Brunel University bags euromillions to cut industrial waste

Brunel University London has secured a €10 million deal to help reduce energy consumption and wastage from energy-hungry industries.

The ambitious new project will see engineers develop water treatment, exhaust condensation and waste valorisation systems to let factories recycle 30% of their water and heat.

It has been equipped as a part of the EU's Horizon 2020 programme, which has allowed the EU to become a global leader in providing competitive industry, particularly in the field of green and renewable energies.

Nicknamed the iWAYS project - short for Industrial Water Recovery Solutions - it has been granted exactly €10,596,775  as a part of a Horizon initiative to reduce waste.

The technology promises to save billion across several sectors, and will first be perfected for Europe's most energy-intensive industries, such as steel, chemicals and ceramics where it is expected to have the largest impact.

Professor Hussam Jouhara, scientific director for the project and a research director at the university, said: “Industries release one-third of the global greenhouse gas emissions, of which 70% stem from heat generation. 

"One way to reduce the environmental footprint is to recover the generated heat and reuse it in other industrial processes.”

According to forecasts done by Brunel staff, the new industrial-scale heat and water recycling technologies are set to reduce water use by between 30 and 64% and reuse water and heat from humid gases by 30%.

They also aim to sift out acids and tiny particles from run-off gases to mitigate the environmental effects of the processes.

All of this funding and research comes under the umbrella for the European Green Deal, with the ultimate aim of making the European Union and its member states fully carbon-neutral by 2050.

Spanning nine countries and bringing together 19 organisations and universities, the four-year project is set to commence in December.

Engineers will develop a spectrum of cost-effective technologies to help achieve the EU climate goals.

iWAYS co-ordinator, Professor Luca Montorsi at Italy’s University of Modena and Reggio Emilia said: “The project intends to transform white plumes from industry´s chimneys – starting from ceramics, chemicals and steel – into a source of water and energy."

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