E4Water Newsletter out!

To celebrate its initial year of work SusChem supported FP7 project E4Water has just published its first newsletter. The publication describes progress in the project’s quest to improve water management in the European chemical industry by making it economically and ecologically more efficient.

The newsletter reports on the work done during the first twelve months of the project and gives an overview of E4Water’s main objectives.

E4Water is a very applied project that gets strong input from both industry and research organisations to provide solutions for a more “eco-efficient” approach to industrial water management. This and subsequent editions of the E4Water newsletter will feature the E4Water cases studies that are at the heart of the project and highlight best practise.

Case studies
In this first newsletter two case studies are presented: the Dow case in Terneuzen, Netherlands, and the Solvic case in Antwerp, Belgium. These cases give a good insight on how strongly the partners in E4Water work together.

The Dow Case involves a large-scale symbiotic reuse concept: mild desalination of water streams for optimum reuse in industry or agriculture at affordable costs at the Dow Benelux Terneuzen site.

The Solvic Case – described as an ‘industrial experimental garden’ – aims to enhance water reuse by global management and synergy identification on a multi-company site. Here Solvic is looking to enable synergy effects with neighbourhood industries in the Port of Antwerp Chemical Cluster.

The Dow and Solvic NV case studies are two of six case studies that are at the heart of the E4Water project and are the result of an extensive stakeholder dialogue during the preparation of the project to ensure high relevance to the E4Water approach for the chemical industry. The four other case studies involve sites in Spain, France and Denmark plus another Belgian example.

What is E4Water?
The E4Water project is a European Commission-funded FP7 project jointly developed by SusChem and the European Water Platform (WssTP). E4Water was launched in May 2012 and will continue for four years. The project is coordinated by Dechema.

The E4Water project aims to develop, test and validate new integrated approaches, methodologies and process technologies for a more efficient and sustainable management of water in the chemical industry (see schematic below). The results of the project will also be applicable to other industrial sectors.

E4Water unites in its consortium large chemical industries, leading European water sector companies and innovative RTD centres and universities active in the area of water management. E4Water aims to reduce water use by 20-40%, decrease waste water production by 30-70%, and cut energy use by 15-40% in the sector.

You can find out more about the E4Water project on their website. where you can also download the newsletter.

Economic and Efficient Water Management

The European chemical industry is constantly striving to improve its water management by making it economically and ecologically more efficient. As competition for water grows in Europe, due to the effects of climate change and growing demand, a step change in efficiency is required. The recently launched E4Water FP7 project will help the chemical and other sectors make that change.

Water challenges – scarce fresh water resources, stress on aquatic ecosystems and the like – are high on the European and international agenda. Economically and environmentally efficient water management is seen as one of the main strategies for environmental protection in many European countries. And innovative solutions in industrial water use can help further decouple production growth from water use - always taking into account the local environmental and economic context.

The chemical industry is a cornerstone of the European economy, converting raw materials into thousands of different products. It is both a major water user and a solution provider for process industry sectors such as mining, industrial biotechnology, health, food, electronic, pulp and paper, and energy. As such, the chemical industry offers significant potential for increasing eco-efficiency in industrial water management throughout the value chain.

The E4Water project unites in its 19 member consortium large chemical industries, leading European water sector companies and innovative RTD centres and universities active in the area of water management. Together they will work to address crucial process industry needs to overcome bottlenecks and barriers for an integrated and energy-efficient water management.

E4Water is a European Commission-funded FP7 project jointly developed by SusChem and the European Water Platform (WssTP). E4Water was launched in May 2012 and will continue for four years. The project is coordinated by Dechema.

Develop and test
The main objective of E4Water is to develop and test integrated approaches, methodologies and process technologies. At the heart of the project are six industrial case study sites that are expected to achieve a reduction of 20-40% in water use, 30-70% in wastewater production, 15-40% in energy use and up to 60% in direct economic benefits. In addition to the chemical industry, the project will seek opportunities for cross-fertilisation with other industrial sectors.

To achieve these aims will require technological breakthroughs integrating across industrial, urban and agricultural water streams, bringing the chemical industry into the water value chain and interacting with other sectors. Tools will be provided that will allow industrial decision-makers to decide on how best to apply E4Water developments in Europe and beyond.

The project builds on state-of-the-art and new fundamental R&D concepts. E4Water will:

• Develop and test innovative treatment technologies for complex (concentrated) wastewater streams

• Develop selective treatment technologies and treatment systems that unlock barriers to the recycle and reuse of industrial water streams

• Integrate eco-efficient water management more strongly into industrial processes

• Integrate water management networks to reduce fresh water withdrawal

Case studies
The six case studies will demonstrate and evaluate innovative water management options on selected industrial sites. The six chosen examples are the result of an extensive stakeholder dialogue during the preparation of the project.

The six case studies are:

• Mild desalination of water streams for optimum reuse in industry or agriculture at affordable cost led by Dow in the Netherlands and will involve the design, construction and start-up of a demonstration facility to enable the use of more streams in the regions such as rain water, agriculture, municipal and industrial waste water.

• Enhancement of water reuse by global management and synergy identification on a multi-company site led by Solvic in Belgium.

• Ensuring process continuation by closing the water loop and minimising fresh water use led by SolVin Iberica in Spain on a PVC process site.

• Enhancing in-process water loop closure by integrating biocidal with wastewater treatment technologies led by PGB in Belgium to help recycling of wash water from cleaning and sanitation processes in liquid operations.

• Towards integrated water management system in a petrochemical site led by Total in France. The objectives are the enhanced recycling in cooling circuits, wastewater reuse for cooling water make up and other operations, reduction of water abstraction by more than 40%, and improving process reliability.

• Bioextraction technology in a symbiotic industrial wastewater treatment concept creating added value led by CBD in Denmark.

You can find out more about the E4Water project on their website.

SusChem at ACHEMA 2012

ACHEMA 2012 takes place in Frankfurt from 18 to 22 June and SusChem will be taking an active part. ACHEMA is the world forum for the process industry, chemical engineering, environmental protection and biotechnology and SusChem is heavily involved in the ‘Biobased World’ theme.

Biobased World is an integral part of ACHEMA 2012 and is tagged as ‘the venue where the bioeconomy becomes visible.’ SusChem is one of the organizers of a joint event – ‘European Bioeconomy: From Knowledge via Demonstration to Products and Markets’.

The conference will cover the complete value chain from the regulatory environment at EU level via the availability of feedstock and the necessary logistical integration of the agricultural and chemical industries, the holistic approach of biorefineries and the conditions for successful market entry of new bio-based products and services.

There are five consecutive sessions over the two days:

• Part 1 – Towards a European Bioeconomy and Horizon 2020: the framework
• Part 2 – Feedstock availability and the Value Chain
• Part 3 – Conversion of Biomass: Biorefineries
• Part 4 – Via Demonstration to Products and Markets
• Part 5 – Innovative Business Models and Public-Private-Partnerships

This conference runs on 20 and 21 June and will include high-ranking speakers from European and national institutions, industry and other significant stakeholders in the bioeconomy. SusChem board member Peter Nagler of Evonik will present a SusChem overview of issues discussed at the conference from a technology platform point of view and Joanna Dupont Inglis of EuropaBio offer her conclusions and outlook at the end of the conference together with Alfredo Aguilar of the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation.

More details of the conference and registration details can be found here. The cost of attending the conference is included in ACHEMA 2012 ticket price, but space will be limited so registration is necessary to ensure participation.

BIOCHEM at Biobased
SusChem innovation project BIOCHEM will also be taking a leading role on the Biobased World by running one of its innovative Accelerator Forums and taking a stand in the exhibition area.

A BIOCHEM Accelerator Forum combines technology transfer, partnering and venture capital events in one single location: your one-stop shop for market entry in the bioeconomy. The forum takes throughout ACHEMA 2012 with various concurrent events.

The BIOCHEM partnering event matches requests and offers for cooperation and creates one-to-one meeting schedules during the event in a dedicated partnering area, while Technology Transfer Days will bring together researchers with relevant ideas with novel products, start-up companies and SMEs with the potential to develop new bio-based business, and large industrial stakeholders.

The Venture Capital event is for early-stage, high potential start-up companies looking for funding or partnering and the Teaching Class is a two-hour training seminar for entrepreneurs and their advisors to be introduced to the BIOCHEM toolbox: a set of business and other tools that can help companies assess their potential for success in the bioeconomy and point them towards success. The final round of the BIOCHEM Business Plan Competition will also be held at ACHEMA 2012.

For more details and registration please visit the BIOCHEM website. Following the ACHEMA the next BIOCHEM Accelerator Forum will be held in Bilbao, northern Spain on 19 – 21 September.