About Project Ô
Project Ô began in June 2018 when the partnership secured funding from the Europe Union’s Horizon 2020 programme
Our Funder
Horizon 2020
is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever
Almost €80 billion of funding has been made available to take breakthroughs and discoveries from the research workshop or lab and make them a reality.
The Need
Water scarcity
is a human-made problem
Water supply chains often struggle to cope with demand. As a result, the UN forecast that by 2030 the world could face a 40% deficit in water supply.
With 71% of the Earth’s surface covered in water, it may seem to be a plentiful resource. But a closer look shows that the amount of water suitable and accessible to drink is a much smaller figure, which is unequally distributed across the world.
This makes water management a vital industry to ensure current and future generations can have a more reliable water supply.
Linear economy
Many modern systems are based on linear economy modelling
This unsustainable approach is based on the incorrect idea that resources are infinite and that the environment can endlessly absorb waste and pollution.
Linear economies are damaging our planet, wasting finite resources and creating pollution, including mounds of waste and environmental contaminants
Water use
can also be mapped onto a linear economy model
This linear approach to water use is causing economic and environmental problems, as well as creating an unreliable water supply.
Circular Economy
A circular economy closes the loop of resource use to reuse, repurpose and recycle resources, while minimising wastage and pollution
One of the important benefits of a circular economy model is replacing “disposal” with “repair and recycle”. This closes the loop to create another usable product with significantly less raw materials.
Water use
can also be mapped onto a circular economy model
A circular economy approach to water use closes the loop by reusing water locally, while ensuring the original water source is sustainably managed.
We can all play our part in a circular water economy by
Adopting a circular economy helps make our systems more resilient to environmental and economic changes
Our Mission
Project Ô’s mission is to demonstrate how local water reuse can benefit water management as part of a circular water economy
The Plan
Project Ô is taking a circular water economy approach to overcome some of the key challenges that lead to unreliable water supplies, high costs and environmental damage
In Action
Our technologies have been installed at four different industrial and household water management settings
These installations use Project Ô technologies in a practical demonstration of a circular water economy
Project Ô technologies are intended for use in a wide range of settings, beyond these initial installations. This allows more people to participate in a circular water economy, helping to withstand changes in the economy and the environment.