Facts and figures

• Project Partners 32
• Start Date 1 June 2008
• Duration 48 Months
• Total Budget 14.8 M€
• Total EC Funding 9.7 M€

Background

The global water crisis is emerging as one of the most serious natural resource issues facing the world today. Water is a high value resource and it is directly related to economy, health and safety aspects. When properly valued, we will get more attention and money from water. (M. Banks. The world’s water crisis-Turning the tide-policies for future. European Policy Summit.20 June 2006, Brussels).

By consuming several billions m³ of water a year, industry has a significant impact on available water sources. Legislation, stringent discharge standards as well as process and product demands force industry to ensure higher water quality corresponding to increasing costs. For the water consuming industry, water is no longer regarded as a consumable or utility but as a highly valuable asset: a vital element used in close conjunction with the production processes. Industries want to become more independent of public and private parties for the supply of process water and the treatment of wastewater. Furthermore, they want to use water qualities according to their own specifications, fit-for-use.
The securing of sufficient quantity of water of good quality and resources for urban, industrial and agricultural use is a major driving force behind the current EC policy. Although Europe has extensive knowledge and experience of developing solutions in the field of water, the fragmented character of the European water sector strongly limits its potential. A focused European approach on industrial water has enormous potential that, when properly managed, will foster technical innovations (M. Banks, Brussels).
This proposal responds to balance industrial supply-side and demand-side approaches to managing scarce water resources.

To solve these problems a new management system including new approaches, tools, methods, and technologies needs to be developed. AquaFit4Use aims at these developments focusing at cross-sectorial issues that concern the major water consuming industries in Europe.

This AquaFit4Use proposal is prepared by the thematic working group of the Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP), one of the EU Technology Platforms. Over 40% of all project partners of AquaFit4Use were involved in this Thematic Working group and have formed a European network on this issue for over 3 years.

The innovation challenge of this integrated project is not the application of new technologies on waste water and process water treatment, but to treat waste water for process water production fit-for-(re)-use.