As leaders of work package 2 (WP2) it is our responsibility as well as interest to monitor the implementation of B-WaterSmart’s project technologies. As a part of this monitoring and to track the progress of the Living Lab (LLs) closely, we had the opportunity to visit each of the LLs in the fall of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. The travel map is shown in Fig. 1 (WP2 leaders’ travel map).

As a first destination, we visited Lisbon: a lively coastal city renowned for its historic architecture and delectable cuisine. Within the B-WaterSmart project, this LL has diverse goals of varying scales, such as developing tools and processes to safely reuse water, improving the efficiency of water, energy, and phosphorus use in non-potable municipal applications, and enhancing the climate readiness of housing and buildings concerning water and energy. While some activities, like groundwater contamination analysis, are nearing completion, others, such as water production from treated wastewater for artisanal beer production using ozone/reverse osmosis (O₃/RO), have been constructed and are now operating (Fig.2: Wastewater treatment pilot for potable water reuse in Lisbon LL).

On our second trip, we traveled to the picturesque city of Bodø in northern Norway just above the arctic circle, where our partners were focused on resource extraction from wastewater in small and medium-sized treatment plants, improving wastewater management by enhancing infiltration detection technologies and leak detection technologies in potable water pipes. During this trip, project colleague Bardia Roghani, who is responsible for the sewer flow measurement campaign, installed sewer flowmeters. More detailed information on this activity can be found here. It is worth noting that during that period the water meters were undergoing the final stages of production (Fig. 3: Fully assembled water meters), while the biogas production pilot activities were modified to adhere to the project’s directives.

Before Christmas, we then traveled to Lohne, a tranquil town in northwestern Germany known for its cultural landmarks and peaceful neighbourhoods. Here, our partners focused on improving the treatment of processed water for reuse in milk production due to increasing water demand within the supply area in various sectors and limited groundwater abstraction capacities. Delightfully, the construction of the treatment plant at the dairy company was completed according to the plan and the operation phase has already started (Fig. 4: Treatment unit of processed water for reuse in milk production). We also had the opportunity to explore the cheese production processes in the region during our visit.

Following the New Year holidays, our visits resumed, and we traveled to Flanders, a historically and culturally rich region in northern Belgium, renowned for its medieval architecture. Our partners here showcased their technology in three areas: 1) upgrading wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent for possible drinking water production, 2) improving existing drinking water production via multi-step membrane treatment, and 3) urban rainwater reuse in agriculture. We observed the successful installation and operation of the WWTP effluent treatment pilots and water treatment (Fig. 5: WWTP effluent treatment pilot), while the use of rainwater for agricultural purposes will commence with a slight delay in late spring. However, LL partners hosted a delightful pumpkin soup party for the locals in Mechelen to introduce their plans for the surrounding district. Read more about this delicious experience here.

Later, we made our way to Alicante, a coastal city renowned for its stunning beaches and lively nightlife. This LL wants to promote water reuse and circular economy opportunities by converting a wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory capable of recovering minerals, nutrients, salts, and energy (Fig. 6: Nutrient recovery setting). At the time of the visit, the construction of some technologies such as oil and fat co-digestion technology had been completed and their exploitation and testing had begun and some were in the final stages of assembly (i.e. Ammonia evaporation CEVAP). It should be noted that in coordination with the project management, the turbine technology for energy production will be put into operation in late spring.

Later, we made our way to Alicante, a coastal city renowned for its stunning beaches and lively nightlife. This LL wants to promote water reuse and circular economy opportunities by converting a wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory capable of recovering minerals, nutrients, salts, and energy. At the time of the visit, the construction of some technologies such as oil and fat co-digestion technology had been completed and their exploitation and testing had begun and some were in the final stages of assembly (i.e. Ammonia evaporation CEVAP). It should be noted that in coordination with the project management, the turbine technology for energy production will be put into operation in late spring.

Our final stop was Venice, with its breathtaking canals and intricate architecture. The focus of this LL is on achieving water reuse objectives across industrial, agricultural, and urban sectors, along with implementing nutrient recovery technologies in wastewater treatment plants. In pursuit of this, the pilot plans to ensure the appropriate water quality for specific reuses is constructed (Fig. 7: Advanced wastewater treatment pilot for improving the effluent quality for specific industrial reuses). Moreover, two pilot systems (a packed column and a new alternative reactor) for recovering nutrients from concentrated streams in WWTPs are built and will be put into the operational phase soon (Fig.8: Reactor for nutrient recovery pilots).

All in all, most of the technologies are implemented and started to run and the rest will soon be in the operation phase too.

(Author: Bardia Roghani for Work-Package 2 of the B-WaterSmart project)