Recovering what wastewater hides.
ReWAdd develops integrated photo-bio-electrochemical and membrane processes to recover nitrogen, phosphorus and high-value compounds from wastewater — with minimal chemical addition and maximum circularity.
Wastewater is not a problem to dispose of. It is a resource we have not learned to use.
About 3.3 million metric tons of phosphorus and 16.6 million metric tons of nitrogen are embedded in urban wastewater every year. Phosphorus is already classified as a critical raw material by the EU.
Nitrogen fixation through the Haber-Bosch process consumes up to 12 kWh per kilogram and accounts for 1.8% of global CO₂ emissions. Meanwhile, only one third of European surface water bodies achieve good chemical status — contaminated by pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other emerging compounds that conventional treatment plants are not designed to remove.
We can do better. And ReWAdd shows how.
From waste streams to added-value goods
ReWAdd combines electrochemical, photochemical, biological and membrane processes into an integrated treatment train that transforms nutrient-rich wastewater into marketable added-value products.
Four types of water streams are treated: primary and secondary effluents, liquid fractions of anaerobic digestate, and food industry wastewater. In all cases, the goal is the same: minimum chemicals in, maximum value out.
What we set out to achieve
SO1
Develop integrated process schemes to extract, concentrate and transform nutrients into marketable added-value products.
SO2
Ensure the destruction of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides and PFAS — to prevent their accumulation in the water cycle.
SO3
Design processes with minimal or absent chemical addition and minimal secondary waste generation, maximising the circularity of wastewater treatment.
The ultimate aim: a new generation of wastewater treatment plants that, in addition to water and sludge lines, incorporate full nutrient recovery and valorisation lines.
How ReWAdd works
The ReWAdd process integrates multiple treatment technologies to extract, concentrate and transform nutrients into valuable products.
ReWAdd & Water4All
ReWAdd is part of the Water4All Partnership — a European research programme bringing together 90 partners from 33 countries to tackle water challenges and advance water security for the long term.
The project was selected in the 2024 Joint Transnational Call on ‘Water for Circular Economy’, alongside 26 other projects across Europe and internationally. ReWAdd
contributes directly to Water4All’s mission by demonstrating how circular economy
principles can be applied to wastewater treatment at industrial and urban scale.
Latest from ReWAdd
Hello world!
Hello world!
Hello world!
