at development of inventive water treatment technologies (advanced biological treatments, inovative oxidation processes, hybrid systems) that allow catering for the varied treatment demands for a plethora of interconnected streams arising from recycling loops. These technologies will be able to control contamination by organic micropollutants (OMPs) and improve recovery of water across a diversity of scales enabling a smart combination of decentralized and centralised approaches. Besides a holistic training in the field of wastewater treatment dealing with state-of-the-art technologies, experimental techniques and knowledge management methodologies, NOWELTIES will provide a unique training approach to learning complex complementary skills leading to independent and critical thinking which seeks for originality and innovation.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • FUNDACIO INSTITUT CATALA DE RECERCA DE L'AIGUA · GironaCoordinatorSpain
  • COMPREHENSIVE WATER TECHNOLOGY DOOZA USLUGE · ZagrebCroatia
  • FACHHOCHSCHULE NORDWESTSCHWEIZ FHNW · WindischSwitzerland
  • FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY AND METALLURGY UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE · BelgradeSerbia
  • FCC AQUALIA SA · MadridSpain
  • FUNDACION CENTRO GALLEGO DE INVESTIGACIONES DEL AGUA · SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELASpain
  • HERA SPA · BolognaItaly
  • INSTITUT ZA FIZIKU · BEOGRADSerbia
  • RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN · AachenGermany
  • SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU FAKULTET KEMIJSKOG INZENJERSTVA I TEHNOLOGIJE · ZagrebCroatia
  • SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU, FAKULTET STROJARSTVA I BRODOGRADNJE · ZagrebCroatia
  • TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN · MuenchenGermany
  • UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA · Santiago De CompostelaSpain
  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FERRARA · FerraraItaly
  • UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA · GironaSpain

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union