Circular, Chemical-Free and Climate-Resilient Water Systems for the European Steel Industry

European steel production is highly dependent on large volumes of process and cooling water, much of which is abstracted from natural water bodies. Increasing regulatory pressure under the EU Water Framework Directive, the Industrial Emissions Directive, the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Circular Economy Action Plan require significant reductions in freshwater use, pollutant discharge, and chemical dependency. At the same time, steel production water streams contain oils, greases, suspended solids, dissolved metals, and microbial contamination that are traditionally treated using chemical-intensive methods.

CIRCUSTEEL-WATER addresses this challenge by validating a modular, chemical-free and circular water treatment concept for the steel industry under real industrial conditions. The 30-month project will demonstrate an integrated side-stream pilot system at one operational steel production site.

The project advances the integrated treatment concept from TRL 5 to TRL 6 by combining:

• Nanobubble-based oxidation for biofilm disruption and microbial control

• Bioremediation and biosorption for oil degradation and metal concentration

• Compact physical separation technologies for solids and metal fraction recovery

• Small-scale rainwater integration to reduce freshwater dependency

Installed as a containerised or skid-mounted pilot connected to an industrial water loop, the system will operate continuously for 8–10 months under real process conditions. This configuration enables performance validation without disrupting primary operations.

The project aims to demonstrate:

• ≥70% removal of oils and greases without chemical additives

• ≥75% microbial load reduction

• ≥40% potential reduction in chemical use compared to baseline treatment

• Demonstrated concentration and recovery potential of metal fractions

• Technical feasibility of partial rainwater substitution

Beyond technical validation, the project will deliver a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis, and a scale-up investment roadmap. These outputs will de-risk large-scale implementation and prepare a follow-up Innovation Action targeting full industrial deployment.

CIRCUSTEEL-WATER contributes directly to EU Zero Pollution objectives, industrial decarbonisation and circular economy strategies by reducing environmental impact, enhancing water resilience, and enabling recovery of valuable secondary raw materials from industrial water streams.

The project establishes a scalable, transferable model for chemical-free water circularity in European process industries, positioning the steel sector as a frontrunner in sustainable industrial water management.

We are a Swedish consortium from North Middle Sweden currently preparing a proposal for ECIV Open Call 1 and are looking for European partners from other ECIV territories who would like to join forces.

Our project, CIRCUSTEEL-WATER, focuses on advancing circular water management in the steel industry. The aim is to validate a modular, chemical-free water treatment concept (TRL 6) that reduces freshwater use, lowers chemical dependency, improves internal recirculation, and enables recovery of metals and valuable resources from industrial water streams.

The project will include:

• A side-stream pilot demonstration in an operational steel environment

• Exchange of competence and methodologies between regions

• Parallel or complementary activities in participating territories

• Joint dissemination within the European Circular Innovation Valley network

• Development of a roadmap for scaling circular industrial water solutions

We are particularly interested in European partners who can contribute with:

• Industrial demonstration environments

• Circular water or resource recovery technologies

• Research and competence

• Regional innovation ecosystem support

• Business model or circular value chain expertise

The ambition is to build a strong interregional collaboration that goes beyond a single pilot and creates long-term cooperation within circular steel, metals, and water management.

The Swedish consortium includes water treatment experts and steel industry.

If this sounds relevant for your organisation, we would be happy to arrange a short call to explore potential collaboration.