The Global Water Expo section of the Italian Exhibition Group exhibition is expanding. As it does so, it brings together all the subjects, experts, and institutions operating in a sector that in Italy has a value of €777m and still has great growth potential, the circular economy applied to the integrated water sector–only calculating the resource's reuse in agriculture–which is able to provide a turnover of €777m and approximately 4,000 jobs in Italy ("Circular Economy in Italy", Duccio Bianchi, Edizioni Ambiente publishers). But its potential is much greater: there again, the 2017 edition of the United Nations' World Water Development Report has an eloquent title: “Wastewater: the untapped resource”. The topic of the management and sustainable exploitation of wastewater, at urban and industrial levels, has a high profile at Ecomondo (5-8 November, Rimini Expo Centre), the Italian Exhibition Group's platform for the circular and green economy in Italy and Europe. With the Global Water Expo section, and thanks to the partnership with Utilitalia, Ecomondo showcases innovation at every stage of the integrated water service and wastewater cycle. The central role of Ecomondo in this context, on the other hand, is borne out by an important event held in September precisely in Italy: The 3rd IWA Resource Recovery Conference edition (International Water Association). At Ecomondo, the expo section of the Global Water Expo is constantly growing (two halls – D1 and D2 – are reserved for it at the 2019 edition), while a panel of very high profile scientific meetings, prepared by Professor Francesco Fatone (Marche Polytechnic University), responsible for the "water" area on the Ecomondo Technical-Scientific Committee, will ensure opportunities for in-depth networking on all the major topics connected with the water sector. HORIZON 2020 EUROPEAN INNOVATION ACTION At this edition of the Global Water Expo it will again be possible to obtain close-up knowledge of the evolution of the innovation projects in the water sector, co-financed by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 action. This is in addition to the conclusive results of the Smart Plant project which, in large-scale pilot plants, has validated for over two years, the possibilities of the recovery and reuse of cellulose, biopolymers, and nutrients from wastewater and purification sludge. Ecomondo 2019 will enable attendees to know the characteristics and steps of the innovative Hydrousa project, which has the objective of responding to the problems of water shortage, typical of the Mediterranean islands in the summer tourist period, by means of innovative nature-based solutions. Recovery of wastewater, collection of rainwater, low-cost desalination of seawater, replenishing ground-water water, and collecting air humidity will all be tackled. Innovative solutions that will be tested on three Greek islands (Lesvos, Mykonos, and Tinos), while other areas of the Mediterranean (including the Tuscan archipelago) will be involved for the repeatability of the concept.
