As part of new EU industrial wastewater project, SINTEF Energy Research will perform waste-heat recovery assessments of industrial pilot sites, develop, implement waste heat recovery technology at Felix Schoeller's paper mill in Weissenborn, Germany

February 12, 2024 (press release) –

A new project which SINTEF is taking part in will look at better ways to deal with industrial wastewater. Water use in industrial settings has various impacts on the environment, the economy, and society in Europe . One of the main problems in this field is water scarcity, since 40% of European water use goes to industry. This is especially a problem in areas with limited water resources, pollution of water resources, general decrease in water quality, and substantial energy consumption related to water use and treatment. Despite this, and the additional effects of climate change, industrial wastewater reclamation solutions and initiatives are rare, mostly because water is not priced to reflect its true value or availability. This often discourages industries from investing in urgently needed water reclamation technologies.

The R3VOLUTION project will revolutionise industrial water management in the EU. Titled “A revolutionary approach for maximising process water reuse and resource recovery through a smart, circular and integrated solution”, it will pave the way for sustainable and efficient water and resource consumption. The project will do so by developing key innovations to enable economic, environmental, and operational water reclamation, addressing dissolved materials and energy recovery challenges.

During the project's four-year duration, partners will demonstrate a sustainable resource recovery solution and develop tailored membrane-based treatment trains coupled with waste heat recovery, and a digital process assistant to achieve optimal configuration for different industrial settings. The project will seek to minimise risks in implementation and provide critical support in operation. To revolutionise industrial water management and generate a significant impact for the EU in the next decade, the R3VOLUTION project includes four pilot-scale demonstration cases that will show the applicability and replicability of solutions in the petrochemical, bio-based chemical, steel, and pulp and paper industry.

SINTEF Energy Research will perform waste-heat recovery assessments of the industrial demo sites and develop and implement waste heat recovery technology at Felix Schoeller's paper mill in Weissenborn, Germany . Project Manager for SINTEF Energy Research is Sigurd Sannan , Research Scientist at the Department of Thermal Energy .

R3VOLUTION is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement number 101138245. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.