The CHERISH2O (CHEmical industry water Reuse In a Sustainable Harbour) project has been launched in the Port of Antwerp. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, VITO, essenscia, VMM and Antea Group are working with 12 companies, including Ashland, BASF, Bayer, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, to explore the possibility of large-scale wastewater treatment for reuse in production. This will help reduce water consumption and mitigate the risk of water shortages in drought conditions.
The project will begin by assessing water consumption and discharge volumes, identifying the most promising clusters for the joint use of reclaimed water, and analyzing the costs, benefits and environmental impacts. Based on this data, a pilot plant will be set up to test wastewater treatment technologies from different companies. The study will also look at using certain substances from wastewater as feedstock for other production processes.
The project, worth around €730,000, is financed by partners and the Flemish Government through the Blue Deal fund and is an important step towards achieving the goals of the Flanders Climate Adaptation Plan, which aims for companies to switch entirely to recycled water by 2040.