Workshop on "Circular Desalination: Value Chains & Sustainability", Cyprus (22 May 2023)

After five months of hard work on its preparations, the workshop on “Circular Desalination: Value Chains & Sustainability” is now completed, attracting the interest of more than 100 attendees and the active participation of 23 panellists and speakers. It was a great experience for me to organize this workshop and moderate it yesterday at the great location of Park Hotel in Limassol Cyprus, with European Desalination Society (EDS) as a co-organizer and co-sponsor! Many learnings, key messages and recommendations came out from this highly interactive workshop, which is only the starting point for shaping the transition to Circular Desalination within the context of Cyprus.

This workshop aimed at structuring the problems arising from the transition of existing linear desalination sociotechnical systems into circular & carbon neutral ones. Building upon the results of a novel technical demonstration of WATER-MINING H2020 project (budget: 19 million EUR) we explore the social embedding of the Circular Desalination solution within the context of Cyprus, co-creating together with key stakeholders the emerging value chains in a sustainable fashion. The end goal is to build a master plan for Cyprus to be widely accepted through consensus building. The plan is intended to act as the basis for establishing the first of its kind implementation to be replicated in the wider EU-Mediterranean region.

In the first part of the workshop, we concentrated on high level EU developments around circular economy and sustainability that affect the desalination sector and that will shape its transformation. We had the honour to have Arnoldas Milukas from European Research Executive Agency (REA) , for the opening of the workshop who stressed the importance of enabling the market implementation of Innovation Action EU projects like WATER-MINING H2020 , as well as the wider #CIRSEAU cluster of water-smart projects granted in 2019. After that, I presented on how #CircularDesalination can be conceptualized in the framework of the strong sustainability model and the transition theory, two powerful concepts from social sciences that can inform how to structure such a transition to circularity. Dr ángel Prior from the #DGJRC presented the findings from the recently published report on strategic value chains and we explored how these findings and experience can be used to shape a methodology for #circularvaluechains. Can islands become a source of critical raw materials and rare earth elements through mining seawater desalination brines? We continued with important contributions on the possibilities to get funding from the #EICAccelerator and #InnovationFund tools, being presented by Joao Serrano Gomes and Francesco Matteucci Matteuci from #DGClima and European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) respectively. What is the role of desalination in the energy transition of islands and how can it contribute in the wider decarbonisation strategy, including possible hydrogen generation through (desalinated) water electrolysis? Useful panel contributions from Panagiotis Balabanis from #DGRTD on the synergies of the different EU funding tools, as well as from Marilena Papastavrou from the #MinistryofAgriculture, being also the National Contact Point for the LIFE Programme in Cyprus. Erol Cavus from the United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan Priority Actions Programme Regional A made a major contribution informing us on how Desalination has become a separate sector in the Barcelona Convention #LBSprotocol and how the Effluent Limit Values are now being shaped in the upcoming regional guidelines that will be published. Violeta KUZMICKAITE from European Research Executive Agency (REA) made the point that we need to identify what are the specific parameters that will need to be monitored so that we ensure that desalination environmental impacts are better understood and properly assessed and monitored. ?Violeta stressed also the importance of placing the discussion of sustainable desalination in the wider context of sustainable water management, taking into consideration all alternative water resources through a careful design/plan. The first part was completed by a contribution from Guillermo Zaragoza from Plataforma Solar de Almería - CIEMAT making an excellent contribution on renewable-driven desalination and brine management, presenting also part of the WATER-MINING case study 2.

In the 2nd part of the workshop we explored the social embedding of the novel #WATERMINING Circular Desalination solution in Cyprus. We started with a presentation made jointly by Frithjof Kuepper , Rodoula Ktori and me followed by four presentations from #MichaelMichael, Director from Non-Regulated Services from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus , Nestor Fylaktos from Cyprus Institute , Constantinos Stroutzas from ITA Group and Manuel Sapiano from the The Energy and Water Agency of Malta. We had the opportunity to discuss the results obtained from the demonstration carried out in #LampedusaIsland – a demonstration that took place at the site of our partner #SELIS. The demonstration was made possible with the major involvement of our partner Università degli studi di Palermo , and the collaboration of Sofinter , Lenntech Water Treatment Solutions , thermossol steamboiler , under the coordination of 荷兰代尔夫特理工大学 , and the involvement of #WEI as facilitator for the #CommunitiesofPractice meetings. Local stakeholders in Cyprus are engaged to ensure a highly participatory and inclusive process and reflect their objectives, interests, doubts, concerns etc within the problem structuring exercise. The stakeholders include @Dimitris Petrides from the #MinistryofEnergy, #StavrosCaramodanis and #OlgaSalagkos from Caramondani Desalination Plants , Effie Attikouri and Evripides Kyriakides from the Water Development Department , #ConstantinosAntoniades from the #DepartmentofFisheries, #AndriDemetriadou from Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB) - Ομοσπονδ?α Εργοδοτ?ν & Βιομηχ?νων (ΟΕΒ) and Marios C. Georgiou from The Cyprus Institute . We had the participation of Johnson Roussety G.O.S.K , Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues and @Jean Nicholas Volbert from Rodriguez island. At the end of the workshop, we had the opportunity to hear some key learnings and inspirting insights from Gianni Chianetta from Greening the Islands Foundation . I concluded the workshop by sharing the main key messages, recommendations and follow-ups.

Some key messages:

• For a successful transition to Circular Desalination, the issues arising from such a transition need to be well understood in a local context, through a careful problem structuring exercise involving all key stakeholders;
• Emerging value chains including recovered chemicals and hydrogen generation need to be organized in close collaboration with technology suppliers and local off-takers and partners that will take part in the design, investment, implementation and functioning of these (to be established) socio-technical systems;
• A sense-making process is needed to design Circular Desalination Value Chains that are in line with the local (current and projected) demand, including local (strategic) markets, preferences, interests and capacities;
• Islands have distinct characteristics from the rest of Europe that need to be well understood and recognized when discussing about their circular and energy transition. Water is playing critical role in both aspects. Fundings spent today for unsustainable practices can be used to fuel and stimulate a circular (water) economy in islands. This can help islands produce safe and sustainable-by-design (#SSbD) chemicals needed at local/regional level. At the same time this approach will pave the way to water and energy security, as well as minimize dependence on raw materials.
• Islands can serve as excellent test beds for novel decarbonisation and circularity solutions in the water-energy nexus that can become a model for replication in the mainland of Europe, promoting decentralized solutions and sustainable circular cities concepts.

Key messages were then brought at the opening ceremony of the main conference that took place earlier today, where Arnoldas Milukas and me had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion. The panelists were the Minister of Agriculture Mr #Xenophontos, Ursula A. EDS President, #LiaGeorgiou, Acting Director of the Water Development Department, Department of the Environment, Thomas Altmann , ACWA Power , Executive Vice President Innovation & New Technology, Carmit Hagag Ram , #Mekorot, #TariqAlGhaffari, SWCC_KSA , Acting President DTRI

Thanks to my team that supported the preparations for this workshop! #danaestroutza Athanasios Polyportis Sofia Stavrou

Patricia Osseweijer Mark van Loosdrecht Zofia Lukszo Marijn Janssen Emile Chappin Jafar Rezaei