Wednesday 28 October 2020

Brunel University London lands €875k to cut waste, water and energy use from industry

Brunel University London has landed an €875,000 (£792,000) share of more than €10 million (£9m) in EU funding to cut waste, water and energy use from industry.

Engineers will work to develop new water treatment, exhaust condensation and waste reuse systems, with the aim of enabling businesses and factories to recycle as much as 30% of all wastewater and heat they produce.

The funding from the EU's Horizon 2020 fund will be used by the Innovative Water Recovery Solutions (iWAYS) to tackle these issues initially in the chemicals, steel and ceramics sectors, the continent's most energy-intensive industries.

The four-year project will span nine European countries and involve 18 universities and organisations, once it officially begins in December.

Brunel University London's Scientific Director Professor Hussam Jouhara said: "Industries release one-third of the global greenhouse gas emissions, of which 70% stem from heat generation. One way to reduce the environmental footprint is to recover the generated heat and reuse it in other industrial processes”.

iWAYS Co-Ordinator, Prof Luca Montorsi at Italy’s University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, said: "The project intends to transform white plumes from industry´s chimneys – starting from ceramics, chemicals and steel – into a source of water and energy."