WATER-MINING | Presentation video

Summary

The Water Mining project addresses the critical need for desalination to secure water resources, especially in water-stressed regions. It tackles high energy use and financial costs through innovative solutions like renewable energy and waste heat recovery. The project also promotes water reuse in urban areas and industrial sectors, recovering valuable minerals and salts. Demonstration sites in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Cyprus showcase efficient water use and energy production, moving towards a circular economy in water and salt consumption.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Desalination is crucial for securing water resources, especially in water-stressed regions.
• 💡 Current challenges in desalination include high energy use, financial costs, and environmental impacts.
• 🏭 Large-scale desalination projects are underway in Lampedusa, Italy, and Almeria, Spain.
• 🔄 These projects aim to eliminate brine influence and extract valuable minerals and salts for other sectors.
• ☀️ The Spanish site uses solar energy, and the Italian site uses waste heat recovery to reduce costs.
• 🚰 Urban water use has increased due to population growth, urban expansion, and higher living standards.
• 🔄 Innovative technologies can treat and reuse urban wastewater, creating a circular water use process.
• 🌿 Three demonstration sites in Portugal, Cyprus, and Spain promote water use efficiency and energy production.
• 🏢 Only 10% of EU water use is in urban areas; 90% is for industrial purposes, highlighting the need for industrial water reuse.
• 🔄 Water mining tests zero liquid discharge processes to link wastewater producers with industrial consumers.
• 🔄 The Water Mining project promotes a circular economy approach, cutting-edge technology, and social engagement.

Q & A

What is desalination and why is it important for water resources?

Desalination is the process of producing drinking water from seawater. It is important for securing water resources, especially in water-stressed regions with a growing population.

What are the two main challenges faced by desalination?

The two main challenges faced by desalination are high energy use and its resulting financial costs, as well as the environmental impacts due to pollutant gas emissions and brine influence.

How does the Water Mining project address the challenges of desalination?

The Water Mining project addresses these challenges by eliminating brine influence and extracting valuable minerals and salts. It also uses renewable energy sources like solar power and recovered waste heat to reduce energy and financial costs.

Where are the two large-scale desalination sites mentioned in the script?

The two large-scale desalination sites are located in Lampedusa, Italy, and Almeria, Spain.

How does the Water Mining project contribute to a circular economy?

The project contributes to a circular economy by reusing treated urban wastewater, recovering valuable raw materials from treatment, and implementing zero liquid discharge processes in industrial water use.

What are the three larger-scale exhibition sites established within the Water Mining project?

The three larger-scale exhibition sites are located in Portugal, Cyprus, and Spain. They promote water use efficiency, energy production, and recovery of raw materials.

What percentage of water used in the EU is consumed in urban areas?

Only 10 percent of the total water used in the EU is consumed in urban areas.

How does the Water Mining project approach industrial water use?

The project focuses on developing innovative technologies to reuse water from industrial sectors, taking advantage of the low water quality needed by some industrial processes.

What is the zero liquid discharge process mentioned in the script?

The zero liquid discharge process aims to link wastewater producers with consumers and industrial areas to reduce water needs and wastewater discharge, creating pollution-free brine influent.

Can you provide an example of the zero liquid discharge process within the Water Mining project?

An example is the Rotherland industrial cluster in the Netherlands, where wastewater from epoxy resin production is purified to create quality brine for use in chemical production, thus closing the loop of industrial wastewater management.

What is the role of communities of practice in the Water Mining project?

Communities of practice gather relevant actors to enable rich interaction focused on case studies. They promote social engagement and allow citizens to experience newly created water technologies on living labs.