Issues
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TRL Level
SRL Level
vertECO® is a green wall that treats wastewater with plants and microbes. It purifies water for reuse, cutting tap water use by 50%. The system is eco-friendly, easy to maintain, and improves urban aesthetics and biodiversity.
- All greening systems, which run with non-conventional water sources show all the positive benefits of normal such systems plus save water supply and wastewater treatment costs
- Green walls contribute to mitigating flood hazards through rainwater collection from roofs or terraces which can flow through the green wall providing a pre-treatment and further use this water in other green infrastructures of the city
- They reduce freshwater costs by making non-conventional water sources accessible and provide for a sustainable and intelligent management of water resources
- Green walls provide for urban heat reduction and therefore reduce the strongest effects of heatwaves- In a building facade, the green wall/facade can reduce energy costs for heating or cooling
- The efficiency for wastewater treatment is higher in green systems than conventional centralised processes (the use energy from the sun and provide biomass)
- They tackle biodiversity loss in the city by being biodiversity hotspots by increasing biodiversity
- Living green walls can lower the amount of dust and purify the air through metabolization of volatile compounds, adsorbing dust and converting CO2 into biomass
- The green walls help reduce noise levels
- They increase quality of life of stakeholders while reducing environmental footprint
- They educate the public in terms of sustainability and smart green solutions
The innovation addresses heavy precipitation / pluvial floods, droughts, heatwaves, and multi-hazards.
See more information about this level and the TRL and SRL levels.
The business plan for this innovation has been evaluated by The Funding Company and it is considered to be ready for investment.
The business plan for this innovation has been evaluated by The Funding Company and it is considered to be ready for investment.
This innovation predominantly relates to Case Study 1, Athens, Greece, specifically addressing:
Greening solutions with direct or indirect cooling effects for the city
Water management measures with direct or indirect cooling effects for the city,
Water reuse and rainwater management: sustainable water use and green/blue space strategies.
All green infrastructures evapo-transpiratewater during the nutrient transport from the root system to the aerial part of the plants. During very hot summer times, even 50% of the fed water might be “lost” that way, which creates the benefit that it cools the surrounding area through the physical process called evaporative cooling. Intensive greening systems can cool down areas by up to 4 °C (also see Heat Mitigation Guideline forthe City of Athens by alchemia-nova).
By using non-conventional water sources like rainwater or wastewater and making the waterreusable with the vertically constructed wetland (i.e., green wall) treatment, the improved water management measures directly andindirectly contribute to additional cooling effects. The direct contribution is the green wall system per se and the evapotranspiration of the water on spot. The indirect ones are: a) making water reusable for irrigating further green space, which contributes to cooling; b) lessening the energy input for wastewater treatment at the end of the pipe and therefore lessening the CO2 burden of the energy mix; c) storing CO2 with the biomass produced, which benefits climate change mitigation efforts.
The innovation was developed in the course of a European FP7 research project (demEAUmed) between 2014 and 2017 by alchemia-nova with the support of one external botanist. In follow-up Horizon 2020 projects called HOUSEFUL, the solution was demonstrated in further use scenarios.The innovation was supported by water quality analysis work from several research organisations (ICRA in Spain, BOKU in Austria) and also scientific data analysis done by university staff.The scientific support was made possible through EU funding, and all the IPR of the technology remains with Alchemia Nova. The patent derived from this innovation was equally shared by all four researchers involved. Ever since, this green technology has been tested and demonstrated in many projects by the alchemia-nova team.All three legal alchemia-nova bodies hold the license to apply this system in any setting. Logically, alchemia-nova Greece wants to push in the Greek market and currently applies this green wall system in combination with dishwashers for reusable cup and bottle systems. The Austrian company has developed several innovations based on this green wall system, like a circular toilet or even a swimming raft that pumps and treats nutrient-rich lake- or even seawater (tested at the Baltic Sea).
This innovation does not work at maximum efficiency in very cold climates (freezing temperatures for prolonged periods). Plants usually lower their function during winter, meaning that their water treatment capacity can even be halved. These temperature conditions are not expected in Athens except on very rare occasions. If there are many days with freezing temperatures, we suggest closing critical water valves. We have tested the systems for many years in a row in Austrian and Spanish climate conditions, and the wall works well and always re-sprouts new plant leaves in spring. Another option is to put such a system inside a building or in a wintergarden, which has also been tested multiple times and works even better in the in the summer or winter. Under specific conditions, we have even encased the green wall or guided warm water into the system generated by a compost heap to work at optimum conditions all year round.
vertECO® is a green wall that treats wastewater with plants and microbes. It purifies water for reuse, cutting tap water use by 50%. The system is eco-friendly, easy to maintain, and improves urban aesthetics and biodiversity.
- All greening systems, which run with non-conventional water sources show all the positive benefits of normal such systems plus save water supply and wastewater treatment costs
- Green walls contribute to mitigating flood hazards through rainwater collection from roofs or terraces which can flow through the green wall providing a pre-treatment and further use this water in other green infrastructures of the city
- They reduce freshwater costs by making non-conventional water sources accessible and provide for a sustainable and intelligent management of water resources
- Green walls provide for urban heat reduction and therefore reduce the strongest effects of heatwaves- In a building facade, the green wall/facade can reduce energy costs for heating or cooling
- The efficiency for wastewater treatment is higher in green systems than conventional centralised processes (the use energy from the sun and provide biomass)
- They tackle biodiversity loss in the city by being biodiversity hotspots by increasing biodiversity
- Living green walls can lower the amount of dust and purify the air through metabolization of volatile compounds, adsorbing dust and converting CO2 into biomass
- The green walls help reduce noise levels
- They increase quality of life of stakeholders while reducing environmental footprint
- They educate the public in terms of sustainability and smart green solutions
The innovation addresses heavy precipitation / pluvial floods, droughts, heatwaves, and multi-hazards.
The business plan for this innovation has been evaluated by The Funding Company and it is considered to be ready for investment.
The business plan for this innovation has been evaluated by The Funding Company and it is considered to be ready for investment.
The main components of the system have been tested separately, and an initial integration exercise has been conducted.
This innovation predominantly relates to Case Study 1, Athens, Greece, specifically addressing:
Greening solutions with direct or indirect cooling effects for the city
Water management measures with direct or indirect cooling effects for the city,
Water reuse and rainwater management: sustainable water use and green/blue space strategies.
All green infrastructures evapo-transpiratewater during the nutrient transport from the root system to the aerial part of the plants. During very hot summer times, even 50% of the fed water might be “lost” that way, which creates the benefit that it cools the surrounding area through the physical process called evaporative cooling. Intensive greening systems can cool down areas by up to 4 °C (also see Heat Mitigation Guideline forthe City of Athens by alchemia-nova).
By using non-conventional water sources like rainwater or wastewater and making the waterreusable with the vertically constructed wetland (i.e., green wall) treatment, the improved water management measures directly andindirectly contribute to additional cooling effects. The direct contribution is the green wall system per se and the evapotranspiration of the water on spot. The indirect ones are: a) making water reusable for irrigating further green space, which contributes to cooling; b) lessening the energy input for wastewater treatment at the end of the pipe and therefore lessening the CO2 burden of the energy mix; c) storing CO2 with the biomass produced, which benefits climate change mitigation efforts.
The innovation was developed in the course of a European FP7 research project (demEAUmed) between 2014 and 2017 by alchemia-nova with the support of one external botanist. In follow-up Horizon 2020 projects called HOUSEFUL, the solution was demonstrated in further use scenarios.The innovation was supported by water quality analysis work from several research organisations (ICRA in Spain, BOKU in Austria) and also scientific data analysis done by university staff.The scientific support was made possible through EU funding, and all the IPR of the technology remains with Alchemia Nova. The patent derived from this innovation was equally shared by all four researchers involved. Ever since, this green technology has been tested and demonstrated in many projects by the alchemia-nova team.All three legal alchemia-nova bodies hold the license to apply this system in any setting. Logically, alchemia-nova Greece wants to push in the Greek market and currently applies this green wall system in combination with dishwashers for reusable cup and bottle systems. The Austrian company has developed several innovations based on this green wall system, like a circular toilet or even a swimming raft that pumps and treats nutrient-rich lake- or even seawater (tested at the Baltic Sea).
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