REGENIOUS at a glance

What’s REGENIOUS about?

REGENIOUS is a Horizon Europe project aiming to transform the way spent granular activated carbon is regenerated and reused across the European water sector and process industries.

Today, activated carbon regeneration largely depends on centralized, high-temperature thermal processes that consume significant energy, rely on fossil fuels and require spent carbon to be transported to specialized facilities.

REGENIOUS is developing an alternative: a portable electrochemical regeneration system that can operate directly at end-user facilities, helping utilities and industries regenerate activated carbon locally, reduce environmental impacts and move towards a more circular use of resources.

Our mission

Replace fossil fuel-based thermal regeneration

Replace fossil fuel-based thermal regeneration with an electricity-driven electrochemical process.

Enable on-site regeneration

Enable on-site regeneration of spent activated carbon, reducing transport, landfill and dependence on centralised regeneration facilities.

Reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with activated carbon regeneration.

Extend the useful life of activated carbon

Extend the useful life of activated carbon through repeated and efficient regeneration cycles.

Integrate renewable electricity, digital controls and predictive tools into the regeneration process.

Demonstrate the REGENIOUS technology

Demonstrate the REGENIOUS technology in drinking water, wastewater and industrial environments.

Develop solutions that can be replicated and scaled across Europe

Develop solutions that can be replicated and scaled across Europe, supporting the transition towards a circular and climate-neutral process industry.

How REGENIOUS will make it happen

From laboratory research to full-scale demonstration

REGENIOUS follows the entire innovation pathway from process optimisation and prototype development to demonstration and market uptake.

The project will:

  • Benchmark different activated carbons and establish a common framework to evaluate regeneration performance.
  • Optimise electrochemical regeneration through improved electrodes, electrolytes and operating conditions.
  • Develop an intermediate-scale portable prototype before scaling the technology to a full-scale modular unit.
  • Integrate renewable electricity, including organic photovoltaic technology, into the regeneration system.
  • Introduce digital monitoring, automation and predictive maintenance tools to optimise operation and activated-carbon lifetime.
  • Improve electrolyte management and resource recovery to minimise environmental impacts.
  • Validate the solution under real operational conditions at water-treatment and industrial sites.
  • Develop business models, regulatory pathways and replication strategies to support wider market adoption.
From laboratory research to full-scale demonstration

Towards cleaner and more efficient regeneration

REGENIOUS aims to demonstrate that activated carbon regeneration can become less energy-intensive, less carbon-intensive and more decentralised.

By moving regeneration directly to the sites where activated carbon is used, the project can also help reduce transportation costs and strengthen the resilience of utilities and industries that currently depend on external regeneration services.