According to the promoters, in the current stage of exhaustion of the prime materials “is fundamental the development of innovative technologies of the recovery of resources from renewable sources as waste”. “The water sector is not an exception considering the shortage that a great amount of countries in the world are experimenting, and specially, in Spain where, to the Mediterranean area, the recent events more frequent of drought are endangering agriculture, the principal economic sector of the region”, the indicate.

For this reason, it is urgent to progress towards a model of circular economy for wastewater and the mud treatment system. From both clean water, energy, nutrients and chemical products can be extracted. For this, in addition to having the adequate technological development, it is necessary to have a new holistic and multidisciplinary perspective, in terms of environmental, economic and social acceptance sustainability, to implement this strategy in the Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP).

The network is formed by a team of 14 groups of research experts, of 12 Spanish entities (CEIT-BRTA, CETAQUA, CIEMAT-PSA, CSIC, ICRA, UAB, UdG, UGr, USC, UV, UVa, UniOvi) in the area of technological, environmental, analytic, microbiologic, economic and social knowledge. The Universitat de València (UV) participates in a network through the research Group on Environmental Technologies - CALAGUA-UV and the Water economics group (GEA). The professors Alberto Bouzas (CALAGUA-UV) of the Department of Chemical engineering, and Francesc Hernández (GEA), of the Department of Economic Structure, will be the representatives of both groups in the thematic network that will have the duration of two years and that counts with the Ministry of Science and Innovation financing in the framework of the State Programme to Promote Scientific-Technical Research and its Transfer, from the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021-2023.

The committee has experience in the technological, methodology and processes for the recovery of resources from mud, wastewater and WWTP gas streams development. To this end, it will be considered plant schemes based on a complete redesign of existing WWTPs. The integration tools, as the integral models of plant, the analysis of the cycle of life, the analysis of cost-benefit and tools of support in taking environmental decisions, guarantee the holistic approach to the challenge. The committee has managed to develop and implement with exit, innovative technologies with a special orientation towards the recovery of resources and the production of high quality water for its reutilization. It also counts with an ample contact networks with business and organisms of water in Spain, as well as with international scientific institutions.

The Holiwater network wants to reinforce the quality and visibility of the activities of the I+D+i in the area of recovery of resources of the individual partners. The work plan includes scientific activities to discuss new project ideas (workshops and symposiums about disruptive themes), as well as others of mayor technological orientation to consolidate and scale the mature processes. Activities of formation for the scientific sector (international summer schools) and professionals of the industry (technical courses) are foreseen. The spread of results includes joint publications, and a final conference for the industrial sector, promoting opportunities for technological transference.

With these visibility activities it is aimed to create a current of opinions among administrations and the population that facilitates the implementation of the technologies of the network in the existing WWTPs or a new construction with the consequent environmental and social benefit.