International conference highlights growing business opportunities in resource recovery

This press release has been published by Smart Water Magazine.

The global drive towards a circular economy gained significant momentum last week at the International Water Association (IWA) Resource Recovery Conference in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Hosted by Wetsus, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University and Research, the conference showcased over 15 years of research and successful upscaling of resource recovery practices. The event served as a crucial meeting point connecting academia, industry, investors, policymakers, and key stakeholders across the entire value chain. 

Showcase of H2020 PROMICON project

Isle Utilities (Isle), a global consultancy accelerating the water environmental transition through strategic partnerships, presented its work as a project partner in the H2020 PROMICON project (GA No. 101000733), focusing on maximising the commercial impact of PROMICON’s innovative solutions. PROMICON is pioneering the enhancement of natural microbiomes using cutting-edge biotechnological tools to produce high-value bioproducts such as biopolymers and biofuels (butanol and hydrogen), directly aligning with the EU 2018 Bioeconomy Strategy. 

By utilising waste substrates like carbon dioxide,
PROMICON enables the sustainable production of valuable bioproducts.

The PROMICON project demonstrates a powerful approach to resource recovery by harnessing the potential of natural microbiomes sourced from diverse environments, including wastewater treatment plants. By utilising waste substrates like carbon dioxide, PROMICON enables the sustainable production of valuable bioproducts.

The well-attended IWA Resource Recovery Conference provided an ideal platform for Isle to highlight how its expertise in targeted business strategies and key stakeholder engagement can facilitate the successful upscaling of novel technologies like those developed within the PROMICON project.

From research breakthroughs to real-world resource recovery businesses

The conference underscored the significant progress in resource recovery, moving beyond research to the emergence of innovative start-ups operating at demonstration scale within the water sector. A key highlight of the conference, attended by IWA Executive Director Kala Vairavamoorthy, was the dedicated RR New Business Pavilion. This showcased a selection of promising start-up companies and culminated in a "shark tank" style session.

The "Most Promising New Business for Resource Recovery" award, sponsored by SKion Water, Wetsus and Water Alliance, recognised outstanding innovation in the field. The winner was Weeefiner, a Finnish start-up specialising in advanced water treatment and material recovery solutions, with a particular focus on extracting dissolved metals and nutrients from industrial wastewater and process waters.

Blanca Antizar, Director of Consultancy at Isle, served as a jury member for this prestigious award, chaired by Ana Soares from Cranfield University. Other jury members included Cees Buisman from Wetsus, Ronald Wielinga from Water Alliance, and Melanie Haberland from SKion Water.

"Beyond the inspiring setting of Leeuwarden, this IWA Resource Recovery Conference was instrumental in fostering the crucial networking needed to translate innovative ideas into tangible solutions for global resource recovery. By providing a stage for these advancements, we empower the next generation of sustainable practices."
Blanca Antizar, Director of Consultancy, Isle