Related EU Projects

The overall aims involved in the construction of the demonstration facility for green roof installations have been completed. The sustainability of such roofs in the Scandinavian climate conditions has been verified. Research work has been completed and other work is still in the initial stages, confirming the various environmental benefits of the green roof installations. Expectations prior to carrying out the project have been met:

- Green roofs ensure considerable reduction of the storm water run-off. The system is anticipated to serve an important storm water management role by markedly decreasing storm water flow peaks and reducing problems of local flooding. Green roofs provide a significant water regulation effect during rainfall events. Up to 60 % of the yearly precipitation can be managed in-situ and returned to the atmospheric hydrological cycle through evaporation and transportation.

- Significant energy savings for heating can be achieved. Extensive green roofing is anticipated to reduce the overall energy consumption of the buildings through improvement of the roof’s thermal insulation and provision of active summer cooling through evaporation and transpiration effects.

- Wider biodiversity in urban environment can be achieved. The green roofs have the potential to increase biodiversity and reduce noise in the area. Roof greening is in addition anticipated to extend the useful life of the roof providing for material and cost savings in roof maintenance or replacement. The green roof area of 9 500 square meters is still maintained by the beneficiary and is expected to last for several decades.

The aim of this project was to understand current household water use behaviour and water use patterns in Harbin, North of China, to improve the efficiency of household water use, and encourage the sustainable use and conservation of water resources.

The top level objectives of this study were: 

1. To investigate household water use behaviour and water appliance characteristics; 
2. To analyse household behaviours and appliance characteristics to water consumption;
3. To estimate household water consumption and pattern;
4. To examine the reliability of the research results;
5. To compare the results of this research with other Chinese cities;
6. To analyse any water-saving potential for the residential sector.

In more detail the research explored the following:

Household water usage behaviour:

Personal water usage habits, including appliance use frequency and the corresponding average duration e.g. shower use frequency and duration of each shower.

Characteristics of water appliances:

Water flow rates associated with different appliances e.g. showerheads and taps; Common types of water use appliance at home; The percentage of people who owned water efficient appliances e.g. dual flush toilet

Water use patterns:

Analysis of survey results and classification of water use patterns (low/moderate/high consumption); The impact of the identified patterns  

Comparison analysis of water pattern:

Identification of any differences in water use patterns between Harbin and other countries or Chinese cities, and the underlying causes of these differences.

Lu, T. (2007). Research of domestic water consumption a field study in Harbin, China. Master of Science. Loughborough University.

The lack of sustainable water use is a growing concern in Europe. Nowadays, the agricultural sector imposes a high pressure on water resources, especially in Mediterranean countries, where irrigation can represent up to 80% of the consumptive uses of water. Increasing water use efficiency in agriculture has been thus identified as one of the key themes relating to water scarcity and drought. It now becomes necessary to improve on-farm irrigation management by adjusting irrigation to crop water requirements along the growing season.
Modern irrigation agencies rely on in situ root zone soil moisture measurements to detect the onset of crop water stress and to trigger irrigations. However, in situ point measurements are generally not available over extended areas and may not be representative at the field scale.  Remote sensing can potentially provide cost-effective techniques for monitoring broad areas as there are currently no algorithms dedicated to monitor root zone soil moisture at the parcel scale.
REC proposes a solution to the need of root-zone soil moisture at the crop scale for irrigation management. It is based on an innovative operational algorithm that will allow for the first time to:
1) Map root zone soil moisture on a daily basis at the field scale; and
2) Quantitatively evaluate the different components of the water budget at the field scale from readily available remote sensing data.

The methodology relies on the coupling between a surface model representing the water fluxes at the land surface atmosphere interface (infiltration, evaporation, transpiration) and in soil (drainage); and remote sensing data composed of land surface temperature, and near-surface soil moisture retrieved from microwave radiometers and radars. These estimates will be integrated in an irrigation management system that will be used to trigger irrigation. In addition, these estimates will allow making an impact assessment of the consumptive use of water and water footprint.

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REC (Root zone soil moisture Estimates at the daily and agricultural parcel scales for Crop irrigation management and water use impact – a multi-sensor remote sensing approach) - http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/203540_en.html

This project aims to improve the evidence base for anchoring and mooring impacts to allow identification of risks to sensitive features from anchoring and mooring. This will help to inform socio-economic evidence used for designation decisions and will support the development of effective management measures. It will inform statutory nature conservation bodies and marine regulators.

Objective:

1. Undertake an independent review and analysis of available evidence on the impacts of anchoring and mooring. Summarise the UK MPA features that could be sensitive to impacts from anchoring and mooring and any published agreed limits and/or thresholds.

2. Summarise the location of MPA features which may be sensitive to anchoring and mooring within England and Wales. Collate spatial information on the scale and temporal frequency and intensity of anchoring and mooring within these potentially sensitive MPAs, and present an overview of this information.

3. Using information gathered under objectives 1 and 2, identify MPA sites where anchoring and mooring activities could result in impacts incompatible with site integrity and conservation objectives. Develop and present a methodology and sliding scale to describe the likelihood and level of environmental risks. Where sufficient evidence is available, apply this approach to identify the risk and scale of risk at protected sites.

4. Review the site history of a number of UK case studies including anchoring and mooring activities that have occurred within the site, why the activities have occurred there, and where and how management measures within the site have been developed (if applicable).

5. Provide a high level summary of the organisation responsibilities for control of anchoring/mooring in England and Wales. Map the cross-over between MPA conservation objectives and objectives for WFD, MSFD and existing marine plans (or the Marine Policy Statement) for England and Wales to highlight likely synergies and gaps regarding requirements for anchoring and mooring evidence and how these could be best met in a streamlined way by the organisation involved. Identify whether a central repository of anchoring/mooring information might be accessed by all to provide the most consistent and comprehensive management and conservation.

6. Draw conclusions with regards the adequacy of existing anchoring/mooring activity distribution and impacts evidence to inform management and whether it accounts for in-combination or cumulative impacts. Clearly summarise the major evidence gaps and limitations within this context and provide detailed recommendations in the form of a research action plan to address these evidence gaps and improve the future evidence base supporting conservation and management.

Two page summary: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13392_ME6003twopagesummary.pdf

Powerpoint presentation: http://swmecosystems.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/21.-Olivia-Langmead-Anchoring-Mooring-in-MPAs.pdf

DEFRA may be contacted for more detailed deliverables.

Water2REturn proposes a full-scale demonstration process for integrated nutrients recovery from wastewater from the slaughterhouse industry using biochemical and physical technologies and a positive balance in energy footprint. The project will not only produce a nitrates and phosphate concentrate available for use as organic fertiliser in agriculture, but its novelty rests on the use of an innovative fermentative process designed for sludge valorisation which results in a hydrolysed sludge (with a multiplied Biomethane Potential) and biostimultants products, with low development costs and high added value in plant nutrition and agriculture.
This process is complemented by proven technologies such as biological aeration systems, membrane technologies, anaerobic processes for bio-methane production and algal technologies, all combined in a zero-waste-emission and an integrated monitoring control tool that will improve the quality of data on nutrient flows. The project will close the loop by demonstrating the benefits associated with nutrients recycling through the implementation of different business models for each final product. This will be done with a systemic and replicable approach that considers economic, governance and social acceptance aspects through the whole chain of water and targets essentially two market demands: 1) Demand for more efficient and sustainable production methods in the meat industry; and 2) Demand for new recycled products as a nutrient source for agriculture.
As a summary, Water2REturn project adopts a Circular Economy approach where nutrients present in wastewaters from the meat industry can be recycled and injected back into the agricultural system as new raw materials. The project foster synergies between the food and sustainable agriculture industries and propose innovative business models for the resulting products that will open new market opportunities for the European industries and SMEs in two key economic sectors.

Demonstrator implementation at real scale – Development of a demonstrative application for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment and large-scale nutrient recovery in a real case study, the slaughterhouse “Matadero del Sur” in Salteras (Spain).

Fertilisers and biostimulants manufacturing – Manufacturing of organic-source fertilisers and biostimulants in production lines built up within Water2Return project timeframe.  They will be manufactured in Spain and tested in Slovenia, Romania, Lithuania and Spain.

Reduction of the environmental adverse effects of nutrient emissions and wastewater discharge – Nutrients recovery rates of 90-95% (N and P) and reduction of wastewater discharged to the environment by 90%, thus decreasing water bodies pollution and other related environmental problems.  Moreover, the treated water obtained can be further used, reducing operational costs of the slaughterhouse.

Reduction of landfilled waste – Reduction of waste diverted to landfills by 80%.  After removing the organic elements from the slaughterhouse wastewater, the remaining inorganic fraction (less than 20% of the wastewater composition) will by the only residual element taken to landfill

Energy self-sufficiency of slaughterhouses wastewater treatment plants – Biogas upgrading and valorisation will allow achieving self-sufficiency rates and saving of up to 25% in the slaughterhouse, with the consequence reduction of CO₂ and greenhouse gas emissions.

Promotion of a wide and fast market uptake of Water2Return processes and products – Targeted business plans will be implemented with the aim of creating new business opportunities and green jobs around nutrient recovery and recycling technologies, especially for SMEs in the EU.  The acceptance of the final commercial outcomes by final users will be enhance3d through capacity building and awareness raising.