Newsletters   Subscription   Contributions       Newsletter issue n°6 - November 07

 

NEWS:

 

FP7- Environmental research – calls for proposals

FP7-ENV-2007-1: The negotiations with projects suggested for funding are now going on. The beneficiaries are asked to consider guidance and information as available on CORDIS:

 

FP7-ENV-2008-1 and the joint call FP7-ENV-NMP-2008-2: The relevant dates for the coming calls for proposals have been modified. The publication is now planned on 30 November 2007 with a deadline for submissions fixed on 25 February 2008. A related Information Day will be held in Brussels in December 2007; please read additional information in the EVENTS section of this newsletter.

Due to a physical move of the infrastructure supporting the Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS), it is important to note that this service will resume on Monday 14 January 2008 at the latest. However, we will make every necessary effort to restore the availability of the EPSS platform for online submission of proposals earlier. Applicants are encouraged to check the availability of the EPSS URL (https://www.epss-fp7.org/epss/) after 24 December 2007.

 

New Environmental research web site in CORDIS:

A new service has been implemented in the CORDIS server dedicated to promote and highlight EU funded research related to the FP7 Cooperation theme "Environment (including climate change)".

The service is available on http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/environment/home_en.html

 

A portal on Environmental Technologies: Good practice, innovation, research and development

The portal http://technologies.ew.eea.europa.eu/ focuses on Environmental Technologies, i.e. on cleaner and resource efficient technologies which can decrease material inputs, reduce energy consumption and emissions, recover valuable by-products, minimise waste disposal problems or some combinations of these (OECD and Eurostat, 1999). They are classified according to the sector of intervention:

The Environmental Technologies Atlas is a web-based geographic service to assist the public to locate environmental technology and eco-efficient innovation players across Europe.

 

EU LEGISLATION: The EU Floods Directive is now published.

The DIRECTIVE 2007/60/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (ref L 288/27 dated on 06/11/2007).

The purpose of this Directive is to establish a framework for the assessment and management of flood risks, aiming at the reduction of the adverse consequences for human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity associated with floods in the Community.

The Directive text is available at:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_288/l_28820071106en00270034.pdf

 

REMOVALS: Reduction, modification and valorisation of sludge

This Project started in July 2006 with the aim to develop strategies for the safe disposal and reuse of sewage sludge, including the reduction of excess sludge production, its modification and valorisation. The scope of the Project envisages developing several processes for reducing both the amount and the toxicity of sludge, with simultaneous transformation into green energy vectors such as methane or hydrogen. Also, valuable materials will be obtained from sludge, such as activated carbons, which will serve for gas decontamination, water purification and for advanced oxidation processes.

To date, the Project is progressing according to its initial objectives. More specifically, different bench scale plants and reactors have been constructed in view to conduct experiments on:

More information about the Project is available at http://www.etseq.urv.es/removals/

Contacts: Prof. Azael Fabregat or Dr. Christophe Bengoa (christophe.bengoa@urv.cat)

 

News from the LIFE programme focussing on water scarcity related projects

A number of  EU funded projects addressing water scarcity aspects and water saving measures are presented in the "LIFEnews features 2007". This service provides an overview of related projects as well as links to relevant pages of information.

Additional information is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/themes/water/features2007/scarcity.htm

 

PUBLICATIONS and AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS

 

One year “www.mbr-network.eu”, the webplatform dedicated to the MBR technology

The webplatform dedicated to the MBR technology www.mbr-network.eu and edited by the European projects cluster “MBR-Network” is now entering into its second year of existence.  Over the first year, MBR-Network has become a key exchange platform of the MBR community.

The numerous free and automatic services offered on the site (email alarms on literature, list of publications and events, MBR-Forum, etc.) have contributed to the success and frequentation of the network. Companies, institutions or private persons interested by or active in the field of MBR technology are invited to register online and to provide their data and relevant news or information to the MBR community through this website.

 

"Participative Planning for Water Reuse Projects" - P. Jeffrey and S. Russell

Successful design, implementation and management of many types of industrial or public infrastructure projects are now recognised as being strongly dependent on the involvement of those institutions, businesses and communities that may be affected. A participatory planning approach is particularly relevant to water recycling projects where the size and spread of costs, risks and benefits depend on how the venture is planned and managed.

The aim of this handbook is to encourage wider and more informed participation in the planning and management of water recycling projects. The objectives in support of this aim are:

The handbook is designed for use by individuals, organisations and communities that wish to plan and manage water recycling projects collaboratively. However, we hope that those involved in other types of projects will also find it useful.

Many of the available guidelines and reference materials on participatory planning and public engagement are written from the viewpoint of a single interest (e.g. NGOs or water supply companies). Such perspectives promote an unfortunate ‘us and them’ approach to participation. This handbook is based on the principle that participatory planning is a learning process for all – not just an exercise in educating one group. Importantly, such a perspective implies that there is a wide range of technical and management choices that public input can help to shape.

These guidelines were produced under the auspices of the AQUAREC project (http://www.aquarec.org/)

on Integrated Concepts for Reuse of Upgraded Wastewater and are published in English, French and Spanish. A web EN version of the handbook is available on:

http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/publications/0368_bookletpdf/_EN_1.0_&a=d

Printed copies of the EN, FR or ES versions can be obtained free of charge.

Contact: Avelino Gonzalez (Avelino.Gonzalez-Gonzalez@ec.europa.eu)

 

EU Report Series available from IWA Publishing:

This EU Reports series resulted from a special agreement between the International Water Association and the European Commission and its Directorate-General for Research, aiming to articulate to researchers, policy makers and water practitioners scientific knowledge and innovative technologies for the sustainable management of natural resources, generated by multidisciplinary research projects supported in successive European Union's environmental research programmes.

This series also intends to disseminate results for dedicated policy-oriented research undertaken in the context of Community Research Framework Programmes, especially research to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Drinking Water and Urban Waste Water Directives, as well as research to support the implementation of EU Water Initiative, a European commitment towards the Millennium Development Goals.

New EU Report Series:

Assessing Infiltration and Exfiltration on the Performance of Urban Sewer Systems – APUSS

Editors: B. Ellis and J.-L. Bertrand-Krajewski

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn184339149x

Adaptiveness of IWRM - Analysing European IWRM research

Editors: J. G. Timmerman, C. Pahl-Wostl, J. Moltgen

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391724

Adaptive Decision Support System for Urban Stormwater Management - DayWater

Editor: D. R. Thevenot

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391600

 

List of available publications:

Integrated Evaluation for Sustainable River Basin Governance - ADVISOR

Editors: N. Videira, G. Kallis, P. Antunes and R. Santos

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391481

Urban Water Resources Toolbox - AISUWRS

Editors: L. Wolf, B. Morris and S. Burn

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391384

Integrated Deliberative Decision Processes for Water Resources Planning and Evaluation - ADVISOR

Editors: G. Kallis, N. Videira, P. Antunes and R. Santos

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391678
Water and Liberalisation - European Water Scenarios - EUROMARKET

Editors: M. Finger, J. Allouche, P. Luís-Manso

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391139

Comparative Evaluation of Sludge Reduction Routes - W.I.R.E.S.

Editor: P. Ginestet

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391236

Computer Aided Rehabilitation of Sewer and Storm Water Networks - CARE-S

Editor: S. Saegrov

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391155

Computer Aided Rehabilitation for Water Networks - CARE-W

Editor: S. Saegrov

http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843390914

 

EVENTS

 

Using baselines in liability management; what do upcoming Directives require from us? NICOLE Network Meeting, Brussels, Belgium, 14-16 November 2007.

The objective of this workshop is to investigate what requirements the current and upcoming legislations will put on the contaminated site owner, the seller of a site and the buyer of a site. Sessions will deal with regulatory aspects, financial aspects and methodologies for dealing with the definition of baselines and for designing risk management approaches to meet those baselines. In an interactive session the participants will be asked to make a plan for defining a baseline condition for a predefined case.

For further information, please contact:

NICOLE Secretariat: Mrs. Marjan Euser, - Email: marjan.euser@tno.nl

Internet: www.nicole.org

 

Technology for safe drinking water in Southern Africa, 3rd Regional Technology Platform, Cape Town, South Africa, 29 November 2007.

The TECHNEAU project results are to be shared at Regional Technology Platforms (RTPs).  TECHNEAU is an FP6 project that started in January 2006.  The broad goal of this project is to analyse the present water situation in different regions of the world and to rethink current water supply options.  The third RTP will take place in Cape Town and will highlight the water situation in South Africa.  The following topics will be covered:

For more information, please refer to the TECHNEAU website: www.techneau.org/index.php?id=113

 

Water Reclamation and Reuse Technologies in Southern Africa, 1st Regional Workshop, Cape Town, South Africa, 30 November 2007.

During a two day joint workshop with the TECHNEAU project, the meeting will focus on consultation and exchange with regional water experts and stakeholders i.e. operators, researchers, regulators and technology suppliers and on dissemination of RECLAIM WATER research results in the Southern African region. The meeting will highlight the current status of water reclamation and aquifer recharge in Southern Africa and present recent outcomes of RECLAIM WATER. A wide range of national and international will cover the following topics:

For more information, please visit the RECLAIM WATER website:  http://www.reclaim-water.org/

 

Seminar on "Pathogen removal for sustainable water cycles" in Delft, The Netherlands, 4 December 2007.

The FP6 project SWITCH is co-organising a seminar addressing pathogens prevention, detection and removal from water systems. In the context of the UN international year of sanitation 2008, this event will contribute in highlighting three major aspects:

More information about the seminar can be obtained at:

http://www.unesco-ihe.org/about/news/seminar_trends_in_environmental_biotechnology_4_december_2007

 

Info Day FP7- 2nd Call 2008 - Environment Theme (including climate change), Environmental Technologies, 13th December 2007, Brussels, Belgium

The aim of this event is to provide information on the various topics of the FP7-2nd call 2008 related to Environmental Technologies. 

The Info Day will be organised in a morning plenary session, with an introduction on the 2008 Work Programme of the "Environment (including Climate Change) Theme", followed by a general presentation on the "Environmental Technologies" activity and on the lessons learnt from the first call, and ending by a Q&A session.

The programme will then be followed by separate sessions that will cover the various areas and topics of the Environmental Technologies activity in more detail. The separate sessions will focus on the work programme topics' addressing:

The sessions are organised as information and brokerage events. After an introduction on the various areas of the call, participants will be allowed to present a "flash" 3-min. presentation related to the project's ideas, to their competence in the specific field or to their interest to join consortia on a given subject. An open brokerage event will complete the parallel sessions.

In the Closing Session, the Commission will also respond to questions about possible subjects for future calls.

Participation in the Info Day is subject to registration. Due to the limited capacity of the Plenary Hall, registration will be accepted on a "fist come-first served" basis.

The brochure, agenda and registration form are available on the following CORDIS webpage:

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/environment/events_en.html

For additional information, please contact Annick Janssens (annick.janssens@ec.europa.eu), fax +32(0)22952097

 

5th International SedNet Conference, Oslo, Norway, 27-29 May 2008

Two themes will be dealt with during this conference:

For further information, please contact the SedNet Secretariat: Mrs. Marjan Euser, - Email: marjan.euser@tno.nl

Internet: www.sednet.org

 

Participation of the European Institutions in the Expo Zaragoza 2008, Spain, 14 June-14 September 2008

The international exhibition has adopted "Water and sustainability" as its central theme. Within this context, the participation of the EU institutions through a permanent pavilion aims to promote major actions, initiatives and policies related to the exhibition's theme. The conducting subjects of the EU pavilion will address the following major challenges:

In general, the structure of the EU pavilion should address the mentioned topics from the citizens' perspective, avoiding either administrative or scientific jargon. However, it is expected to create  a 'knowledge centre' there which will be used as a platform for disseminating information about R&D activities and results. More details about possible participation and contributions from EC funded projects in the area will be provided later.

In addition to the permanent EU pavilion, the EC Directorate General for Research intends to organise, likely beginning of July 2008, a three days International Symposium aiming to promote and disseminate achievements resulting from EU funded research projects in the water sector. The anticipated main research areas that will be addressed by half day plenary presentations followed by round table discussions and dedicated workshops are:

Policy issues, socio-economic aspects as well as international cooperation potential will also be considered in the mentioned research areas.

Partners involved on related on-going R&D projects will be contacted soon with additional details and provisions for participation and contribution.

Contact: Avelino Gonzalez (Avelino.Gonzalez-Gonzalez@ec.europa.eu)

ExpoZaragoza 2008 Website:
http://www.expozaragoza2008.es/Home/seccion=3&seccionRaiz=3&seccionDesplegar=3&idioma=en_GB.do

 

RTD RESULTS: USE, EXPLOITATION AND COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCES

 

Experts of the Gothenburg workshop acknowledge the need for logistics industry to clean up its act

The FP6 project ETTAR (Environmental Technologies, Training and Awareness-Raising) aims to identify and assess training needs, methods and activities for the wider use of environmental technologies in the transportation sector. ETTAR focuses on activities that assist the sector to make its contribution to reductions not just of greenhouse gases but also of other pollutants that have significant environmental impacts.

The workshop in Gothenburg on 25-26 October (run by the EU-funded ETTAR - www.ettar.eu) focused on the main barriers that companies buying and selling road, rail, sea and air freight transport faced when adopting available environmentally friendly technologies.

The seminar sought to find out whether investments in the best available vehicle/engine or fuel technologies are being held up mainly for cost reasons, for lack of awareness of the options available or because of the lack of awareness of the potential long-term benefits of specific CO2-reducing technologies. The outcome of the workshop can be obtained from:

Contacts: Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (nils.meyer-ohlendorf@ecologic.eu) or Grit Martinez (grit.martinez@ecologic.eu)

 

Capacity building in the wastewater treatment and reuse sector

INNOVA-MED "Innovative processes and practices for wastewater treatment and re-use in the Mediterranean region" is a Coordination Action started in January 2007 that will last 3 years. The Consortium is composed by 13 partners that, in addition to EU countries, involves members from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine and Turkey. The objectives of the project are:

In reference to the last point, a number of training course will be organised with the aim to develop capacity building at the local level. The last course, held in Turkey,  was dedicated to "Innovative Processes and Practices for Wastewater Treatment and Re-use".

Additional information can be found on the project's website: http://www.cid.csic.es/innova-med/home.htm

Contact: Prof. Dr. Damiá Barceló (dbcqam@cid.csic.es)

 

MORE INFORMATION: click here

 

LEGAL NOTICE

The information and views set out in this newsletter are those of the author(s) and do not reflect necessarily the official opinion of the European Communities. Neither the European Communities institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made on the information contained therein. This newsletter may be freely distributed.

See also http://europa.eu.int/geninfo/disclaimer_en.htm

 

EDITOR:

European Commission

DG Research, Unit I03

Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Belgium                                     © European Communities, 2007

e-mail : Avelino.Gonzalez-Gonzalez@ec.europa.eu            Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged