Spent caustic is a highly toxic by-product created in the oil and petrochemical refining industries that is highly challenging to process. Modern solutions are either unable to meet wastewater treatment regulations or are cost prohibitive. This has resulted in large stockpiles of this hazardous waste now building at refineries with no accessible way to dispose of it. Since 2016 Cetaqua and Suez have been collaborating in development of an innovative solution: “EPC-EqTech” – a plant that combines three core technologies: Electro Coagulation (EC), Electro Oxidation (EO) and Electroperoxi-coagulation (EPC) to create a novel solution capable of processing spent caustic at low-cost and within regulatory parameters. Joining Cetaqua and Suez, the FTI project consortium includes Tüpraş as pilot trial lead end-user and DEKRA as materials development and safety regulations partner. EPC-EqTech is poised to solve this industry-wide challenge and save our target market an estimated 2,4 bnEUR compared to modern alternatives by processing spent caustic on-site with a highly cost-effective and efficient technology. Among others, EPC-EqTech provides its users the following benefits: - Environmentally compatible application; - Hard COD removal; - Highly-effective; - Very low CAPEX and OPEX compared to competitors with better process control; - Meets all known regulatory standards; - In-situ processing that is simple to operate; - Scalable to meet refinery demands; - High pollutant removal efficiencies at acidic medium (optimal pH range) with no H2O2 accumulation. To bring EPC-EqTech to market, our European consortium provides the required technical expertise and commercial position to: 1) Finalise development of our complete solution; 2) Complete TRL7 trials with spent caustic streams; 3) Prepare for commercial integration with all of the tools required for success.

The water sector needs improved climate prediction and downscaling based on consistent grounds (IPCC 5th Assessment Report, 2013). There is also a need for near future weather scenarios and anticipation of their impacts in the water cycle together with risk management strategies. BINGO will provide demand-driven solutions for a number of specific climate-related challenges in particular for highly vulnerable water resources of strategic importance. Water managers and other stakeholders will then be provided with information on specific climate scenarios at the space/time resolution fitting their needs, enabling them to act at various geographical levels (local, regional and European). BINGO aims at reducing the uncertainty of climate predictions and developing response strategies to help society manage that uncertainty. An innovative approach consists of enrolling end-users from the start, identifying specific vulnerabilities, needs and concerns about future climate. BINGO is built around 7 research sites in Northern and Southern Europe, covering a representative range of climatic conditions as well as combinations of water systems and water pressures. They illustrate a variety of water cycles at local/regional scales in Europe over various timescales, as well as common problems, including floods and droughts; water quality pressured by CSO, agriculture and competing demands for water (urban/tourism; agriculture/food security; hydropower). To guarantee sound management strategies for future weather challenges, BINGO will develop and validate all solutions built by strong dynamic interaction of researchers with end-users and decision makers throughout the project. By creating such knowledge alliances, water managers and other stakeholders can share awareness of climate challenges, thus increasing the possibilities of collaboration in order to manage and better cope with future climate challenges.

RESCCUE aims to deliver a framework enabling city resilience assessment, planning and management by integrating into software tools new knowledge related to the detailed water-centred modelling of strategic urban services performance into a comprehensive resilience platform. These tools will assess urban resilience from a multisectorial approach, for current and future climate change scenarios and including multiple hazards. The project will review and integrate in the general framework existing options to assess climate change impacts and urban systems vulnerabilities allowing to assess multisectorial dependencies under multiple climate change scenarios. An adaptation strategies portfolio, including climate services, ecosystem-based approaches and resource efficiency measures will be incorporated as key components of the deployment strategy. The possible approaches will be ranked by their cost-efficiency in terms of CAPEX and OPEX to evaluate their benefits potential. This will enable city managers and urban system operators deciding the optimal investments to cope with future situations. The validation platform is formed by 3 EU cities (Barcelona, Lisboa and Bristol) that will allow testing the innovative tools developed in the project and disseminating their results among other cities belonging to major international networks. In terms of market potential, RESCCUE will generate large potential benefits, in terms of avoided costs during and after emergencies, that will contribute to their large-scale deployment. The structure of the consortium will guarantee the market uptake of the results, as the complete value chain needed is already represented. The project is coordinated by Aquatec, a large consultancy firm part of a multinational company focused on securing and recovering resources, and includes partners from the research domain, operation of critical urban systems, city managers and international organisations devoted to urban resilience.