AquaNES · Project

Cheaper Water Treatment by Combining Nature-Based and Engineered Filtration Systems

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Imagine using a riverbank or a wetland as a giant natural water filter, then adding a targeted tech polish — like ozone or membranes — to finish the job. That's exactly what AquaNES tested across 13 real-world sites in Europe, India, and Israel. Instead of building massive, energy-hungry treatment plants from scratch, the idea is to let nature do the heavy lifting and only use engineering where it's truly needed. The result: cleaner water at lower cost and lower energy use.

By the numbers

Demonstration sites across Europe, India, and Israel

Consortium partners

Countries represented in the consortium

Industry partners in the consortium

SMEs in the consortium

Total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Water utilities and treatment operators face a growing challenge: micropollutants, water scarcity, and excess urban water are pushing treatment costs up while regulations get stricter. Building bigger engineered plants is expensive and energy-intensive. The industry needs solutions that deliver clean water at lower cost and with less energy — especially solutions proven to work across different climates and water sources.

The solution

What was built

The project built and tested combined natural-engineered water treatment systems at 13 demonstration sites, pairing bank filtration, managed aquifer recharge, and constructed wetlands with engineered options like membranes, activated carbon, ozone, and bioreactors. It also delivered a complete Decision Support System (DSS) with a Decision Reasoning System, Knowledge Repository, and design guidance for implementing these combined systems.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal drinking water utilities dealing with micropollutant contaminationWastewater treatment operators looking to cut energy and operating costsEnvironmental engineering firms designing water reuse infrastructureWater technology companies seeking validated hybrid treatment approachesMunicipalities in water-scarce regions exploring managed aquifer recharge

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Municipal Water Utilities

enterprise

Target: Drinking water utilities facing micropollutant contamination

If you are a municipal water utility dealing with rising micropollutant levels in your source water — this project demonstrated bank filtration combined with post-treatment options like membranes, activated carbon, and ozonation across 13 demonstration sites. The combined approach was validated to produce safe drinking water while reducing operating costs and energy consumption compared to fully engineered alternatives.

Industrial Wastewater Treatment

mid-size

Target: Wastewater treatment operators looking to cut energy costs

If you are a wastewater treatment operator struggling with high energy bills and strict discharge limits — this project demonstrated constructed wetlands combined with ozone or bioreactor pre- and post-treatment as a viable wastewater solution. Tested at industrial and near-industrial scale across multiple climatic conditions, these combined systems showed reductions in operating costs and energy consumption.

Water Engineering & Consulting

any

Target: Environmental engineering firms designing water infrastructure

If you are an engineering consultancy designing water reuse or treatment infrastructure — this project delivered a Decision Support System and design guidance for combined natural-engineered treatment systems. With data from 13 sites across 10 countries covering diverse hydrogeological and climatic conditions, the DSS helps you recommend the right nature-tech combination for any client scenario.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could this reduce our water treatment operating costs?

The project specifically aimed to evidence reductions in operating costs and energy consumption by combining natural processes with targeted engineering. Exact savings figures are not published in the available data, but the 13 demonstration sites across diverse conditions generated site-specific cost comparisons. Contact SciTransfer for access to detailed site results.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. AquaNES was an Innovation Action with 13 demonstration sites operating at industrial or near-industrial scale across Europe, India, and Israel. The consortium included 15 industry partners and 10 SMEs, ensuring the solutions were validated under real operating conditions, not just lab settings.

What about IP and licensing for the Decision Support System?

The project delivered a Decision Support System (DSS) including a Decision Reasoning System, Knowledge Management sub-system, and a fully populated Knowledge Repository. IP terms would be governed by the consortium agreement among the 31 partners. Contact the coordinator through SciTransfer for licensing discussions.

Does this work in different climates and water conditions?

The 13 demonstration sites were deliberately chosen to cover a representative range of regional, climatic, and hydrogeological conditions across 10 countries including Mediterranean, continental European, Indian, and Israeli environments. Design guidance was produced specifically to help adapt combined systems to local conditions.

Can this handle micropollutants and emerging contaminants?

Yes. AquaNES specifically targeted micro-pollutants in the water cycle. The demonstrated solutions combine natural filtration (bank filtration, managed aquifer recharge) with advanced post-treatment such as ozonation, activated carbon, and membranes to address contaminants that natural treatment alone cannot fully remove.

How long would it take to implement at our site?

Based on available project data, the project ran for 3 years (2016-2019) including design, construction, and operation of 13 demonstration sites. The delivered design guidance for combined natural-engineered treatment systems provides implementation roadmaps, though timelines depend on local permitting and site conditions.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a large, industry-heavy consortium of 31 partners from 10 countries, with 15 industry players and 10 SMEs making up 48% of the partnership — unusually high for an EU water project. The consortium is led by FHNW (Switzerland), a well-connected applied sciences university. The mix of 7 universities and 3 research organizations providing the science, alongside water utilities and technology companies running the 13 demonstration sites, means these solutions were built and tested by the people who actually operate water systems, not just studied in labs. The geographic spread across Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Greece, Hungary, Poland, UK, Israel, and India means the results have been validated across very different regulatory and climatic environments.

FACHHOCHSCHULE NORDWESTSCHWEIZ FHNWCoordinator · CH
KWR WATER BVparticipant · NL
BioDetection Systems B.V.participant · NL
UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA WPOZNANIUparticipant · PL
ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
BUREAU DE RECHERCHES GEOLOGIQUES ET MINIERESparticipant · FR
FOVAROSI VIZMUVEK ZARTKORUEN MUKODORESZVENYTARSASAGparticipant · HU
MEKOROT WATER COMPANY LIMITEDparticipant · IL
SACHSENNETZE GMBHparticipant · DE
AUTARCON GMBHparticipant · DE
ERFTVERBANDparticipant · DE
Hochschule fuer Technik und Wirtschaft Dresdenparticipant · DE
VERTECH GROUPparticipant · FR
X-FLOW BVparticipant · NL
MicroLANparticipant · NL
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
BERLINER WASSERBETRIEBEparticipant · DE
KWB KOMPETENZZENTRUM WASSER BERLIN GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBHparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

The coordinator is FHNW (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz) in Switzerland. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium See FACHHOCHSCHULE NORDWESTSCHWEIZ FHNW profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how AquaNES solutions could reduce your water treatment costs? SciTransfer connects you directly with the research team — contact us for a tailored briefing.

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