World Water Day: Three EU-backed innovators aiming to disrupt water treatment and valorisation
- ›Three EU-funded projects highlighted for World Water Day showcase technologies for pathogen removal, ultrathin membrane filtration, and hybrid photoelectrochemical wastewater remediation.
- ›Institute of Physics PAS contributes simulation expertise to PathoGelTrap, which aims to trap and remove specific aquaculture pathogens directly from water.
- ›Bielefeld University leads ITS-THIN, developing ultrathin carbon nanomembranes with sub-nanometre pores for ultrapure water polishing and osmotic cold-concentration.
- ›Spanish firm Apria Systems participates in HYSOLCHEM, testing a low-cost photo-reactor that pairs CO2 and N2 reduction with oxidation of microplastics and organics in wastewater.
- ›All three efforts have technical promise but face typical scale up, durability, cost and regulatory hurdles before wider deployment.
EU innovators on World Water Day: ambition, technology and the realities of scale
On 22 March the annual World Water Day focuses attention on access to safe water. The European Innovation Council Community used the occasion to present three EU-supported innovation projects that aim to tackle water challenges across the value chain. Each project targets different problems and uses different technologies. Together they illustrate how EU research and innovation funding supports diverse approaches from basic materials science to applied devices intended for wastewater treatment and aquaculture.
Three projects and what they claim to deliver
PathoGelTrap and aquaculture pathogen removal
Aquaculture supplies over half of the fish and seafood consumed by humans globally in recent years. Pathogen outbreaks in intensive aquaculture can therefore cause large economic losses and threaten food security in vulnerable countries. The PathoGelTrap project, described by the EIC Community as EIC-funded, proposes a pathogen-trapping technology that targets and removes specific disease agents directly from water used in aquaculture systems. The Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, IFPAN, is a partner in the project and provides in silico modelling support.
The public description emphasises a paradigm shift in infectious-disease management for aquaculture by removing pathogens from water. That ambition is plausible in principle because selective capture materials can reduce pathogen loads. In practice the approach will need to demonstrate reliable selectivity against a background of organic matter and biofilms, acceptable regeneration or disposal pathways for the traps, and cost effectiveness at operational scales used by farms.
ITS-THIN and ultrathin carbon nanomembrane filtration
The ITS-THIN project, coordinated by Bielefeld University and funded under the FET Open programme within Horizon 2020, aims to develop Ultrathin Carbon Nanomembranes, or CNMs, as a disruptive water separation technology. CNMs are described as roughly one nanometre thick sheets with engineered sub-nanometre functional pores that can remove small molecules and ions from water streams with unusually high flux and selectivity.
These properties would be significant if they hold up outside the lab. Ultrathin membranes can offer high permeance because transport path lengths are minimal. However the translation from micro or lab-scale membrane patches to robust large-area modules raises practical challenges. Controlling defects over large areas, providing mechanical support without compromising permeability, preventing and managing fouling, and ensuring chemical compatibility with cleaning regimes are all non-trivial engineering tasks. Commercial viability will depend on production cost per square metre, module lifetime, and integration with existing process equipment.
HYSOLCHEM and a hybrid photo-reactor for wastewater valorisation
Apria Systems, a Spanish company, participates in HYSOLCHEM. The project pursues a low-cost flow photo-reactor prototype that combines solar driven reduction of CO2 and N2 into fuels and chemicals with simultaneous oxidation of microplastics and organic contaminants present in wastewater. The EIC Community report quotes Esther Santos, Chief Administrative Officer at Apria Systems, on the company strategy and the potential benefit of combining functions in a single device.
Coupling carbon or nitrogen valorisation with wastewater treatment is an attractive circular economy idea. Yet photoelectrochemical conversion efficiencies, catalyst stability, the presence of complex pollutant mixtures and intermittent sunlight are real world constraints. The HYSOLCHEM materials and devices will need to demonstrate durable performance, acceptable lifecycle greenhouse gas balances, and credible pathways to operation at municipal treatment plants where reliability and regulatory compliance matter.
Comparing the projects at a glance
| Organisation | Project | Technology | Primary application | Notable claims or roles |
| Institute of Physics PAS (IFPAN) | PathoGelTrap | Pathogen-trapping materials and in silico design | Aquaculture pathogen removal | IFPAN provides molecular dynamics models for product behaviour |
| Bielefeld University (ITS-THIN) | ITS-THIN | Ultrathin Carbon Nanomembranes with sub-nm pores | Pressure-driven ultrapure water polishing and osmotic cold-concentration for pharma and F&B | High pore density, high flux and rejection reported at lab scale; FET Open / Horizon 2020 |
| Apria Systems | HYSOLCHEM | Low-cost flow photo-reactor for photoelectrochemical CO2/N2 reduction and oxidation of pollutants | Wastewater treatment plants and distributed units near industry | Combines CO2/N2 reduction with water remediation to reduce costs and footprint |
Where these projects fit in the EU innovation landscape
The highlighted projects reflect different strands of EU research funding. FET Open supports high-risk, early-stage research that can become disruptive deep tech if technical hurdles are overcome. The European Innovation Council supports high-potential innovators at various technology readiness levels including companies and research consortia. Horizon research projects often aim to span the value chain from materials development to prototype demonstration and lifecycle assessment.
EU funding can accelerate ideas through key early development steps and help consortia show proof of concept. That is valuable because problems such as water quality, wastewater valorisation and aquaculture disease management cut across environmental, industrial and public health domains. Public funding also helps consortia undertake life cycle assessments, social impact studies and stakeholder engagement that are essential for deployment in regulated sectors.
Practical hurdles and the road ahead
Claims of disruptive potential should be evaluated against the practical barriers that typically determine whether a lab prototype becomes an industrial solution. These include scalability of manufacturing, durability under variable feed conditions, fouling and cleaning regimes for membranes, catalyst lifetime and poisoning in photoelectrochemical systems, capital and operational costs, energy and material inputs, regulatory approvals and integration with incumbent infrastructure.
The projects discussed by the EIC Community bring technically interesting approaches to water-related problems. The next milestones to watch will be demonstration in operational environments, clear evidence on cost per unit of service, and unbiased lifecycle and social impact assessments. If those boxes are ticked then the technologies can move from promising prototypes to components of more resilient and circular water systems.
Disclaimer: The descriptions above are based on information published by project partners and EU sources. Presentation of the projects does not represent an official view by the European Commission. Readers should consult project sites and technical publications for deeper technical detail and up-to-date status.