AquaSPICE

The AquaSPICE project is a European Union (EU) funded project under the Horizon 2020 programme. The project aims to materialise circular water use in the European Process Industries and to increase awareness in resource efficiency for industrial applications from a single industrial process to an entire industry via:

1. water treatment and reuse technologies,
2. closed-loop recycling practices and
3. development of a cyber-physical system controller including a system for real-time monitoring, assessment and optimisation of water use and reuse at different interconnected levels.

AquaSPICE follows a systemic approach in water management where optimal efficiency can be achieved through an adaptation of appropriate technologies and practices at different levels, from a single industrial process (unit operation) to an entire factory, to other collaborating industries (industrial symbiosis) or other sectors (e.g. domestic and/or agriculture).

AquaSPICE enables and facilitates the uptake, replication and up-scaling of innovations, by providing comprehensive strategic, business and organisational plans that offer a range of well-defined and pre-packaged solutions, suitable for various cases with quite different characteristics.

Project outcomes

Water Efficiency Enhancement Applications Framework & Baseline Assessment

KWR led the work package aimed at developing a Water Efficiency Framework (WEF) for the process industry to drive circular water use, reduced freshwater intake, and improved resource recovery. It established the baseline knowledge, user needs, data structures, and digital tools that underpin the entire AquaSPICE project. Through the implementation of the following tasks, the WEF was conceptualised, applied and finalised.

Approaches to Industrial Water Efficiency, Drivers & Barriers

• Reviewed state-of-the-art industrial water efficiency practices, reuse technologies, and monitoring approaches.
• Analysed drivers (water scarcity, cost, regulatory compliance) and barriers (fragmented data, unclear quality needs, lack of economic tools).
• Incorporated EU water policy trends (e.g., EU Green Deal, Water Reuse Regulation) and other SPIRE/H2020 findings.

Stakeholder Engagement & User Requirements

• Mapped industrial users, technology providers, regulators and academia to understand needs.
• Developed user requirement criteria and quality benchmarks for future water efficiency solutions.

Use Cases & Baseline Assessment

• Defined and documented the six AquaSPICE Case Studies (Dow Terneuzen & Böhlen, Solvay Rosignano, BASF Antwerp/Waterlink, Agricola Bacau, Tupras Izmit).
• Established baseline water use, flows, quality demands, and circularity opportunities for each site.
• A complete “as-is” assessment for each case, forming the starting point for technology pilots was completed.

Data Models, Taxonomy & Ontology for Water Use

• Developed a semantic data model and ontology to describe industrial water processes, treatment steps, and reuse pathways.
• Built the knowledge graph underpinning AquaSPICE’s digital tools and decision-support systems.
• Enabled harmonised data exchange across pilots, Digital Twins, and the WaterCPS platform.

The Water Efficiency Framework

KWR led the development of the Water Efficiency Framework (WEF) as part of the work package  — Water Efficiency Enhancement Applications Framework and Baseline Assessment.

The WEF provides a structured, adaptable approach to help process industries move from linear to circular, efficient water use. It integrates technological, digital and organisational innovations into one practical roadmap. The framework guides industries through four main phases (see circular diagram below):

1. Evaluation of the As-Is Situation & Target Setting – defining vision, objectives, stakeholder needs and baseline water performance.
2. Investigation & Inventorisation – screening process, circular and digital innovations; identifying viable water-saving and reuse options.
3. Assessment & Expected Outputs – selecting and piloting technologies, applying performance indicators, life cycle assessment (LCA) and digital tools to optimise solutions.
4. Policy Development & Dissemination – creating business models, financing strategies, governance recommendations and communication plans to support uptake and scaling.

AquaSPICE aims to reduce the industrial water demand and losses, to treat and recycle water as well as exploit alternative water sources through technological advancement in the digital, process and circular innovations. This framework aims to synthesise the interrelated components and variables within the scope of AquaSPICE to attempt improving efficiency of water use in the process industries. This encompasses all aspects of industrial water extract, use, recovery, treatment and re-use, all potential sources and opportunities for re-use of recovered water, within the factory, in pre-and post-production processes, across its value chains, as well as in industrial symbioses and closed-loops with other economic sectors.

These elements of the framework should be all well integrated, and not overly complex or expatiate in order to have wider applicability. Therefore, this framework aims to provide a modular, concise, systematic step yet with room for flexibility to enable adaptive implementation in individual cases towards water efficiency enhancement. This adaptive approach is demonstrated in the Case Studies and summarised in this final report titled Water Efficiency Applications Framework for the Process Industry. The AquaSPICE Water Efficiency Framework has been developed in a circular approach and is composed of four phases as shown in the Figure below.

1. Evaluation of As-is Situation and Target
2. Investigation and Inventorisation
3. Assessment and Expected Output
4. Policy Development and Dissemination Activity

This flexible structure enables site-specific adaptation, ensuring it fits a range of industrial contexts while maintaining a common methodology for measuring and improving water circularity.

The procedures and steps in these phases are triggered when there is a change in the contexts of industrial water efficiency, very often, factored but not limited to:

• Demand and supply management
• Social change
• Regulatory instruments
• Climate Change impacts
• Economic instruments

These changes are sometimes unpredictable and hence the steps in the Conceptual Framework are designed in a way where the process is devised in an adaptable loop and regular feedback and improvement can be carried out throughout the project cycle and even revisited when new contexts (drivers or challenges) occurred within the scope of the framework. An important aspect in the development of this framework is its ability to provide unique solutions to respond and accommodate multiple outcomes. However, like in any framework, periodic checks and revisions of the components in the framework would be necessary to ensure it is progressive and still remains fit for purpose.

Validation through Case Studies

The WEF was validated and refined across diverse industrial case studies, demonstrating its adaptability and impact:

• Case Study Dow (Germany & Netherlands)
  Focused on reducing freshwater intake by reusing cooling tower blowdown and slightly polluted process water. Digital monitoring and smart control improved site water management and future-proofed operations under water stress.
• Case Study Solvay & Aretusa (Italy)
  Demonstrated industrial symbiosis by treating and reusing hydrogen peroxide production wastewater. Piloted advanced sensors and predictive platforms for automated control, supported by robust LCA and business modelling for scale-up.
• Case Study BASF & Water-link (Belgium)
  Addressed water scarcity and salinisation in Antwerp’s chemical cluster by implementing real-time monitoring, digital dashboards, and scenario modelling to optimise industrial water allocation and cooling strategies.
• Case Study Agricola Meat Processing (Romania)
  Investigated circular use of process water and innovative treatment options in the food sector, combined with cost-benefit analysis and digital support for operational decision-making.
• Case Study TUPRAS Refinery (Turkey)
  Focused on complex refinery effluents, deploying advanced treatment trains and digital monitoring to reduce freshwater intake and enhance internal reuse.

Across all sites, the WEF supported a consistent process: establishing baselines, selecting tailored reuse/treatment technologies, integrating digital monitoring and smart control, and aligning with policy and business models to ensure long-term sustainability and replicability.

Digital Maturity Index

Alongside the WEF, KWR developed a Digital Maturity Index (DMI) tailored for industrial water management. The DMI helps industries evaluate their digital capabilities and readiness for water efficiency transformation across dimensions such as:

• Strategy & Leadership (alignment with sustainability goals)
• Technology & Infrastructure (IoT, real-time monitoring, analytics)
• Processes & Automation
• People & Culture (digital skills, innovation mindset)
• Governance & Cybersecurity
• Stakeholder Engagement

Applied in each case study, the DMI identified gaps and opportunities for digital transformation — e.g., upgrading sensor networks, integrating digital twins, and applying AI-driven process optimisation.

Key Impacts

• Provided a replicable, science-based roadmap for industrial water circularity and efficiency.
• Enabled companies to reduce freshwater use, increase reuse, and lower environmental footprint while aligning with climate and resource efficiency goals.
• Linked technical innovation with business models and governance, accelerating real-world uptake.
• Combined digital transformation tools (DMI, real-time monitoring, predictive analytics) with process and circular water solutions.

By integrating technology, data, and policy insights, the WEF positions the process industry to achieve sustainable and climate-resilient water use — a vision driven forward by KWR’s leadership in AquaSPICE.

Solution Uptake, Replication, and Exploitation

KWR also played a central role in the replication and exploitation task of AquaSPICE results, which focused on translating AquaSPICE’s technical outcomes into policy-relevant and exploitable outputs. A core priority is the dissemination of AquaSPICE’s policy outputs. Together with project partners, KWR led the development of three high-impact policy briefs, strategically released to influence European water and industrial policy:

• General recommendations on water-smart industrial symbiosis.
• Focused on digitalisation, standardisation, and real-time monitoring.
• Addressed regulatory and systemic enablers for circular water reuse.

Dissemination was delivered through a targeted outreach campaign coordinated by Water Europe, including direct mailings to over 2,000 institutional stakeholders, promotion via ICT4Water and A.SPIRE platforms, and visibility on the AquaSPICE website and social media channels.
The policy briefs were also presented during the project’s final conference, ensuring direct engagement with policymakers and institutional stakeholders.

The timing of their release — aligned with final project results and ongoing EU legislative processes — was a strategic decision to maximise influence. Dissemination will continue beyond the project’s lifetime through Water Europe’s advocacy programme, supporting policy uptake, long-term visibility, and knowledge transfer.

Through this work, KWR helped bridge technical innovation and policy development, ensuring AquaSPICE outcomes can inform future EU strategies on water reuse, digitalisation, and circularity.