Researchers are working on clean water for cities of the future
Researchers from Eawag and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland are participating in the EU project UrbanM20. The aim of the project, which is led by the Danish Technical University, is to improve the monitoring and management of water management in cities.
Researchers from the Dübendorf-based aquatic research institute Eawag and the School of Life Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland(FHNW) are involved in the EU project UrbanM20. According to a press release, the project, which is led by the Danish Technical University of Copenhagen(DTU), is dedicated to improving the monitoring and management of urban water management.
The aim of the international project is to improve the quality of urban water in the cities of the future. Water utilisation, consumption and wastewater are to be monitored and stored in data exchange systems. Digital twins will be used to develop flexible programmes that improve water quality management.
Twenty partners from ten countries are participating in the project. From Switzerland, for example, the City of Zurich Department of Waste Management and Recycling(ERZ) and the Association of Swiss Wastewater and Water Protection Experts(VSA) are on board. The participants want to develop intelligent sensors that use artificial intelligence to improve the monitoring of water quality. The digital twins are intended to help identify pollution problems and plan solutions. “We also want to support the authorities with practical guidelines to better monitor and maintain their existing systems,” said project coordinator Luca Vezzaro from the DTU in the press release.
The UrbanM20 project is being funded by the EU with 5 million euros through the Horizon Europe programme. The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is also supporting the project with 1 million euros.