Project O · Project

Modular Water Recycling Systems That Let Any Factory Reuse Its Wastewater

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Imagine a neighbourhood where the factory's leftover water gets cleaned and sent to the farm next door, and the farm's runoff gets treated and flows back to the factory. That's what this project built — plug-and-play water treatment modules that can be bolted onto existing pipes at industrial sites, fish farms, and agricultural operations. They tested these systems at four real sites across Europe and Israel, proving that even small businesses can afford to stop dumping water and start reusing it. The idea is like a recycling bin for water: sort it by how dirty it is, clean each type with the right method, and send it where it's needed most.

By the numbers

Demonstration sites across Europe and Israel

Consortium partners

Countries represented

Industry partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in development

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Water-intensive industries — food processing, textile finishing, aquaculture, agriculture — face rising water costs, tightening discharge regulations, and growing public pressure to reduce their water footprint. Most available water recycling systems are expensive, require major infrastructure overhauls, and only make financial sense for large corporations. Small and mid-size operations are stuck paying more for fresh water and waste treatment with no affordable alternative.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered modular water treatment units using advanced oxidation and nanoadsorption, demonstrated at 4 real sites (Puglia, Almendralejo, Eilat, and a fourth location). It also produced an online User Collaborative Platform, an ICT-based decision and planning tool, and a selection toolbox to help businesses choose the right treatment configuration for their specific water streams.

Audience

Who needs this

Food processing plants looking to cut water consumption and discharge costsTextile dyeing and finishing facilities facing wastewater compliance pressureAquaculture operations in water-scarce regionsMunicipal water utilities exploring decentralized reuse solutionsIndustrial park managers wanting to set up water sharing between tenants

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Food & Beverage Processing

mid-size

Target: Food processing plants with high water consumption

If you are a food processing company dealing with rising water bills and tightening discharge regulations — this project developed modular water treatment units using advanced oxidation and nanoadsorption that were demonstrated at 4 real sites across Europe and Israel. The plug-and-play design means you can retrofit them into your existing water infrastructure without rebuilding your plant. The system was tested with a 26-partner consortium including 7 SMEs, proving it works at scales relevant to mid-size operations.

Textile Manufacturing

SME

Target: Textile finishing and dyeing facilities

If you are a textile finishing company struggling with contaminated process water and expensive disposal costs — this project built low-cost, modular water recycling technology specifically tested for textile finishing applications. The systems use nanoadsorption to strip pollutants from process water so it can be reused on-site. With 9 industry partners involved in development, the technology was designed to be practical for real factory conditions, not just lab experiments.

Aquaculture & Agriculture

any

Target: Fish farms and irrigated farming operations

If you are running an aquaculture or agricultural operation where clean water supply is getting more expensive or restricted — this project demonstrated industrial symbiosis approaches where wastewater from one user becomes a resource for another. The planning tools and treatment modules were tested at demo sites including Puglia (Italy), Almendralejo (Spain), and Eilat (Israel), covering agricultural and aquaculture conditions. The modular design means even small community-scale operations can implement water reuse.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much does this water recycling system cost to install?

Specific pricing is not published in the project data. However, the project objective explicitly emphasizes 'low cost, modular technologies' designed so that 'even small communities and SMEs' can implement them. The modular approach means you scale costs to your actual water volume rather than buying oversized infrastructure.

Can this work at industrial production volumes, not just lab scale?

Yes — this was an Innovation Action with 4 full demonstration sites in Italy (Puglia), Spain (Almendralejo), Israel (Eilat), and a fourth site. Each demo involved real industrial, agricultural, or aquaculture operations. The consortium included 9 industry partners specifically to ensure the technology works under real operating conditions.

Who owns the intellectual property, and can I license the technology?

IP is distributed among the 26 consortium partners across 11 countries. The coordinator is IRIS SRL, an Italian SME. Licensing or technology access would need to be negotiated through the relevant consortium partner. Based on available project data, a selection toolbox and ICT-based decision support platform were also developed and may be available.

Does this comply with EU water reuse regulations?

The project was explicitly designed to support regulators in implementing water policy instruments. It includes planning tools that account for regulatory requirements around water reuse from alternative sources. The 4 demo sites operated under different national regulatory regimes across Europe and Israel, giving the technology a compliance track record in multiple jurisdictions.

How long does installation take for an existing facility?

The project specifically designed these as 'modular technologies that can be easily retrofitted into any water management infrastructure at district or plant level.' Based on available project data, exact installation timelines are not published, but the retrofit-ready modular design was a core requirement to minimize disruption.

Can this integrate with my existing water treatment setup?

Yes, retrofit compatibility was a primary design goal. The modular systems were built to plug into existing water management infrastructure without requiring full replacement. The ICT-based decision support platform helps plan how to integrate treatment modules into your specific setup.

Is there ongoing technical support available?

The project developed a User Collaborative Platform (UCP) that is available online, plus an ICT-based decision and planning tool. The coordinator IRIS SRL and the 7 SME partners in the consortium are potential sources of ongoing commercial support and implementation services.

Consortium

Who built it

The 26-partner consortium spanning 11 countries is heavily weighted toward practical implementation: 9 industry partners and 7 SMEs make up a 35% industry ratio, well above typical research projects. The coordinator IRIS SRL is itself an Italian SME, which signals the project was managed with commercial viability in mind rather than pure academic interest. The mix of 7 universities and 3 research organizations provided the scientific backbone, while 7 other partners (likely municipalities, utilities, and regulators) ensured the solutions were tested against real-world governance and infrastructure constraints. Geographic spread across Southern Europe (IT, ES, PT), Central Europe (AT, DE, FR), Northern Europe (DK, IE, UK), the Balkans (HR), and Israel (IL) means the technology has been validated across diverse water scarcity conditions and regulatory environments.

IRIS SRLCoordinator · IT
AQLARA INFRAESTRUCTURAS SAparticipant · ES
MUNICIPALITY OF EILATparticipant · IL
HOCHSCHULE RHEIN-WAAL-HSRW RHINE-WAAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCESparticipant · DE
KALUNDBORG KOMMUNEparticipant · DK
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINOparticipant · IT
EXERGY LTDparticipant · UK
REGIONE PUGLIAparticipant · IT
ISRAEL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND LIMNOLOGICAL RESEARCH LIMITEDparticipant · IL
UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIROparticipant · PT
PARTICULA GROUP DRUSTVO S OGRANICENOM ODGOVORNOSCU ZA ISTRAZIVANJE RAZVOJ I PROIZVODNJUparticipant · HR
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
VERTECH GROUPparticipant · FR
EKSO SRLparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIAparticipant · ES
TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYparticipant · IL
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR
FONDAZIONE POLITECNICO DI MILANOthirdparty · IT
AALBORG UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
UNI - ENTE ITALIANO DI NORMAZIONEparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

IRIS SRL is an Italian SME that coordinated the project. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the right technical contact.

Order a report on this consortium See IRIS SRL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to find out if this modular water recycling technology fits your facility? SciTransfer can arrange a briefing with the development team and help you assess compatibility with your operations.

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