Life smallWAT

Cookie Settings
Type of Cookie	Purpose	Third party involved	Preference
Technical Cookies	These are cookies that allow the website to function correctly.	(Liferay/Dynatrace, Google). You can obtain more information about the third party cookies that are installed in the Cookies Policy and in the following links: Dynatrace (Liferay): https://www.dynatrace.com/support/help/how-to-use-dynatrace/data-privacy-and-security/data-privacy/cookies/ Google: https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies?hl=en	Enabled
Preference or customization cookies	They allow the user to remember information so that the user can access the service with certain characteristics that can differentiate their experience from that of other users.	Google https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies?hl=en	Disabled Enabled
Analysis or measurement cookies	They are those that allow us to quantify the number of users and therefore carry out the measurement and statistical analysis of the use made by users of our website.	More information about Google Analytics can be found at: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/cookie-usage?hl=en	Disabled Enabled
Behavioral Advertising Cookies	These are cookies designed and used for the management, in the most efficient way possible, of the advertising spaces shown to the user, through the advertising service in response to their profile and interests.	Google uses cookies for advertising purposes, such as serving and rendering ads, personalizing ads (based on the user's ad settings at g.co/adsettings), limiting the number of times an ad is shown to a user, hide ads that the user has indicated they don't want to see again, and measure the effectiveness of the ads. Doubleclick: In the case of Google Ad Manager or Google Marketing Platform advertising products, third-party cookies used for advertising purposes may be associated with doubleclick. net or to country-specific Google domains, such as google.com. https://support.google.com/searchads/answer/2839090?hl=en	Disabled Enabled
More information about our Política de Cookies.
Enable all Save

smallWAT is a pioneering initiative from the European LIFE programme. The project aims to mitigate pollution caused by untreated wastewater, water scarcity, and the loss of resources (nutrients) in small agglomerations (fewer than 2,000 population equivalents) through the use of innovative nature-based solutions (NbS). By improving and demonstrating new NbS in different local and climatic contexts, it offers a sustainable alternative to conventional systems, which are often expensive, complex, and poorly suited to these small communities.

The core of smallWAT consists of developing and validating a system that integrates advanced constructed wetlands, filtration columns for nitrogen and phosphorus recovery, and UVC‑LED disinfection technologies.

First, the wetlands will be optimized using bioelectroactive substrates, forced aeration systems, smart sensors, and digital control, enabling improved removal of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and PFAS. In addition, plants with phytoremediation capacity will be incorporated to enhance treatment performance and contribute to carbon capture.
The innovative nutrient‑recovery filters use materials such as biochar (a highly porous charcoal produced through pyrolysis), apatite, and calcite. Biochar allows nitrogen adsorption and its reuse as an organic amendment, while apatite and calcite facilitate phosphorus capture, transforming it into slow‑release fertilizers.
Finally, the third key component is UVC‑LED disinfection, a compact and efficient technology that ensures the removal of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance with very low energy consumption, allowing the production of safe water for agricultural irrigation.

Project objectives

The smallWAT project will develop and demonstrate a wastewater treatment system optimized for small agglomerations (fewer than 2,000 population equivalents) and adaptable to local contexts and needs, with three main purposes:

Nutrient removal for direct wastewater discharge in compliance with current legislation.
Production of water for reuse and nutrient recovery for the fertilizer industry.
Production of nutrient-rich water for direct reuse in agricultural irrigation.

Expected results

Regeneration of wastewater and recovery of essential resources for agriculture, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, contributing to the circular economy and reducing the carbon footprint.

Reduction of the space required per population equivalent compared with conventional wetlands.
Reduction of maintenance and investment costs compared with conventional systems.
Development of a decision support system (DSS) based on life‑cycle analysis (LCA) of the smallWAT solutions.
Validation of the developed treatment technologies in demonstration plants in Spain (continental demo plant – Talavera de la Reina; Mediterranean demo plant – Almería; and a replica plant in La Gomera), Denmark (oceanic demo plant – Ørby), and France (tropical demo plant – Saint‑Joseph, Martinique, and a replica plant in the Loiret region)

Project partners

Funding details

Call: LIFE‑2024‑SAP‑ENV / Circular Economy and Quality of Life – Environment
Organism: European Commission (EC)
Project Number: LIFE24/ENV/ES/101215667
Total Budget: €4,596,726.42
Funding Scheme: 60% grant
Total Funding Received: €2,757,992.20
With the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union – LIFE24/ENV/ES/101215667.

This website reflects only the views of the Consortium. The European Commission is not responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Project funded by: