Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTSIN.CYCLE: Closing the loop: an innovative treatment train for load-adaptive wastewater valorization and reuse in industries with highly polluted
Industrial wastewater treatment must evolve to meet emerging environmental, regulatory, and resource management challenges, with wastewater treatment plants increasingly shifting from mere pollution control facilities to integrated resource recovery hubs. Among the wastewater streams that can support this transition are industrial effluents, particularly those rich in salts and organic matter, which offer significant yet underexploited opportunities for water, energy, and materials recovery. However, conventional treatment technologies severely limit valorization due to salinity impacts on biological treatment processes and the presence of hazardous micropollutants. IN.CYCLE addresses these challenges by developing an innovative, modular treatment train combined with a digital twin – supported framework for adaptive wastewater valorization.
Project number: 02WWA1780A
Project period: 01.03.2026 – 28.02.2029
Project partners: Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Stockholm, GKW-Gemeinschaftsklärwerk Bitterfeld-Wolfen GmbH, Bitterfeld-Wolfen
Funding: EU, BMFTR
