About the Project

The REWATER project addresses a critical gap in integrated, system-based water management for advanced Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), where existing technological solutions are treated separately and fail to ensure sufficient self-sufficiency, resilience, and efficiency.

The project takes a holistic approach to Drinking Water Production, use, Wastewater Treatment, and recycling. It also addresses the capture of energy vectors and critical raw materials. In addition, it enables the monitoring of material and energy flows through the integration of artificial intelligence.

By achieving up to 75% water recycling, the project reduces logistical dependency and strengthens operational resilience in emergency situations, where water management becomes a tactical and technological advantage.

Project Results

The main outcome of the REWATER project is the development and demonstration of three interoperable, mobile, modular functional systems (FS): FS1 for the capture and treatment of drinking water with a capacity of 2,000–2,500 l/h; FS2 for the capture, separation and treatment of wastewater with up to 75% recycling for 150–200 PE; and FS3 for the capture and recovery of by-products, including biogas, renewable electricity, hydrogen, heat, critical raw materials, and construction composites.

The functional systems will be energy-independent and self-sufficient, and will be materially, energetically, and digitally interoperable with other tactical systems of forward operating bases (FOBs). A digital monitoring and control system will also be developed to manage energy, digital and material flows, enable performance prediction, and provide real-time diagnostics of tactical infrastructure at the tactical edge (C2/C2I), incorporating built-in cybersecurity mechanisms.

Project Consortium

Lead partner:

• TECES | Strategic and operational project management, coordination of consortium partners, management of communication with the contracting authority, preparation of the intellectual property management strategy, product industrialisation, marketing, and dissemination of project results.

Technology Integrator:

• Kolektor Sisteh d.o.o. | Lead developer of functional system (FS1) for the capture and treatment of drinking water.

Project Partners:

• Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute | Testing, validation and certification of REWATER system products (building blocks).

• ROTO ECO d.o.o. | Lead developer of functional system (FS2) for the capture, separation and treatment of wastewater.

• University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | Lead developer of functional system (FS3) for the capture and recovery of by-products.

• IOS d.o.o. | Development of a membrane bioreactor

• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | Development of innovative components for water capture from air.
• National Institute of Chemistry | Development of an electrolyser with subsequent water disinfection.
• University of Maribor, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering | Testing and validation of components (building blocks) related to biological and chemical processes within the REWATER system.