Green technology for fresh water sea-transportation based on a flexible containers system

Water is the most vital resource for human life. Scarcity of fresh water is an issue of increasing importance for the Mediterranean area and worldwide: urbanisation, extensive irrigation and the variations in rainfall patterns due to global climate change have led to over-exploitation of existing aquifers and reservoirs across the Mediterranean; in addition, massive tourist influx is putting even more pressure on the already limited resources during the summer season.

Such very large seasonal fluctuation in demand, the already limited availability of water resources and the geographically isolated location of many tourist destinations demand innovative, flexible and affordable solutions for the bulk transport of large quantities of fresh water from water-rich to water-poor regions.

The FP7 project REFRESH has developed and successfully tested an innovative product/service for the sea transport of fresh water, by developing a flexible and cost effective solution based on the use of modular flexible plastic containers towed by a tugboat.

REFRESH is a Research for SMEs project co-funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 262494.

--
Total cost: EUR 1 300 920
EU contribution: EUR 945 161

Project number	262494
Subject(s)	ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , WATER DEMAND
Acronym	REFRESH
Geographical coverage	Greece,Italy,Spain,Czech Republic,
Budget (in €)	1300920
Programme	EU-FP7
Web site	http://www.refresh-fp7.eu/
Objectives	REFRESH aims at realising an innovative green product/service for the transportation of fresh water by sea, by developing a cost effective and energy-efficient solution based on the use of a modular concept of recyclable flexible plastic barge towed by tugboats. The primary application will be in supplying fresh-water to Mediterranean coastal small cities and islands with less than 300.000 inhabitants (a situation which interests about 45 million of European citizens). 65% of these communities that double in size during summer with tourist presences are affected by increasing water scarcity due to several factors as climate change, growing urbanisation of coasts, tourism, sea water intrusion in aquifers. For these communities REFRESH will represent the most effective solution for fresh-water supply since traditional technologies as water pipelines, desalinisation plants and large water vessels are unpractical solutions under technical and economical points of view.
Period	[01/11/2010 - 31/10/2012]

PDF