CirCoVa: CIRcular water reuse and COncentrate VALorisation

With the support of:

Circular water reuse and concrete solutions for removing problematic chloride and/or phosphate concentrations in concentrate streams resulting from water reuse.

Why this project?

Companies that invest in water reuse strengthen their resilience during dry periods and contribute to sustainable water management. By also focusing on the valorisation of concentrate streams, the CirCoVa project takes an important step towards a circular economy.

This project strengthens the competitiveness of companies by providing all the necessary information, methodologies and contacts to develop a complete roadmap: from assessing the feasibility of water reuse to implementing concrete solutions for removing problematic chloride and phosphate concentrations from discharge water.

Research approach and expected results

This COOCK+ project focuses on removing the two most common problematic components from concentrate streams in food companies, chloride and phosphate, with the aim of increasing wastewater reuse. The following steps will be undertaken:

Gaining insight into the composition of concentrate streams within the food industry and the potential for water reuse
Analyses will be carried out on concentrate streams from the dairy, meat, vegetable, potato, beverage and other food sectors. The objective is to gain insight into their actual composition, identify the sources of specific compounds such as chloride and phosphate, and estimate the maximum potential for water reuse.
Chloride removal through electrodialysis
Through laboratory tests at several companies, followed by a pilot test at one food company, the suitability of Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis (BMED) for the selective removal of chloride from concentrate streams will be assessed. This BMED technology produces an acid and a base, and opportunities for valorising these products within the company will be investigated.
Phosphate removal through adsorption
Through laboratory tests at various companies and a subsequent pilot test at one food company, phosphate will be selectively removed from concentrate streams using adsorption. Saturated adsorbents will be desorbed to enable reuse of the adsorbent material and to investigate potential routes for phosphate recovery and valorisation.
Economic and sustainability assessment
For both technologies, CAPEX and OPEX costs will be mapped and the increased water recovery achieved through advanced concentrate treatment will be compared with the business-as-usual scenario. At the same time, the sustainability performance of the technologies will be evaluated.
Knowledge dissemination and implementation insights
Throughout the project, the collected knowledge and insights will be widely shared with participating companies. This includes technical guidelines, scientific results and practical recommendations on water reuse and concentrate stream treatment.

Target group

The project targets Flemish food companies interested in water reuse. The results are particularly relevant for water-intensive sectors such as potatoes, vegetables, dairy, meat processing and beverages.

Most SMEs in the food industry outsource their water management. These companies rely on the expertise and services of water technology providers (for example through water-as-a-service models). Therefore, these technology providers are also an important target group for this project.

Project partners

Flanders’ FOOD manages and coordinates the project. The project is carried out in collaboration with:

Ghent University (UGent), Marjolein Vanoppen (marjolein.vanoppen@ugent.be) and Emile Cornelissen (emile.cornelissen@ugent.be)
VITO, Sofie Van Ermen (sofie.vanermen@vito.be) and Charlotte Boeckaert (charlotte.boeckaert@vito.be)
KWR, Luuk De Waal (Luuk.de.Waal@kwrwater.nl)
Fevia, Liesje De Schamphelaire (lds@fevia.be)

Keen to join?

To ensure that the project results are as relevant as possible for the food industry, a user group is established consisting of representatives from food companies and technology providers.

What does participation in the user group involve? The group meets in person twice a year to discuss the latest project results and provide input for the ongoing research. In total, six physical meetings will be organised over the three-year duration of the project.

During these meetings, participants can actively contribute to the direction of the research, for example by helping to determine which solutions will be demonstrated at laboratory and pilot scale.