About
Water4Crops provides a combination of technical improvements in the field of bio-treatment and agricultural water use within a transdisciplinary identification of novel agri-business opportunities. Water4Crops aims at: a) developing innovative biotechnological wastewater treatments for improved water recycling, b) initiating the co-creation of alternative combinations of bio-treatment, recycling of high value elements, and combinations for bioproducts leading to a better commercialization of biotechnology and agricultural products in Europe and India, c)improving water use efficiency at field level through agronomics, plant breeding and locally adapted new irrigation technologies and accurate crop water requirement measurements techniques. Water4Crops will boost bio-based economy by applying a double track approach.
First a comprehensive set of key Green-Economy technologies for:
- valorization of volatile fatty acids;
- obtaining: natural antioxidants (polyphenols), biopolymers (PHAs), energy (biomethane);
- new substances for selective recovery of valuable products from wastewater;
- tailoring effluent properties from decentralized innovative bioreactors;
- low bio-sludge production by SBBG Reactors;
- removal of organopollutants by nanobiocatalysts;
- reduced clogging of wetlands;
- virus monitoring detection assays;
- suitable precision irrigation systems for reclaimed water;
- new monitoring for increase crop water productivity;
- understanding the genetic mechanisms regulating drought-adaptive traits across maize, sorghum, millet and tomato;
- optimized waste water related combinations of species/genotypes x environment x management.
Second, new product market combinations will be identified.
The co-creation process will be organized by two Mirror cases (Emilia Romagna area in Italy and Hyderabad region in India) within a specific Science-Practice Interface (INNOVA platforms). Developing the new applications and business opportunities with regional enterprises and stakeholder will move India and Europe towards a Green Economy.
Duration
August 2012 – July 2016
DICAM Project Responsible
Fabio Fava
Coordinator
Dr. Antonio Lopez (National Research Council - Water Research Institute - Unit of Bari)
Participants
- CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, Coordinator, Italy
- ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA, Italy
- UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA, Italy
- UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA, Italy
- POLYTECHNEIO KRITIS, Greece
- BIOPLANTA GmbH, Germany
- INOFEA GmbH, Switzerland
- NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL, United Kingdom
- FACHHOCHSCHULE NORDWESTSCHWEIZ, Switzerland
- VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V., Belgium
- HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH – UFZ, Germany
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN SCIENCES ET TECHNOLOGIES POUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT ET L'AGRICULTURE, France
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT, France
- STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH, Netherlands
- CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA DI SECONDO GRADO PER IL CANALE EMILIANO ROMAGNOLO CANALE GIANDOTTI, Italy
- DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FUR INTERNATIONALE ZUSAMMENARBEIT (GIZ) GMBH, Germany
- INOFEA AG, Switzerland
- SIMA-TEC GMBH, Germany
- BIONACTIS INTERNATIONAL GROUP (BIG)SA, Switzerland
- PHYTOREM SA, France
- VITA 34 AG, Germany
- ENVINHEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH SERVICES AE, Greece
- HORTA SRL, Italy
- T.E.P. RAUTENBACH YUCE GEBEL Consulting GmbH, Germany
- TM SOLUTIONS LTD, Greece
Funding
Euro 5 973 689
Website
http://www.water4crops.org/