Smart cities are envisioned to efficiently use two most critical resources: water and energy. Advanced techniques are being developed to conserve water. Similarly, renewable energy resources and smart devices are being implemented to meet the increasing electricity demand of the large population.

In reality, water management and energy efficiency are complementary to each other. On one hand, electricity from the renewable sources can be used to run water pumps or other components of the water treatment. On the other hand, during the oversupply of electricity from the renewable sources, e.g. water pumps can be made operational to create a balance of energy demand-supply in the electrical distribution network.

Coupling of cross commodity infrastructure and integration of energy storage is a challenge for smart cities. With respect to ICT this project addresses the challenge to bring intelligence closer to the device, which leads to distributed design. In such a system, highly integrated components from different sectors interact with each other to use available resources more efficiently and increase the overall performance.

The outcome of this project will be a system focusing the energy-water nexus comprising:

The integration of advanced energy storage technology and renewable energy sources to enable the coupling and modularization of electricity and water infrastructures.

A software platform that allows real-time monitoring, analysis and controlling based on the IEC 61499 industrial standard with the grounding of systems engineering techniques.

Optimization techniques for energy-efficient management of both water and electricity in the purview of the infrastructural constraints in the smart sustainable cities.

The Project proposes to develop a system for monitoring water quality in terms of specific bacterial cell/DNA and pharmaceutical residues. The system will consist of the following components.

(1) An in-line water sample collection and enrichment compartment.

(2) A system of microfluidic cartridges for bacteria cell capture, culture, amplification and detection in a short period of time.

(3) a system of micro-fluidic cartridges for capture and detection of pharmaceutical residues in short period of time.

(4) an integrated board that hosts all the compartments 1-3, reagent supply units, detection units and performs automated diagnostic tasks and a similar counterpart with micro-PCR for off-line diagnostics.

(5) a software framework to operate the integrated system, analyze the data collected over time and provide an appropriate early warning.

Project consortia will design the system in such a way that it can be installed in the water pipe-lines in the water treatment plant settings and in building infrastructure settings for remote monitoring.

Two different systems of micro-fluidic cartridges will be integrated. One will detect bacteria cells and DNA by taking advantage of cell counting and target DNA detection in amplified manner on nano-material assay and alternatively with off-line integrated micro-PCR. The other will detect molecules of a selected pharmaceutical, which is emerging to be harmful, on a combined immunoaffinity column using self-developed antibodies that is eluted into a microfluidic detection system. Target specification for detection of pathogen would be less than 100 cells in 1 CFU/ml and nanomolar concentration of target DNA detection within an hour.

Target standards for detection of pharmaceuticals will be 100 ng/L in 10 min. The system will be designed to operate in the post-filtration stage of water treatment plant settings and further downstream network of distribution systems in various scenarios, including water sample testing lab settings.

The overall project goal is to support the implementation of reliable and sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure systems (WIS) with added value for smart cities. Systematic planning methods and tools will be developed to face current and future challenges on three levels; conventional, advanced and smart WIS. E.g. automated planning based on mathematical optimisation to improve conventional sewerage system planning with incomplete planning data base.

Research on advanced level involves integration of decentralised and resource oriented approaches in planning processes as well as improved water pollution control. Smart WIS research provides interfaces for WIS integration in smart city planning. Synergies between WIS and city planning will be investigated and highlighted because they are motivating factors for implementation of smart WIS.

WIS measures that will be covered range from conventional over advanced to smart measures, e.g. water supply and distribution, wastewater and stormwater transport, stormwater retention and treatment, decentralised re-use of rain-, grey- or stormwater, nutrient and energy recovery, flooding protection, integration of water bodies in cities. The right combination of measures will be ascertained with help of the developed planning tools.

Application of developed methodologies and tools will be demonstrated in pilot studies in India (Coimbatore) and Germany (Giessen, Lindenberg, Aulendorf). Country-specific diverging conditions in the pilot cases, e.g. local climate, population density and existing infrastructure, lead to robust systems under varying conditions. Bilateral research teams, in cooperation with local stakeholders will identify smart WIS solutions to be integrated in city planning processes. Research results will be disseminated through training programs and utilised in planning services for local planners and decision makers.

Germanium (Ge) and Indium (In) are important elements for high-tech industry and their future supply is not assured. Copper (Cu) dust waste from smelters hold Ge and In, however, there is no technology for their recovery from these dusts. Further, the large volume of the produced Cu dust waste is challenge for Cu smelters.

This project proposes to develop environmental friendly and commercially viable technology for the recovery of In and Ge while decreasing the volume of Cu dust waste. The project encompasses preferential (bio)leaching of Ge and In from Cu smelter dust waste by optimizing various parameters followed by selective sorption. This project is very novel as it will apply the highly selective and sensitive siderophore and peptide based biosorptive biocomposites to recover In3+, and Ge4+ from the leachate.

This approach will also be applied to the waste from Cu metal powder and mould manufacturing for recovery of Cu. The project, for the first time, will attempt bioflotation for recovery of Cu mineral from Cu smelter dust with the help of biosorptive biocomposites. This project brings the (bio)leaching and reactor operations expertise of IIT Delhi together with design and production of biosorptives biocomposites of HZDR along with mine waste remediation know-how of GEOS with product characterization and life cycle assessment of LLS.

Through the pyrasol project, simple and robust processing technologies for urban organic waste is intended to combine in a synergetic manner and further develop to improve sanitation and welfare, supply regenerative energy, convert waste into products and reduce the carbon footprint of Smart Cities: an innovative solar sludge and waste drying system using the natural chimney effect followed by a high efficient single chamber pyrolysis process. The aim of the project is to offer an innovative and for smart cities adequate approach to transform urban organic waste into biochar and energy. Thus, optimum process and operation parameters of the solar dryer will be determined and a unique condensing boiler system developed and applied to the pyrolysis process. This is supplemented through a comprehensive evaluation of the value added chain from urban organic waste into biochar and energy and the application of biochar for land reclamation (long-term fertilizer, heavy metal adsorbent, etc.). As this valuable biochar is the only process output, this project contributes to the Zero Waste Approaches of Smart Cities.