Descripción del proyecto
THE BALANCE BETWEEN WATER DEMAND AND AVAILABILITY HAS REACHED A CRITICAL LEVEL IN MANY AREAS OF THE WORLD, IN ADDITION CLIMATE CHANGE WILL EXACERBATE ADVERSE IMPACTS IN THE FUTURE, WITH MORE FREQUENT EXTREME EVENTS EXPECTED,IN EUROPE, WATER IS USED FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY, INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES, ENERGY PRODUCTION AND AGRICULTURE, IN PARTICULAR, AGRICULTURE ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN HALF OF TOTAL ABSTRACTION, RISING TO MORE THAN 80% IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES LIKE SPAIN, SINCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES, WHICH SPECIFIES THAT FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE COMMUNITIES AN APPROPRIATE WASTEWATER TREATMENT MUST BE PROVIDED, THE INTEREST FOR DECENTRALIZED AND NATURAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN WIDELY INCREASING, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE 15,000 COMMUNITIES IN EU WITH 2,000-5,000 INHABITANS, THEY REPRESENT 66% OF TOTAL EU SETTLEMENTS, WHICH GENERATE 12% OF THE POLLUTION LOAD (EC, 2011), SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, (I,E, BELGIUM, FRANCE, IRELAND, ITALY, LUXEMBOURG, POLAND AND PORTUGAL) STILL NEED TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THEIR COMPLIANCE WITH EU DIRECTIVES AND OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE SPAIN NEED ALSO CONTINUED EFFORTS TO COMPLETE COMPLIANCE,ON THE OTHER HAND, IN MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WATER SCARCITY SERIOUSLY AFFECTS CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND FOOD PRODUCTION, FURTHERMORE, IN MOST OF DEVELOPING AND EMERGING COUNTRIES ONLY URBAN AREAS ARE PROVIDED WITH FACILITIES FOR MANAGING WASTEWATER, WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON HEALTH,IN THIS SCENARIO, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY IS SEEN AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, LOW COST ECOTECHNOLOGIES (I,E, CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS, ALGAL PONDS AND DIGESTERS) ARE A USEFUL TOOL FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY OF BIOMASS (SUCH AS SLUDGE AND ALGAE), ENERGY AND NUTRIENTS, THEIR SUCCESS IS RELATED TO GOOD TREATMENT PERFORMANCE, LOW MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION COSTS, LOW ENERGY REQUIREMENTS, RESULTING IN IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONDITIONS,THERE IS THEREFORE AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR ECONOMIC, ESTHETICAL AND ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE TREATMENT SYSTEMS AT WORLDWIDE LEVEL,ECOWAT PROPOSAL AIMS TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF LOW COST ECOTECHNOLOGIES FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY FOR CLEAN FUEL PRODUCTION (SUCH AS BIOGAS) AND IRRIGATION, THE FINAL OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY AND OVERCOME SEVERAL BOTTLENECKS AND BARRIERS (I,E, MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, FINANCIAL ISSUES AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS) WHICH REDUCE TECHNOLOGIES SPREADING IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES,THE PROJECT ALSO COVERS THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:- INCREASE OF SANITATION COVERAGE IN SMALL AND MEDIUM COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING LOW COST ECOTECHNOLOGIES FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT,- IDENTIFICATION AND ADAPTATION OF APPROPIATED STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE TECHNOLOGIES MARKET ACCESS,- CREATION OF MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR EUROPEAN SMES WHO PROVIDE COMPETITIVE ECOTECHNOLOGIES FOR WATER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY OF RESOURCES,- DEVELOPMENT OF DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES TO SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDER, POLICY MAKERS AND GENERAL PUBLIC GREEN AND COMPETITIVE ECONOMY\ JOB AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES\ LOW COST TECHNOLOGY\ RENEWABLE ENERGY\ RESOURCES EFFICIENCY\ SANITATION COVERAGE\ SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES\ SUSTAINABILITY\ SUSTEINABLE GROWTH\ WASTEWATER\ WATER REUSE