Circular Economy Solutions in the Water Sector

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WATERENERGYMATERIALS
Challenging
embedded thinking
and practices in the
water sector
Boosting
sustainability and
new market
dynamics
Bringing the
circular economy to
life
The consortium has received funding from the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation program under grant agreement No.
776541.
FOLLOW US

2
About the
project
Water
Energy
Materials
The project will
asses, design and
demonstrate a wide
range of water-
embedded
resources, including:

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About the project
Involving and engaging citizens
and other stakeholders
Addressing social and
governance challenges
An integral part of deploying
NextGen solutions will be to
define and cultivate the
framework conditions for
success:

4
About the
project
NextGen will explore new
business models and
support market creation
with three key initiatives:

5
About the project
Solutions being explored
and tested include :
Positive energy
generators
Nutrient mining & reuse
Optimise water
resources

6
Water &
Circular Economy
Re-connecting with the
water cycle

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Water & Circular
Economy
Re-connecting with the water cycle

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Water & Circular
Economy
Re-connecting with the water cycle
The world needs to move away from
a systematic ‘take-make-consume-
dispose’behaviour. This linear model
assumes that resources are
abundant, available, and cheap to
dispose of.
By embracing ‘circular economy’ principles
and technological innovation, we can preserve
natural capital, optimise resources and
improve system efficiency to boost
sustainability and bring new market dynamics
throughout the water cycle.

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System
Diagram of
Water in the
Circular
Economy

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Demonstrations cases
10 full scale deployments all over Europe
NextGen is piloting
the next generation of
water systems and
solutions at 10 sites
in 8 countries

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About the project
organisation
A series of work packages have
been devised to make NextGen a
reality.

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WP1
Demonstrating
technologies &
systems for water in
the circular economy
Specific objectives to promote feasibility
and prove applied concepts at 10
demonstration cases in Europe
Provide long-term credible data on
performance of CE technologies and
schemes for the water sector
Derive guidelines for optimized
operation of CE systems
Highlight the potential for water reuse,
nutrient & energy recovery depending
on the local conditions.
Lead partner

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WP2
Assessing
technologies and
design systems for
water in the circular
economy
Assess economic and environmental
performance of individual water
technologies and associated risks
Optimise systems and make assessment
and modelling results and tools available
To assess systemic eco-innovation and
technology implementations in the
demo cases and enrich the project’s
evidence base
To further develop, customize and
demonstrate tools to support and
foster replication of CE concepts
beyond the project looking both at the
individual technology and at the
system levels, now and in the future.
Lead partner
The specific objectives of WP2 are:

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WP3
Involving and
engaging citizens and
stakeholders
Actively involving and engaging
stakeholders from the whole water value
chain, with a particular emphasis on end-
users and the general public and will
offer an engagement environment around
the innovations demonstrated.
Create and synchronise Communities
of Practices to promote a multi-
stakeholder approach to discuss CE
water technologies in its institutional
context
Engage end-users and citizens in
experiencing and visualising CE water
technologies by demonstrating Living
Labs outreach, AR and SG activities.
Lead partner
WP3 will:

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WP4
Addressing social and
governance
challenges to uptake
of circular solutions
Socio-political, regulatory and governance
(pre)conditions for circular water
systems and services
Proposes an actionable EU Roadmap for
Water in the Circular Economy
To improve understanding of the
social acceptability of circular water
systems and services;
To examine existing and emerging
policy and regulatory frameworks, both
at European level and within Member
States, in order to identify enablers for,
and challenges to, wider uptake of
circular solutions;
Lead partner:
The objectives of WP4 are:
To inform emerging European policy
on the CE for water by implementing
a road mapping approach, in order to
develop ways of addressing identified
challenges.

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WP5
Exploring new
business models and
supporting market
creation
Explores new circular business models
and market opportunities
Supporting the emerging business
ecosystem through a commercial ‘Market
Place’ initative and the European water
technology platform - WssTP
Develop new business models and
ideate new services for CE,
optimising and building on the
NextGen demo cases
Ensure a high-impact exploitation with
the creation of a marketplace and
spinoffs
Lead
partner
WP5 has the following objectives:
Select the more mature and close-to-
market NextGen technologies/solutions
and develop actionable Business Plans.

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WP6
Communicate,
connect, create
synergies and support
learning
Communication, collaboration and
engagement are pillars of excellence
and innovation on a par with our
technical endeavours.
Vital to supporting NextGen goals and
driving sustainable change
To promote active engagement and
knowledge sharing between 10 demo cases,
project partners, 30 end users, a range of
professional stakeholders and engage with
50,000 citizens
External communication and promotion of the
project evidence base, case studies,
experiences and outcomes, so as to widely
promote the principals of NextGen
Lead partner
WP6 has the following objectives:
Establish an ongoing platform to promote and
share the principals of the project to support
creation of 3 new spin offs, new business
opportunities and 200 long-term jobs in
water supply.

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Advisory
Board
Aldo Roberto Ometto Linda Macpherson Christophe Lasseur May ThorsethMark Flechter

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European financing
NextGen is an active and willing supporter of the EU Circular
Economy Package and contributor to a future European
Roadmap for Water in the Circular Economy

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Biological Wastewater Treatment System,
La Trappe Brewery
Netherlands
Circular solutions for
Water Materials

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The BioMakery serves as a
test facility for advanced
circular space technology
developed within the micro-
ecological life support system
alternative (MELiSSA)
program of ESA.
SEMiLLA formerly known as
IPStar has a mandate to
implement this technology in
civil society. Coupling MNR
with MELiSSA technology,
reuse water and phototrophic
organisms will be produced.
The use of Single Cell
Proteins will be evaluated for
all options such as slow-
release fertilizer for the plant
nursery, as fish fodder, or as
human food.
Water Materials
La Trappe Brewery

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Maintain normal operations at
the BioMakery during and
after the integration of
MELiSSA technology with
Metabolic Network Reactor
(MNR) water treatment
technology.
Combine MNR and MELiSSA
advanced separation
technologies to create water
for reuse: primarily as
irrigation water and
potentially as water used
during the bottle-washing
process and as makeup
water for beer production.
Recover carbon, nitrogen,
and phosphorus materials
from wastewater using
MELiSSA photobioreactor
technology. Develop and test
these materials for use as a
plant fertilizer or as
microbial protein for
various applications.
Water Materials
La Trappe Brewery
Key innovations & actions

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Water Materials
La Trappe Brewery
Relevant data Relevant sectors
Beverage
industry
Municipal sector Space
industry
Lead partners
Capacity: 438 m3
/day (10,800
PE)
Footprint: 847m2
Value: Water circularity showcase

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Waste Water Treatment Plant
Altenrhein
Switzerland
Water Energy

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Water Energy
WWTP Altenrhein
• Production of fresh activated carbon
using locally available sludge and biomass,
definition and regeneration strategies and its
reuse for micro-pollutants removal.
• Phosphorus in sludge modified and
purified for reuse as market grade P-K-
fertilizer.
• Nitrogen stripping via a novel membrane
contactor.

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Water
WWTP Altenrhein
Agriculture Municipal sector Water sector
Lead partners
100.000 PE Sewage treatment
200.000 PE
Additional sludge from an 17 WWTPs in
the federal states of St Gallen and
Appenzell
Energy
Environmental
protection sector

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Athens
Urban Tree Nursery - Greece
Water Materials Energy

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The nursery comprises 4 ha
of vegetation, supplies all
urban parks and green
spaces of Athens with plant
material and uses potable
water from Athens’s Water
Supply and Sewerage
Company (EYDAP) for its
irrigation.
• The city is seeking
alternative water sources
leveraging circular economy
solutions to achieve
environmental, social and
financial benefits for the city.
• The installation of a sewer
mining modular unit for
urban green irrigation at the
point of demand would be of
direct benefit for the
sustainability of the new
metropolitan park.
Athens
Urban Tree Nursery

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• Compost-based eco-engineered growing
media products will be reused as an onsite
fertilizer, as part of a portfolio of
autonomous, decentralized water, energy
and materials circular solutions for cities in
water scarce area.
• Thermal energy recovery schemes will be
investigated to minimize the pilot’s
environmental footprint.
Athens
Urban Tree Nursery

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• Demonstration of a sewer mining modular
unit for wastewater treatment with
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and
disinfection
• Enabling novel wastewater reuse options
at the point of demand for urban green
irrigation, urban agriculture and other
non-potable uses (fire protection, washing
of municipality vehicles)
• Supported by biomakeryTM solutions for
nutrient and energy recovery for more
complete autonomy
• Evaluating innovative circular solutions for
their ability to address real world
problems in water scarce cities
Water Materials
Energy
Athens
Urban Tree Nursery

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Water Materials
Relevant data
Lead partners
25 m3 / day
Autonomous and modular
water system
Athens
Urban Tree Nursery
Relevant sectors
Factory Agriculture Water treatment Drinking water
Energy

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Braunschweig
Germany
EnergyMaterials

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Energy
WWTP Braunschweig
• Full scale nutrient and energy recovery from
sewage sludge combining thermal hydrolysis and
two-stage digestion together with ammonia
stripping and struvite precipitation from the WWTP.
• Investigation of quality and quantity of recyclates
produced
• Efficient energy (biogas and heat)
management for hydrolysis and digestion
including seasonal demand
• Set up and optimise a new nutrient
recycling scheme.
Materials

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EnergyMaterials
WWTP Braunschweig
Lead partners
> Full Scale Waste Water
Treatment Plant
-320.000 M PE Tourists per year
-3 000 ha of Agriculture Factory Agriculture Chemical
industry

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WWTPGlina
Bucharest
Romania
The city water system has undergone significant transitions in
recent decades with new drinking water and wastewater
treatment plants as well as distribution system leakage
reductions.
Biological sludge previously sent to anaerobic digestion,
dewatered and landfilled until 2015 is now valorised in
agriculture.
Currently, the operator faces the following challenges:
1. provide safe and affordable sludge disposal / utilisation routes
2. improve nutrient removal for compliance with UWWTD discharge
requirements (10 mg/L N limit)
3. optimise on-site energy management
Water Materials

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Materials
WWTP Bucharest
• Investigate nutrient and carbon use from
agricultural sludge to shape a Romanian sludge
management strategy
• Long-term field study to assess safe and
affordable sludge disposal routes
• Increased local water sourcing for large users:
feasibility study for direct industrial water reuse
in a thermal power plant
• Valorising biodegradable carbon agro- or
food industry waste to enhance nitrogen removal
during wastewater treatment
• Examining options to reduce recirculated
nitrogen load
Water

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MaterialsWater
WWTP Bucharest
Lead partners
-690 000 m3/day flow treated
-60% electricity self sufficient
using biogas and CHP
Water
Treatment
Agriculture Circular
Solutions

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Tossa de Mar WRP
Costa Brava Region
Spain
Water Materials
Touristic region located on the Mediterranean,
characterized by high seasonal demand,
frequent water scarcity episodes, also
causing saltwater intrusion.
It is one of the first areas in the uptake of water
reuse in Europe with 14 full-scale tertiary
treatments that provide 4 hm3/year (2016) for
agricultural irrigation, environmental uses, non-
potableurban uses and,
recently, indirect potable reuse.

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• Regenerate end-of-life RO membranes to
obtain different molecular cut-offs to be used in
the multipurpose fit-for-use reclamation system.
2 year pilot.
• Produce fit-for-use water quality for sensitive
uses to extend the use of reclaimed water in
the area (e.g. indirect potable reuse through
aquifer recharge and irrigation of private
gardens).
• Integrated urban/regional water cycle
optimisation including all the relevant actors
Water Materials
Costa Brava Region

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Water Materials
Relevant data
Lead partners
6.4 hm3
Total water reused / year
Relevant sectors
Factory Agriculture Water treatment Drinking water
Costa Brava Region

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Filton Airfield
United Kingdom

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Filton Airfield
United Kingdom

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Filton Airfield
United Kingdom
• Integration of the drainage system into
green infrastructure and urban reuse
of water.
• Drainage, rainfall and rainwater
characterisation
• Heat recovery from the sewer system
and local use for heating
• Proposals of circular economy
solutions to implement using NextGen
insights and experiences

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Filton Airfield
United Kingdom
Urban services Land developers Commercial
sector
Lead partners
Under construction: 144 ha
homes: 2675
Value: Water circularity showcase

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Testbed in the water sector
Gotland
Sweden
Water

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Testbed in the water sector
Gotland
Sweden
Water

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Gotland
Sweden
• Rainwater harvesting using automatic
floodgates to replenish aquifers and
monitoring of aquifer levels
• Decentralised membrane treatment of raw
wastewater for reuse to reduce volumes
treated at the central WWTP
• Climate neutral desalination powered
by solar energy to overcome carbon
footprint drawbacks
Water

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Water
Gotland
Sweden
Tourist industry Municipal sector Water sector
Lead partners
Storsudred testbed area: 14 000
ha
Habitants during winter: 900
Habitants during summer :
1800
Tourists per year: 300 000

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Spernal
United Kingdom
Water EnergyMaterials

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WWTP Spernal
• Nutrient removal and recovery through
adsorption or ion exchange technologies
• AnMBR demonstration in cold climate
nor-thern European countries with a
membrane degassing unit to recover
dissolved methane for water and energy
reuse

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Agriculture Domestic sector Energy sector
Lead partners
Waste water plant serving the
town of Redditch:
92.000 M PE
Spernal
United Kingdom

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Several Waste Water Treatment Plants
Westland Region
Netherlands
Water Energy

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Several Waste Water Treatment Plants
Westland Region
Netherlands
Water Energy

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Water Energy
Westland Region
• Analyze water cycle, resource recovery
and sustainble energy activies in region
• Define management strategies for these
topics
• Feasibility study of potential role of a High
Temperature-Aquifer Thermal Energy
Storage system (HT-ATES) at the
horticulture Koppert Cress in the South-
Holland heat roundabout contributing to an
integrated water-energy approach.

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Water
Westland Region
Horticulture Heavy port
industry
Chemicals
industry
Lead partners
1,2 M households served
100-150 PJ Excess heat supply
(industry)
40 000 industies served
120-75 PJ Excess heat demand
(horticulture, cities)
Energy
Drinking water
companies

57
FOLLOW US
The consortium has received funding from the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation program under grant agreement No.
776541.

Circular Economy Solutions in the Water Sector

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