The Project
The SYMSITES project aims at developing new technologies and solutions based on the Industrial and Urban symbiosis (I-US) concept, for local and regional collaborations among diverse actors (Citizens, Municipalities and Entreprises) and sectors improving the sustainability of the use of industrial and societal resources starting from wastewater and waste materials.
SYMSITES main asset lies in the valorisation of underused materials and energy resources (industrial side streams, industrial waste, by-products and end of life urban waste) and their transformation into feedstock for industrial processes. In other words, the project develops high-technology solutions to achieve a real circular economy for the involved sectors.
The project’s partners believe that the impact of climate change has pushed countries and organisations worldwide to look for greener energy, processes and reuse of waste. Therefore, in reaction to linear behaviour (extract-use-waste), companies and public organisations should learn from the closed loops of natural ecosystems.
Throughout the next 4 years, SYMSITES will test novel technologies, methodologies, and stakeholders engagement applied in four European EcoSites, different in their social-economic, and environmental aspects, from the north, (Denmark), through the mid- (Austria), and southward to (Spain and Greece).
SYMSITES is a 48-month-project (June 2022 – May 2026), funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe Programme (budget: €12.404.455).
Expected impact
Near-zero greenhouse gas emissions, near-zero water discharge, and 70% valorization of the energy
Reduce by 50% (in weight or volume) industrial waste generation
After the project, is estimated to have an increasing number of employees: 100 direct employees and 400 indirect employees
Defined actions to overcome non-technological barriers for exploitation of cross-company symbiosis
Developed facilitation services for supporting the implementation of symbiotic processes directed to local authorities, relevant businesses, private/industry actors, especially SMEs
Peer - reviewed scientific publications
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, April 2026
by Jeniffer Blair, Garima Rathee, Antonio Puertas-Segura, Kristina Ivanova, Aleksandra Ivanova, Leonardo Martín Pérez, Tzanko Tzanov
Integrated biogas desulfurization and membrane extraction for ammonium sulfate recovery
by Werner Fuchs, Ferdinand Hummel, Paula Garcia Sarzosa, Lisa Bauer, and Wolfgang Gabauer
Assessment of nanofiltration for ammonia separation from anaerobic membrane bioreactor effluents.
Water Practice & Technology, May 2026
by Wolfgang Gabauer, BOKU University
Advanced water treatment with antimicrobial silver-lignin nanoparticles sonochemically-grafted on cork granulates in activated carbon packed-bed columns.
Environmental Research, 2025
by Jeniffer Blair, Garima Rathee, Antonio Puertas-Segura, Leonardo Martín Pérez, Tzanko Tzanov
Scaling up the sono-enzymatic coating of cotton textiles with antimicrobial silver-phenolated lignin nanocomposites.
by Garima Rathee, Jeniffer Blair, Antonio Puertas-Segura, Kristina Ivanova, Guillem Ferreres Cabanes, Tzanko Tzanov
From lab to pilot: sonochemical coating of PDDA-based polymer dots for scalable, wash-durable antibacterial textiles.
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 2025.
by Garima Rathee, Antonio Puertas-Segura, Jeniffer Blair, Tzanko Tzanov
Pilot-Scale Polysulfone Ultrafiltration Patterned Membranes: Phase-Inversion Parametric Optimization on a Roll-to-Roll Casting System
by KU Luven and other authors
Meat-Processing Wastewater Treatment Using an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR)
by BOKU University and other authors
Sono-Enzymatically Embedded Antibacterial Silver-Lignin Nanoparticles on Cork Filter Material for Water Disinfection
by UPC and other authors
Unveiling the Potential of CuO and Cu2O Nanoparticles against Novel Copper-Resistant Pseudomonas Strains: An In-Depth Comparison
by UPC and other authors
Patterned Vibrating Membranes at Pilot-Scale: Membrane Preparation and Setup Design
by KUL and other authors
Publications in Journals
Towards more sustainable biohydrogen production: Reducing freshwater demand via municipal wastewater-based dilution of food waste
Biochemical Engineering Journal, 232
Ioanna Ntaikou, Dimitra Misailidou, Maria Alexandropoulou, Ilias Apostolopoulos, Gerasimos Lyberatos, Georgia Antonopoulou (NTUA)
Beyond Culturability: Long-Term Microbiological Performance of the SYMSITES Membrane for Wastewater Reclamation Beyond Culturability: Long-Term Microbiological Performance of the SYMSITES Membrane for Wastewater Reclamation
P. Puchades-Colera, P. Truchado, I. Girón-Guzmán, R. Tamarit, E. Zuriaga, A. Pérez-Cataluña, G. Sánchez, A. Allende (CSIC)
Under preparation
Demonstration of anerobic membrane bioreactor for promoting an urban-industrial symbiosis
Noah M. Christy, Anders Nyeggen, Vasileia Stoumpou, Sara Björkqvist, Paulo Martins Silva, Henrik R. Andersen , Stefan Trapp , Daniel S. Larsen, Esteban Orellana , Borja Valverde-Pérez (DTU)
Under preparation
Green Synthesis and Validation of Silver-phenolated Lignin Nanoparticles Embedded onto Olive-stone Biomass for Advanced Wastewater Treatment
Jeniffer Blair, Nury Infante, Garima Rathee, Raquel Tamarit Coronado, Jose Antonio Magdalena, Leonardo Martín Pérez, Tzanko Tzanov (UPC)
Under preparation
CuO Nanoparticles as Surface Additives for Membranes in Anaerobic Digestate Treatment Applications
Euro-Mediterranean Journal of Environmental Integration
Konstantina Papadopoulou, Charalampos Pavlopoulos, Arulappan Durairaj, Ilana Perelshtein, Panagiota Markouli, Daniela Anton and Gerasimos Lyberatos (NTUA)
Under preparation
Publications in Conferences
Co-treatment of Wastewater from the Meat-producing Industry and Blood-waste in an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR)
By Hummel, F., Gabauer, W., Fuchs, W. (BOKU)
Conference: ETA-Florence Renewable Energies
Acclimation of microbial consortia on acidogenic effluents for enhanced production of polyhyrtoxyalkanoates.
Rokizas S., Kora E., Kalogirou T., Antonopoulou G., Ntaikou I., Lyberatos G. (NTUA)
Conference: 18th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, held on Wed 30 Aug – Sat 2 Sep 2023 in Athens, Greece (CEST2023).
An Industrial-Urban Symbiosis (I-US) concept for the production of gaseous biofuels
K. Papadopoulou, C. Pavlopoulos, A. Zarkaliou, G. Lyberatos (NTUA)
Conference: ETASTE: Rethink Food Resources, Losses, and Waste Third International Conference
Anaerobic Co-Digestion of olive oil wastewater with municipal solid and liquid waste: An Urban-Industrial symbiosis concept
PAPADOPOULOU K., PAVLOPOULOS C., ZARKALIOU A., LYBERATOS G. (NTUA)
Conference: 18th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, held on Wed 30 Aug – Sat 2 Sep 2023 in Athens, Greece (CEST2023).
Biohydrogen production from household food waste through dark fermentation: the possibility of water minimization during dilution
G. Antonopoulou, M. Alexadropoulou, I. Ntaikou, G. Lyberatos (NTUA)
Conference: International Conference “Closed cycles and the Circular Society 2023: The power of ecological engineering” of the International Ecological Engineering Society (IEES).
Continuous bio-hydrogen production from household food waste: the possibility of symbiosis with municipal wastewaters treatment
GD. Missallidou, M. Alexandropoulou, G Antonopoulou, I. Ntaikou, G Lyberatos (NTUA)
Conference: 10th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management Chania, Greece, 21 – 24 JUNE 2023