The Water Innovation and Circularity Conference (WICC) within the framework of the HydroUSA project was held in Athens, Greece 7-9 June 2023.
The Hellenic Water Association together with the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens organized the Water Innovation and Circularity Conference (WICC). Innovation needs to be coupled with circularity in the water sector to accomplish the transition from a linear to a circular economy. The event is organized within the framework of the Horizon2020 EU Innovation Action project of HYDROUSA “Demonstration of water loops with innovative regenerative business models for the Mediterranean region”, Grant Agreement No776643, which has successfully demonstrated the valorization of non-conventional water sources in remote, water scarce areas of the Mediterranean Region.
Two researchers from the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability at UPC, the PhD student Olga Lucia Sanchez Santander and the director Dr. Jordi Morató participated in the conference. Two works directly related to the PRIMA SureNexus project were presented, "Artificial Intelligence modelling framework to assess practical solutions for Water-Energy Nexus at local and regional scales in the Mediterranean areas" in Session XV (assessment tools III) and "Circular bioeconomy and wastewater treatment from coffee process using an innovative vertical treatment wetland" in Session II (wastewater NBS).
During the Conference, different meetings related to the SURENEXUS project were developed, between the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability team and the NTUA organizers (researchers Simos Malamis and Costas Notsopoulos) and partners from the project, and also with the researchers from the UNIVPM, Francesco Fattone and Josue Gonzalez-Camejor. In this second meeting, professor Francesco invited the UNESCO Chair to present the SURENEXUS project in the ECOMONDO Green Technology Expo to be held in Rimini, Italy from 7 to 10 November, 2023.