ENFORCE: Circular Wastewater, Energy & Resource Recovery
PermaNews Brief
Key Takeaways
Wastewater treatment plants can transform into resource hubs, recovering energy and valuable materials, thereby reducing pollution and fostering a circular economy.
- Wastewater plants can recover energy and resources.
- Models compare upgrades to current discharge methods.
- Tools assist practitioners in retrofitting plants.
- Cross-border collaboration finds recovery opportunities.
- Project budgeted over 1.2M EUR with EU funding.
Why It Matters
This initiative provides practical solutions for municipalities and utilities to convert wastewater from a disposal problem into a renewable resource, improving environmental sustainability and economic efficiency.
What to Do Next
Explore the ENFORCE project’s decision-making framework to assess upgrade scenarios for your local wastewater treatment facilities.
Recommended for: Wastewater treatment plant managers, municipal planners, environmental engineers, and policymakers interested in resource recovery and circular economy principles.
The ENFORCE project, under Interreg VI-B Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme 2021-2027, develops a resource-efficient wastewater management model to reduce environmental footprints through energy and resource recovery. Outputs include case-studies modeling resource recovery upgrade scenarios versus existing discharge models in partner countries, transnational recovery opportunities, and a decision-making framework for upgrading WWTPs. With a total budget of EUR 1,298,612.87 and EU funding of EUR 216,602.79, it involves partners like Umhvorvisstovan in the Faroe Islands. The project draws from pilots in six European coastal cities (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain) and adapts findings from related initiatives like Life Green Saver for NPA regions. Interventions align with EU priority 072 on recycled materials efficiency. Practitioners gain concrete tools: upgrade scenario models, cross-border case analyses, and frameworks for WWTP retrofits enabling resource recovery, supported by quantified budgets and co-financing details for implementation planning.
Source: keep.eu
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