Spent caustic is a highly toxic by-product created in the oil and petrochemical refining industries that is highly challenging to process. Modern solutions are either unable to meet wastewater treatment regulations or are cost prohibitive. This has resulted in large stockpiles of this hazardous waste now building at refineries with no accessible way to dispose of it. Since 2016 Cetaqua and Suez have been collaborating in development of an innovative solution: “EPC-EqTech” – a plant that combines three core technologies: Electro Coagulation (EC), Electro Oxidation (EO) and Electroperoxi-coagulation (EPC) to create a novel solution capable of processing spent caustic at low-cost and within regulatory parameters. Joining Cetaqua and Suez, the FTI project consortium includes Tüpraş as pilot trial lead end-user and DEKRA as materials development and safety regulations partner. EPC-EqTech is poised to solve this industry-wide challenge and save our target market an estimated 2,4 bnEUR compared to modern alternatives by processing spent caustic on-site with a highly cost-effective and efficient technology. Among others, EPC-EqTech provides its users the following benefits: - Environmentally compatible application; - Hard COD removal; - Highly-effective; - Very low CAPEX and OPEX compared to competitors with better process control; - Meets all known regulatory standards; - In-situ processing that is simple to operate; - Scalable to meet refinery demands; - High pollutant removal efficiencies at acidic medium (optimal pH range) with no H2O2 accumulation. To bring EPC-EqTech to market, our European consortium provides the required technical expertise and commercial position to: 1) Finalise development of our complete solution; 2) Complete TRL7 trials with spent caustic streams; 3) Prepare for commercial integration with all of the tools required for success.

The proposed project will deploy for the first time a new imaging cytometer platform capable of detecting minute quantity of micro-organisms in industrial and environmental waters. The platform is based on the integration of proprietary technologies available to the consortium partners: an automatic water concentration cartridge combined with a microfluidic cell will provide an adequate sample to a newly designed fluorescence image cytometer whose readings will be recorded and processed using a proper software interface. It will be validated for quantifying Legionella and Escherichia coli (E. coli) population within 120 minutes from obtaining the sample, overcoming in this way the main disadvantage of traditional methods used in laboratories, i.e. long time-to results which can currently last up to 12 days in the case of Legionella and 1 day for E. coli. The targeted detection limit will be 10-100 cells/L and 5-20 cells/100 mL for Legionella and E.coli, respectively. Also, the new imaging cytometer will have a portable form, a size similar to a smart-phone, which will increase its versatility and widen the possibilities of onsite applications. The relevance of the project is clear when one thinks about the high risk of legionellosis in some specific industrial environments, such as cooling waters, evaporative condensers and air conditioning systems and the fact that E. coli is one of the faecal pollution index commonly analyzed for monitoring the presence of waterborne pathogens and hence the quality of bathing waters. From a market perspective, more than 7 million of Legionella analyses are performed annually in Europe while E. coli level is included in all bathing water regulations in different EU countries. CYTO-WATER clearly falls into HORIZON 2020 topic WATER-1-2014/2015: Bridging the gap: from innovative water solutions to market replication and addresses Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and in the Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC).

The universal use of different types of plastic-based materials as new products to meet the insatiable global demands of the 20th century has had an unprecedented impact on our evolution as a society. Unfortunately, micro- and nano-plastics are now ubiquitous in marine and freshwater environments, as well as terrestrial ecosystems, where they act as a source of highly detrimental toxic chemicals that negatively affect the environment and human health by interacting with terrestrial organisms that mediate ecosystem services and functions, such as soil dwelling invertebrates, terrestrial fungi and plant pollinators. It is our duty as scientists to provide immediate and appropriate solutions to control the fate and reduce the effects of micro/nano-plastics on our planet. BMRex will develop entirely new concepts for micro/nano-plastic removal from household and industrial waste water effluents by validating a novel biocatalyst-based membrane reactor technology to degrade plastic waste avoiding further damage. The consortium will produce, test & optimize biocatalytic membrane reactors based on porous inorganic scaffolds functionalized with ionic liquid materials modified for biofouling resistance, plastic affinity and controlled attachment of plastic-degrading enzymes. Interchangeable enzyme species will permit a precise control of stepwise catalytic processes enhanced with artificial cytosis, maximizing activity and stability of the biocatalytic reactions. BMRex will also evaluate the economic and technological viability of this novel technology. With its unique integration of scientific approaches, competences and resources, BMRex has the potential to open up an entirely new technological field. In the long term, this project aims to enable an in situ, more efficient and safer recycling of waste waters with transformative effects on a society that is currently in the very early phases of transitioning toward an environmentally sustainable use of plastic.

IDEATION (InlanD watErs in the digitAl Twin OceaN) aims to prepare the development of the digital twin of the inland waters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, wetlands, snow, and ice) addressing activities to be developed and to make it integrated and interoperable with the DTO for a unified digital twin of ocean and waters (addressing the hydrosphere as a whole). IDEATION will be based on a cross-border cooperation, involvement, and commitment of stakeholders at European level by following the Water-oriented Living Labs (WoLLs) approach. Stakeholders will be engaged via Multi-Stakeholder Forums (MSF), using a range of different engagement methodologies (e.g., focus groups, workshops, interviews, questionnaires) depending on goals of the engagement and specificities of the context. A comprehensive review will be performed to make an open knowledge inventory for inland water systems (OpenKIWAS). IDEATION will co-design the IDEATION reference architecture defining a set of building blocks, interfaces and standards to make data, models and technologies interoperable and integrable with the DTO. Putting together all the results from the MSF, OpenKIWAS, and the IDEATION reference architecture, a roadmap for the integration of inland waters in the Digital Twin Ocean will be created providing a preliminary breakdown of the work, with priorities of implementation, into a stepped approach. The consortium members have high experience on EU project coordination and participation, the majority of them already worked together in research projects.