The ReNutriWater Project is Funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme and co-funded by European Union. 

ReNutriWater project answers to the challenges specified in the Programme objective Water-smart societies, priority 2.1. Sustainable waters. 

The Programme supports actions that improve the state of water in the region and make its management more sustainable. 

These waters include the Baltic Sea, coastal waters and inland waters like rivers, lakes and groundwater. 

Project Challenge 

Closing local water circuits by recirculating nutrients & water and using them in nature. 

The challenge is to prepare solutions to produce appropriate quality water from wastewater, adjust this quality to the needs in order to properly care for urban areas. The project shows how to assess, mitigate and reduce risk. It is also necessary to remove the mental barrier and make water reuse more familiar and popular. 

Target groups 

• National/ Regional/ Local public authorities 
• Infrastructure & public service providers 
• Interest groups 
• SME’s 

ReNutriWater contributes to the EUSBSR Policy Areas Nutri and Tourism. 

Partnership 

• 14 Project Partners representing 5 countries: Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark. 
• 22 Associated Organisations representing 8 countries: Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden, Belgium. 

Project leader 

Chamber of Economy Polish Waterworks (Izba Gospodarcza WODOCIĄGI POLSKIE) from Bydgoszcz, Poland. 

Project budget 

• Total budget: 3,847,234 € 
• Programme co-financing 80%: 3,077,787 €  
• Project Partners Own funding 20%: 769,447 € 

Project budget for Savonia UAS: 

• Total budget: 497,525 € 
• Programme co-financing 80%: 398,020 €  
• Project Partners Own funding 20%: 99,505 € 

Project time frame 

• Project implementation 1.1.2023 – 31.12.2025 

• Project closure ends 31.3.2026 

Work Packages – Leaders: 

WP1:  Preparing solutions 

1. Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland 

1. Chamber of Economy Polish Waterworks, Poland 

WP2:  Piloting and evaluating solutions 

1. Savonia University of Applied Sciences Ltd, Finland 

1. Municipal Water and Sewerage Company in Warsaw, Poland 

WP3: Transferring solutions 

1. Centrum Balticum Foundation, Finland 

1. Chamber of Economy Polish Waterworks, Poland 

WP1. Preparing solutions 

1. Determining preconditions for pilots
   Deliverable: System boundaries defined (report) 

1. Establishing the local target group networks
   Deliverable: 5 local target group networks created 

1. Validating final conditions for pilots
   Deliverable: Final conditions for pilots defined – set of water & nutrients reuse techniques (report) 

1. Determining a scope of the risk assessment for pilots
   Deliverable: Validated scope of the risk analysis for pilots and other BSR regions (report) 

1. Identifying business opportunities and defining scope of functionality of WaterSafe-tool
   Deliverable: Sustainable and circular business models & determined functionality of WaterSafe-tool 

WP2. Piloting and evaluating solutions 

1. Pilot 1 (P1): Disinfection efficiency of reclaimed water
   Output: Efficient methods of disinfection of reclaimed water 

1. Pilot 2 (P2): Composition adjustment of reclaimed water
   Output: Methods of selecting the composition of reclaimed water tailored to the needs 

1. Pilot 3 (P3): Breaking barriers for reclaimed water use
   Output: Methods to ensure the safe use of reclaimed water 

1. Implementing and testing WaterSafe IT Tool
   Output: WaterSafe IT Tool 

1. Developing a Handbook on water reuse
   Deliverable: Handbook on safe water reuse 

WP3. Transferring solutions 

1. Transferring solutions – communication, activities and tools
   Deliverable: Transferred solutions – final report 

1. Conducting survey analysis to measure and expand awareness
   Deliverable: Awareness survey – report 

1. Developing and implementing a mentoring programme “Safe Water”
   Deliverable: Mentoring programme “Safe Water” for target groups 

Savonia’s involvement 

Environmental Engineering department of Savonia UAS is heavily involved in ReNutriWater as Project Partner no. 6, and the Leader of whole Work Package 2, that includes piloting and evaluating solutions. There is planned to develop 3 piloting stations in WaterLAB and prepare laboratory tests in the field of microbiological indicators, physico-chemical characteristic extended by micropollutants and toxicity tests. Savonia together with the second leader Municipal Water and Sewerage Company in Warsaw from Poland oversees the development of pilots for other partners as well. 

AMBITIOUS stands for Advanced CoMputing Continuum Solutions for Boosting DigITalization acrOss EUropean RegionS. 

This EU funded project aims to find innovative digital solutions for climate change related environmental issues, urbanisation, energy production and occupational safety.

From Savonias point of view the challenges we will focus on are urban floods, storm water infrastucture updates, leakages in the pipelines, energy and water needs and how to predict and model all of the before mentioned using AI, 5G and IoT.

More info on AMBITIOUS can be found from www.ambitious-project.eu.

KIERTO – “Jätekeskuksen vesien ravinteiden talteenoton paikallinen symbioosi”

05/2023-12/2024

This project is aimed to increase the efficiency of closed water circulation on a land fill in Kuopio, Finland. The project is carried out by Savonia, Jätekukko (the local waste management company) and technological equipment providers.

The project focuses on nutrient re-uptake, especially nitrogen compounds and uses technologies such as MBBR (Moving bed bioreactor) and Electrocoagulation to test this process.

KIERTO- project is funded by Finland’s Ministry of the Environment.

“Improving agricultural water management for climate change adaptation”

01/2023-12/2024

Short description of the project: The climate system controls what we can grow and where we can grow it—and whether agriculture
is possible. The negative impacts of climate change are already being felt in the industry in the form
of increasing temperatures, weather variability, more frequent extreme weather events intensifying
water scarcity and risks related to food security.

The profiling area of SMAGRI is “Climate-smart agriculture” (CSA), an integrated approach to
managing landscapes addressing the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change.
SMAGRI unites 3 knowledge domains of our university (Savonia UAS) agri-food, water, and digital technology under this theme.

Goals and what kind of problems the project seeks to solve: As a result of climate change, rainfall is distributed more unevenly: the soil dries out in the spring and early growing season, while the amount of precipitation increases in autumn and winter. During the growing season, the rains will also be even heavier. In plant farming, however, the moisture conditions should be optimal throughout the growing season. Instead of efficient drainage, we need more comprehensive water management.

Concrete measures of the project: We develop automation that utilizes measurement and forecast data. The work is done with a local agricultural entrepreneur on a 14 ha pilot field. The goal is an automation technology, which would allow meltwater and rainwater to be retained on the field while ensuring adequate drainage.

In addition to equalizing the moisture conditions, the valuable nutrients and solid matter must remain in the field and the growth condition should be good, so in addition to the data needed for regulation, we measure the water quality and flows as well as the growth condition of the soil in the pilot field.

The target group: Farmers and companies in the technology sector

Funding by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture.

SMAGRI -hanke – Laari

Arctic Water Excellence

01/2023-12/2025

The aim of AWE-project is to promote the development and implementation of new technologies in the water supply sector and water-intensive industry in cooperation with research institutes, companies operating in the field and industrial plants. The activities aim to promote the formation of new innovations and new business in the sector. The project focuses on solving generic water-related challenges identified by industry through co-creation by applying new and/or alternative technologies in practice. One area of development is the development of advanced recovery processes and separation techniques as part of water purification, e.g. to utilize metals and nutrients contained in wastewater as raw materials. These development measures also contribute to the development of the circular economy in the form of applications based on water expertise.

Co-funded by EU and reginal councils in Finland.

03/2023-11/2025

Requirements for environmental management in mining have increased together with increasing demand of mined commodities. The mining industry has operated for a long time according to the principle where only a small fraction of the large amount of quarried and processed rock material ends up as commodity. Even today, up to 96% of the processed ore ends up in large impoundments as extractive waste i.e. mine tailings. This mode of operation is inefficient in terms of energy and material efficiency, environmental protection, and the economy.The SETELIT project investigates utilization of mine tailings as a cement-free paste backfill material cured with a carbon neutral method in the mining area, and outside the mine sites as a material substituting concrete. The project promotes the circular and energy economies and reduces the environmental risks and landscape impacts created by mining operations. Developed new products and methods can boost the business activities and competitiveness of companies. In addition to these, the project also promotes digitalization.The objectives of the project are (i) To develop a low-carbon, mine tailings based product similar to concrete, and to create guidelines for cancelling the end-of-waste status and for productizing mine tailings-based products; (ii) To promote research services related to cement-free paste backfill materials cured with carbon-neutral methods and to enhance infrastructure needed to carry out high quality Flow Loop tests; (iii) To develop a digital recipe tool for cement-free mine tailings-based products and paste backfill materials.Utilization of tailings outside mine sites requires a) carrying out the cancellation of the mine tailings waste status and b) a productization process. The guide and demonstration of these tasks will be implemented in the SETELIT project. In addition, since cement production is known to cause 5–8 % of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, it is recommended to implement the curing or binding of tailings, whenever possible, without cement. Binders suitable to replace cement are various slags, ashes, bioplastic and strong alkali solutions used in alkali-activation and geopolymerization techniques. These methods will be tested during the product design phase with the selected tailings.When utilizing mine tailings as a cured paste backfill material in underground mines, it is essential to ensure the technical and environmental characteristics of the mixture (paste) as well as smooth transportation through the pipeline to the filling site. The Flow Loop testing method created in the ERDF Kove-Pro project is digitalized and optimized in the SETELIT project. The rheological properties of pastes are measured by Flow Loop tests already at the first stage of recipe design. Using the Flow Loop method, new types of cement-free cured paste backfill recipes are developed to reduce the mine’s carbon footprint and the amount of extractive wastes.All recipes generated during the project, as well as characterization results of starting materials and test pieces, will be compiled in a digital recipe library. This library helps to preserve and interpret results in a new way using the self-organizing map method (SOM). The goal is to
develop a system to search for recipes that support carbon neutrality and circular economy for paste backfill solutions and other mine tailings-based applications. The SETELIT project is based on cooperation between Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). Savonia’s expertise in concrete engineering, 3D printing, and water engineering is combined with GTK’s expertise in geochemistry, mineralogy, X-ray tomography, 3D printing of geomaterials, the circular economy and environmental impact management of the mining industry.

Co-funded by EU and reginal councils of Finland.

Boosting the innovation ecosystem of Kuopio Water Cluster.

01/2024-12/2025

Funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The technologies and services developed in the project will be tested and demonstrated at Savonia’s water laboratory in Kuopio on the one hand, and also at suitable field sites at Finnish water utilities. The international demonstration will be carried out towards the end of the project at a foreign water utility site in Poland.

The aim is to form a new service concept that can be cost-effectively integrated into the operation and condition monitoring systems of existing water utilities both in Finland and in international water utility sites without significant investment costs.

The result of the project will be:

– An integrated co-offering that utilizes, for example, Nokia’s Impact Platform and MXIE platform as a generic platform.
– New high-tech services for water utilities demonstrated in practice.
-One international demo at a foreign water utility site (Poland).
– Mapping potential international market areas.
– New growing high-tech international business for the water supply sector with the help of a consortium of small companies and a global leading company.

08/2023-12/2024

Funding by The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Smart Water 2.0. project ran through 05/2021 – 08/2023 and concentrated on raising the technological level of water intensive industries, in co-operation with related companies and organizations. This project also improved the technological level of Savonias own WaterLAB facilities with new online-measurement devices for WaterLOOP and sensor devices for the SuperDMA (district monitoring) area.

SWIM- project ran through 04/2021 – 12/2023 and aimed to help companies and municipalities ready up their facilities, infrastructure and devices for future changes in extreme weather events due to climate change, tighter directives from EU and elevated customer expectations. Project was funded by Business Finland.

YTY – Innovative combination processes technologies to enhance the extraction of Nitrogen from cold wastewaters.

YTY- projects duration was 08/2022 – 12/2023. During the project MBBR (moving bed bioreactor)-technology combined with nanofiltration was used to reduce nitrogen in wastewaters from a landfill in Kuopio. The project was funded by the Environmental Ministry of Finland.

KWC concentrates the research, development and innovation in water-sector in Pohjois-Savo region and Finland. The Cluster offers a one-stop solution for rapid product development, testing and commercialisation services for companies operating in the water technology sector.

• Municipal water and wastewater treatment
• Mining industry
• Pulp & paper
• Agriculture

Kuopio Water Cluster provides access to specialised laboratories, experts, and assisting personnel from all partnering organisations. Laboratory scale tests are combined with custom-made, containerised pilot-scale test-rigs allowing for rapid on-site demonstrations. KWC is ongoing during 2019 – 2021. https://kuopiowatercluster.com/

The KOKOEKO seminars were organised annually with an aim to bring together experts in the waste man-agement and environment sectors and help them reach a sustainable future together. The aim was to provide information, visions and solutions in view of the challenges in the waste management and recycling sectors. The target groups were e.g. municipalities, authorities, business life, education and research institutes. The seminars also enabled increased interaction between businesses and municipalities by providing them with networking possibilities.

Water-Pro (1.4.2016 – 31.3.2019) aims to develop and transfer eco-efficient tools and models for runoff management in the field of agriculture and mineral extraction in Northern and Arctic areas. Runoffs from both of these sectors have large volumes, but low concentrations of nutrients and other compounds – therefore some similar measures and practices could be utilised. Moreover, the climate change will bring further challenges in controlling runoffs and water safety in the near future. Lead partner Savonia University of Applied Sciences, other partners: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland, Agricultural University of Iceland, Geological Survey of Finland, Lough Neagh Partnership Ltd, Northern Ireland, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. The project is financed by The Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme 2014-2020. Read more on the project’s website.

The strategic aims of the MAALi project (1.9.2016 – 30.9.2018) are to develop the research and education environment of environmental and material analytics and to strengthen and promote the position of environmental and material analytics at UEF. The practical aim is to acquire and introduce an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and an ion chromatograph (IC) equipment to enable cost-efficient inorganic analyses. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry enables broad metal quantifications with very low limits of quantification. The ion chromatograph (IC) enables the quantification of water soluble ions in the samples. The research teams at UEF do extensive research work in cooperation with business and this work benefits from the acquisition of the analysis equipment. The leader of the project is UEF and Savonia UAS is the co-operator. The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

The iFORMINE project (1.8.2016 – 31.7.2018) aims at developing new solutions to manage mine waters and to increase eco-efficiency. Efficient and safe management of water and material flows is being developed in cooperation with forest industry process experts and mining experts. Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences has the leading role in the project. Other partners are Savonia UAS, Lapland UAS, Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Geological Survey Finland. The pro-ject is financed by the Regional Council of South Savo and the European Regional Development Fund.

The VIRVE project (1.1.2016 – 31.12.2017) aims to develop the commercialisation options of the water sector knowhow as well as the possibilities to promote business start-ups. The development work is supported by the expertise in Kuopio Science Park and RDI laboratories. The aim is to cre-ate the most attractive and versatile water business and product development ecosystem Kuopio Science Park to help develop and commercialise new innovations and applications and generate new business activities. Savonia UAS is in charge of the project implementation and it is financed by the Regional Council of Pohjois-Savo.

The METVI project (1.7.2015 – 31.12.2017) aims at increasing the efficiency of the treatment pro-cess of paper and pulp mill wastewaters resulting in more cost-efficient organic load reduction and highly improved energy efficiency. The wastewater treatment process will be made more ef-ficient by developing the pretreatment of the inflowing water. This is done by applying the anaer-obic wastewater treatment process. At the same time biogas can be produced as the organic mat-ter in the wastewater degrades microbiologically under anaerobic conditions. The organic matter content reduction by using this technology decreases the amount of emerging sludge thus also decreasing the need for the tertiary treatment of sludge. In addition, the pretreatment significant-ly reduces the consumption of chemicals and energy of the actual sewage treatment plant pro-cesses. These factors contribute to significant cost savings as regards wastewater and sludge treatment and improve the energy efficiency of the processes. The METVI project is financed by the Regional Council of Pohjois-Savo, EAKR Flat Rate 2014-2020. Read more >>

The KAIVOS VV project (1.11.2014 – 31.12.2017) brings together the Finnish mine water research organisations, service providers, mines, other operators and authorities to improve the impact of mine waters on the economic efficiency of the mines, process functions, environmental load and social acceptability. Mine waters form a complex whole and it is very difficult, if not quite impos-sible, for one organisation or small consortium to manage it fully. The implementing consortium of the project contains only a few members of the network. The Eastern Finland Office of the Geo-logical Survey of Finland is the leader of the project. The other partners are the National Institute for Health and Welfare, University of Easter Finland and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

The FunktioMat project (1.1.2016 – 31.12.2017) aims at developing the RDI environments at UEF and Savonia UAS and combining them into a functional entity to enable pilot-scale production and testing of functional materials for water purification as well as the testing of new technologies. Savonia UAS and partner companies are responsible for the material testing. The resulting mate-rial production and testing environment enables the implementation of large-scale national and international research projects. It also makes the business service provision to companies possible. The project promotes material efficiency and low carbon production by developing the use of in-dustrial shunt currents to produce functional materials. The project leader is UEF and Savonia UAS is a co-operator. The project is financed by the Regional Council of Pohjois-Savo.

The WATER-M (1.8.2014 – 31.10.2016) project aims at developing water supply networks’ real-time operational control and optimisation as well as safety implemented by an international con-sortium. The leader of the consortium is France and research organisations and businesses in the water sectors in Romania, Turkey and Finland are engaged in the project. The project aims to de-velop e.g. smart calculation methods to simulate the hydraulic status of the water distribution networks (WDNs), changes in the pipeline water quality as well as water consumption. The project results enable the creation of real-time situational awareness of the WDNs based on both network models and smart calculation methods. Savonia UAS is responsible for the implementation of the pilot testing to verify the functionality of the monitoring system in practice. In Finland the project is financed by Tekes and it is part of the EU ITEA2 programme.

The aim of the RAE project (1.6.2011 – 28.02.2015) was to help farms utilise nutrient losses efficiently to improve prof-itability. The project aimed at increasing farm nutrient recycling and reducing the nutrient content in the water system. It also aimed at producing and transferring knowledge of the most suitable cultivation methods in Eastern Finland and at creating an active network of players to support this work.

The ERKKA project (1.9.2011 – 28.2.2015) aimed at examining how dairy farms can improve profitability by reducing energy costs. The focus was on increased energy efficiency and self-produced energy benefitting from renewable energy sources. The target groups were farms, advisors and civil engineers.

The LakeAdmin project (1.1.2012 – 31.12.2014) aimed at compiling a set of good practices for lake restoration and transferring them into practice in their regional planning and water management. For further information, please click: http://www.interreg4c.eu/projects/project-details/index-project=181-regional-administration-of-lake-restoration-initiatives&.html

The project (1.7.2012-31.12.2014) aimed at compiling the water security knowhow in Kuopio Science Park and creating an extensive educational programme on that basis to develop expertise and business activities.

The METLI project (1.8.2012-30.6.2014) aimed at finding a holistic solution to the utilisation of forest industry sludge and at helping the players in the field to network. In addition, the aim was to produce information on the applicability of various sludge and sludge mixture treatment processes as well as on the qualities of the end products and their utilisation potential.