Industrial sectors such as the chemical, pulp and paper, and steel industries generate large volumes of wastewater containing valuable energy, water, and dissolved resources. Conventional treatment strategies typically focus on pollution control rather than resource recovery, leading to high energy consumption, chemical demand, and limited circularity. The European Horizon project CORNERSTONE addresses this challenge by developing and demonstrating an integrated treatment concept structured around three key recovery blocks: energy recovery, water recovery, and solute recovery.

The CORNERSTONE approach combines advanced process modules into flexible treatment trains tailored to specific industrial wastewater streams. The energy recovery block includes a non-clogging heat exchanger and an anaerobic membrane reactor for biogas production.

The water recovery block integrates nanofiltration and membrane distillation to achieve high-quality water recovery even under fouling- and scaling-prone conditions. The solute recovery block employs bipolar electrodialysis and membrane crystallization to selectively recover valuable dissolved salts and minerals, such as gypsum, enabling resource valorization.

The modular design allows dynamic integration with existing industrial infrastructure, combining energy efficiency, high water reuse, and selective solute recovery. CORNERSTONE demonstrates ...