Water4Resilience - Vinnova #2026-00642

Ongoing

1 June 2026 Project lead: Mälardalen University

Schematic illustration: sensors on a water network feeding an operational data layer

Background

Water4Resilience builds on the results of Unity4Water, where technologies for water reuse, nutrient recovery, monitoring, and circular water management were developed and validated.

The next challenge is moving from individual technologies and pilot environments to integrated systems that work in everyday society. Water4Resilience therefore brings circular water solutions into real operational environments including wastewater treatment plants, schools, commercial buildings, and urban spaces.

The project brings together water utilities, municipalities, property owners, food producers, technology companies, and research organisations to demonstrate how reclaimed water can become a local resource while strengthening resilience to water scarcity and climate change.

From wastewater treatment to resource recovery

Water4Resilience combines water treatment, nutrient recovery, monitoring, and local food production into circular systems where wastewater is treated as a resource rather than a waste stream.

Reclaimed water can be reused for applications such as hydroponic cultivation, irrigation, and urban vegetation, while nutrients recovered from wastewater can be returned to food production. This reduces demand for freshwater and creates new circular resource flows between water infrastructure and local users.

By demonstrating these systems in operational environments, the project addresses not only technical performance but also regulation, economics, organisational responsibilities, and public acceptance.

Monitoring and digitalisation

Reliable monitoring is essential when reclaimed water moves from controlled experiments into everyday environments. Water4Resilience develops monitoring and decision-support technologies that can continuously provide information about water quality and system operation.

The project further develops electronic nose technology for real-time monitoring of reclaimed water. By detecting volatile organic compounds and gas signatures associated with microbial activity and contamination events, the technology can provide early indications of changes in water quality.

Sensor information is combined with other monitoring technologies and integrated data platforms, creating a digital foundation for decision support, safer operation, and increasingly automated water reuse systems.

Sensative’s role

Sensative contributes IoT technology, electronic nose sensing, and digital infrastructure for monitoring circular water systems.

Building on work initiated in Unity4Water, Sensative continues the development of electronic nose technology for detecting volatile signatures associated with changes in reclaimed water quality. The objective is to complement conventional laboratory analysis with continuous, real-time monitoring and early warning capabilities.

Sensative also contributes Yggio as an integration layer for sensor and system data. By connecting monitoring technologies, data sources, and applications, Yggio supports the project’s ambition to move from individual measurements towards integrated monitoring and decision support.

Towards resilient circular water systems

Water4Resilience moves circular water technology from pilots towards implementation at system level. Demonstration environments allow technical solutions to be evaluated together with the people and organisations that will ultimately operate, regulate, procure, and use them.

The project aims to demonstrate a more decentralised model in which water treatment facilities increasingly become resource recovery facilities connected to local food production, buildings, and green infrastructure.

By combining water reuse, resource recovery, digital monitoring, and real-world implementation, Water4Resilience contributes to a future where freshwater can be prioritised where it is most needed and water already circulating in society can be safely reused.

Water ReuseClimate ResilienceCircular Water

Other participants (23)

Eskilstuna Energi & Miljö
Mälarenergi
Gryaab
Västerås stad
Kungsbacka kommun
Region Halland
Castellum
Plaza Hotel
Rudbeckianska gymnasiet
Kunskapsgymnasiet
Stadsmissionen
Grönska
Green City Farming
Blue Red Gold
SweGreen
Granerfeldts Trädgård
Ozoreon
Flexiclean
Codon Consulting
Sensative
Nornio
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Mittuniversitetet

Funded by

Vinnova project page (#2026-00642)

Research enquiries

cto@sensative.com