Water Challenge and the EIC Accelerator: Cleaning Port Sludge

Water Challenge, founded in Madrid in 2020, developed ASEC (adiabatic sonic evaporation and crystallisation), a process that separates polluted liquids into water and dry solids without chemicals. Its EIC application said it had "the first energy-efficient truly Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD+) technology able to separate 100% of dredged material into fresh water and crystalized solids in one step", and aimed "to develop a pilot plant of 10 m3/day of capacity" to showcase it before replicating it across Europe, according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,458,928 towards a €3.51 million project from March 2023 to February 2025. The final report says the pilot plant was built and tested at the company's site, then installed in the Port of Huelva, where it "is fully operative with a depuration capacity of 10m3/d", producing distilled water and crystallised solids and powered in part by renewable energy. It says the technology reached TRL 7, and notes that the solids from mining-polluted sediments near Huelva contain critical raw materials of commercial value. The report also says that thanks to "Equity and the participation of the European Investment Bank (EIB)" the company expanded internationally, a claim not confirmed by any EIB announcement found for this article.

Where Water Challenge Stands Now

In December 2025 Water Challenge was one of nine start-ups chosen from more than 300 applicants for Moeve Light Up, the innovation programme of the Spanish energy company Moeve, and will develop an industrial pilot with Moeve's technical team, according to its blog. It has also presented ASEC for biogas and biomethane plants. Its annual turnover is between €500,000 and €1 million, Empresia reports. No commercial plant or port contract has been announced.

The Technology: Evaporate, Crystallise, Reuse

Dredging keeps ports and rivers navigable but produces huge volumes of sediment, 20-40% of it highly polluted, which is usually dumped at sea or in landfills, the application says. ASEC evaporates the water and crystallises the solids with low energy use, so both can be reused. Water Challenge now also pitches it for industrial liquid waste, saying it can reuse 100% of the water in contaminated fluids.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project promised a 10 m³/day pilot to demonstrate the technology and business model. The report documents the pilot running in a real port at the target capacity, with lab validation of its outputs. It does not report energy figures in full, operating costs or a paying customer. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. 10 m³/day pilot plantDeliveredPort of Huelva.
2. Validated outputsDeliveredWater and solids tested.
3. Business model shownUnverifiedNo contract announced.
4. Replication in EuropeUnverifiedNone announced.

The Money

The grant was worth more than twice Water Challenge's annual turnover. The report's reference to EIB participation could not be matched to a public EIB operation. The company's investors, profit or loss, and any EIC Fund investment are not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Polluted dredged sediment is a costly problem for European ports, and recovering water and raw materials from it fits EU circular economy goals. The EIC funded a working pilot in a Spanish port. Proof that ports will pay for it is still missing.

The Verdict

Water Challenge and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.