Industry is one of the main water users in Europe, accounting for about 40% of total water abstractions. Hence, water plays an essential role above all in the primary and secondary sectors and therefore also influences downstream value chains. It serves as an energy source, a component of products, a carrier medium for raw materials, and a cleaning medium. Complex wastewater streams are generated in EU member states.
The discharge of industrial wastewater streams (either as direct discharge to water bodies or indirect discharge to municipal wastewater treatment plants) is associated with significant water footprints. Their management is further associated with high operating expenditures (OPEX) in chemicals and energy consumption. Additionally, the demand for water is forecasted to increase and is significantly influenced by climate change. The "European Innovation Partnership on Water" and the "Blueprint for the Protection of European Water Resources" prioritize the reuse of treated wastewater.
CORNERSTONE focuses on water, energy, and solute recovery, targeting end-users in the steel, P&P, and chemical industries. These industries are crucial in realizing the objectives of P4Planet to transform European process industries, making them circular and achieving overall climate neutrality at the EU level by 2050, thus enhancing their global competitiveness.