Social life cycle assessment of a desalination and resource recovery plant on a remote island: Analysis of generic and site-specific perspectives

The sustainable supply of water is crucial, especially on islands where water is scarce. Our study applied the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA), under the organizational approach, to assess industrial water production on the island of Lampedusa, Italy. A novel plant for industrial water production considering a circular concept was...

Polychaetes (Annelida) of Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea): An Updated and Annotated Checklist including New Distribution Records

The diversity and distribution of polychaetes in the coastal area and the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus is presented based on both the literature records and new data acquired in a wide range of environmental monitoring programmes and research projects. A total of 585 polychaete species belonging to 49 families were reported in Cyprus waters;...

Benthic biodiversity near brine discharge sites in the Port of Rotterdam

The Port of Rotterdam is a heavily man-modified estuarine system, Europe's major seaport and home to a large number of chemical and petrochemical plants, many of which are supplied with distilled water from two demineralized water plants in Botlek and Maasvlakte. In this study, we assessed the ecological conditions near the brine outfalls and...

Assessing the environmental performance of a novel coal mine brine treatment technique: A case in Poland

Although the energy transition results in decreased use of coal for power production, hard coal extraction will continue due to its importance in steel production and coal mine wastewater will continue generating after mines closure. The coal mining sector produces wastewater which results in environmental burdens and often contains valuable...

Challenges in preparing for Environmental Technology Verification in a demonstration project: A case study of three innovative water treatment technologies

The European Union's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program aims to foster innovative environmental technologies to reach the market and reassure potential users. This paper presents an investigation of using ETV for three technologies, being developed within the EU Zero Brine research and innovation project. The technologies...

Towards sustainable production of minerals and chemicals through seawater brine treatment using Eutectic freeze crystallization and Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of minerals and chemicals. In this respect, desalination brines do contain a dramatic amount of valuable minerals and can be valorized through appropriate treatments rather than releasing them into the environment. This paper proposes an...

Glycerol conversion by Aerobic Granular Sludge

Glycerol is abundantly present in wastewater from industries such as biodiesel production facilities. Glycerol is also a potential carbon source for microbes that are involved in wastewater nutrient removal processes. The conversion of glycerol in biological phosphorus removal of aerobic granular sludge processes has not been explored to date....

Societal values, tensions and uncertainties in resource recovery from wastewaters

The recovery of resources, including water reuse, has been presented as a solution to overcome scarcity, and improve the economic and environmental performance of water provision and treatment. However, its implementation faces non-technical challenges, including the need to collaborate with new stakeholders and face societal acceptance...

Valorisation of SWRO brines in a remote island through a circular approach: Techno-economic analysis and perspectives

Nowadays, small remote islands rely heavily on desalination technologies to overcome freshwater scarcity. Unfortunately, these technologies are accompanied by the production of brines which can affect the receiving water bodies i.e., the aquatic ecosystem. Yet, it is extremely appealing how such brines constitute an abundant source of...

Greek Islands’ Energy Transition: From Lighthouse Projects to the Emergence of Energy Communities

Energy transition in islands constitutes a major challenge. Apart from a necessity, it can also be a great opportunity for sustainable social and economic development. Toward this direction, a new, promising movement has emerged recently in Greek islands. Straight from the roots of the insular population, development of energy communities...

From wastewater to resource

Eighty percent of wastewater is left untreated or not reused, exacerbating the water quality challenge, especially in vulnerable communities. This Voices asks: how can we improve wastewater management and convert wastewater into a resource?

Aspects of environmental impacts of seawater desalination: Cyprus as a case study

Cyprus relies on seawater desalination for a large part of its drinking water supply, with reverse osmosis providing more than 95% of the total desalination capacity in the country. Nevertheless, the environmental impacts of desalination for the Cypriot environment remain poorly understood. Using a combination of mining existing governmental...