ReWATT · Regenerative Water Treatment Technologies (WTT) for Acid Drainage and Critical Raw Materials recovery in mining sites and natural environments

Water acidification has been identified by the UN as one of the most urgent environmental challenges that society will face in the coming decades. Its scale and growing trend are alarming and more than 75% of mining districts worldwide are already affected. Beyond mine sites, natural acid drainage is increasingly emerging in high-altitude and polar regions, where it threatens low-resilient ecosystems and exposes vulnerable communities to persistent environmental degradation. In parallel, the growing demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) —essential for the green and digital transitions— has revealed the European Union’s dependence on external suppliers, creating economic and strategic risks. Efforts to secure domestic sources may inadvertently intensify the environmental impacts of mining, unless new, sustainable approaches are adopted. ReWATT addresses this dual challenge not as an environmental liability, but as an opportunity for technological innovation. The project aims to develop and demonstrate a modular, circular, sustainable and transportable water treatment platform capable of remediating mining-impacted environments even in remote sites, while recovering valuable CRMs and reclaiming clean water. This will be achieved through international-intersectoral staff exchanges, from academia, industry, and public agencies across Europe and Latin America. The consortium unites universities (UAB, UNIBZ, UNAL, UMo), national research institutes (IGME-CSIC, INAIGEM, IAA), and industrial partners, combining expertise in geosciences, environmental engineering, chemistry, and biotechnology. Through structured, reciprocal mobility of up to 27 people and shared research infrastructures, ReWATT will build long-term collaboration, enhance technical capacity, and promote innovation in real-world contexts. Thus, it will contribute to a global network advancing sustainable resource recovery, aligned with the EU Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the UN SDGs.