Tracking pollutants in water for safer food and drink systems
A pioneering European platform to monitor and reduce persistent and emerging pollutants in water generated by industrial cleaning across the food and drink sector
WHY EMERGO
Reducing pollution from the food and drink industries
Cleaning is the most water-demanding process in food and drink production, using up to 70% of a factory’s water. It releases microplastics, “forever chemicals” (PFAS), disinfection by-products and antibiotic residues that conventional treatment cannot remove.
Carried in wastewater, these pollutants build up in our rivers and soils, with consequences for biodiversity, food safety and human health.
EmerGO closes this blind spot. The project maps where pollutants arise, builds sensors that detect them as they are released, and demonstrates treatment that breaks them down on the spot while recovering clean water and cleaning agents. Over four years, 18 partners will prove these solutions at three European factories and share the results openly with industry, policymakers and citizens.
HOW IT WORKS
WHAT EMERGO BUILDS
Practical solutions to a hidden problem
Portable sensors
Testing water for pollutants means days of waiting for laboratory results. EmerGO builds sensors, guided by artificial intelligence, that give answers on the spot.
Microplastic detection
Plastic particles released during cleaning and packaging are too small for standard checks to catch. New EmerGO sensors identify them the moment they appear.
Advanced water treatment
Even with conventional treatment, some pollutants pass straight into rivers, among them “forever chemicals” and antibiotic residues. EmerGO breaks them apart, instead of moving them elsewhere.
Water and cleaning agent recovery
Cleaning uses large amounts of water and chemicals, and most is thrown away. EmerGO recovers the cleaning agents and returns clean water to the factory.
Online treatment selector tool
Finding a way to remove a new pollutant can take months of testing. EmerGO is building a free online tool to predict which treatment will work best.
Clear information for consumers
Consumers have no way of knowing how cleanly their food was produced. EmerGO works with them on labels, dashboards and campaigns that make it visible.
OUR PILOTS
Solutions tested where food is made
Fruit juice
Cold PressOK
Belgrade, Serbia
Meat
Casademont
Girona, Spain
Confectionery
Jotis
Athens, Greece
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