Less than 1% of the water on earth is freshwater and less than 40% of it is unspoiled. Minimizing water consumption ensures a greater amount of fresh and clean water available to all species.
In the paradigm of the circular economy, the treatment of separation, purification and recycling of waste water takes on an additional added value: the substances contained in the water can be considered new resources to be reused in circulation, enhancing what is now considered a waste. In addition to water reuse, the circular water economy aims at the sustainable recovery of material and energy resources contained in waste water, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of existing purifiers.
In particular, considering hospital and analysis laboratories, this change of perspetcive is opening new opportunities for improving evironmental impact and saving cost and raw material.
It it precisely to be part of this change that is born Circular Water 4 healthcare, the circular open innovation project promoted by SYNLAB and Bracco, in partnership with IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi – Sant’Ambrogio (Gruppo San Donato), in the context of Federated Innovation @MIND, and implemented by the Circular Economy Lab - initiative of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory. The aim of this initiative is to define a scalable and replicable best practice for the recovery, in particular, of contrast liquids and the management of hospital wastewater, through the implementation of processes that can become a model of innovation for the Italian and international Healthcare sector, as well as for legislators and technological partners, in hospital and laboratory wastewater management.
The Call4Circular | Circular Water 4 healthcare is aimed at innovative startups and SMEs from Italian and international origin, with the aim of selecting technologies for the circular management of water resources in hospitals and similar for:
- recovery of raw materials and valuable elements
- reduction of pollutants and emerging contaminants
- optimisation of drinking water consumption
- activation of circular re-use processes
AREAS OF INTEREST
Collection of liquids
Solutions for the collection of liquids (mainly urine) containing contaminants and/or contrast agents (primarily Iodine and Gadolinium) used in X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging.
Solutions to reduce and limit environmental pollution caused by contrast liquids and emerging contaminants (PPCP, viruses, bacteria, microplastics, antibiotics) in the hospital sector, limiting their release into the natural ecosystem (with a specific focus on contrast media).
Solutions to optimise the use of water resources in hospital and urban settings
Es: on-site technologies for measuring water quality in order to reduce discharges of pollutants of emerging interest (e.g., drugs, nanoparticles, textile fibres) and/or pathogens with waste water effluents;
Es: technologies for the deionization of incoming water, technologies for reverse osmosis.
Es: processes to reduce the presence of emerging pollutants in potable water.
Solutions to activate circulatory processes of water resources in order to recover and reuse them for activities such as irrigation or cooling of machinery.
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