report
6.3.6 Current situation within the EU

The COST Action 540 (Photocatalytic technologies and novel nanosurfaces materials - critical issues (PHONASUM)) is a network of researchers and practitioners working in the field of photocatalysis from all around Europe. The main objective of the Action is to increase via a concerted European effort the fundamental knowledge of nanocrystalline photoactive materials and development of new products, which utilize self sterilizing and self cleaning photoactive materials in specific industrially relevant application fields such as self-cleaning and anti-microbial surfaces, water treatment, air purification and general hygienic applications. The realization of these tasks will be accomplished through the development of novel highly active photocatalytic nanomaterials and coating systems with increased sensitivity in the visible region of the solar spectrum, with high environmental stability and adaptability on the various substrate systems. The Action will also concentrate on the development of EU standards for the characterization of photocatalytic materials. The Action commenced in January 2006 and will continue for four years. (www.cost540.com)

The European-Japanese Initiative on Photocatalytic Applications

and Commercialisation (EJIPAC) aims at establishing collaboration between Japanese and European companies and institutions in the field of self cleaning surface coatings and air and water purification methods (www.ejipac.de). One of the main objectives of EJIPAC is to make photocatalytic technologies available to interested European industries and users, especially in the areas of self-cleaning surfaces, anti-microbial surfaces, anti-fogging, hydrophilic and architectural cooling technologies, water treatment, air purification and general hygienic applications. Moreover, the Initiative is interested in involving scientists who want to have their research results implemented and to make these technologies available to small and medium-size enterprises.

There are further four new EU FP7 projects on the remediation of (waste) water with nanotechnology:

MONOCAT - Monolithic reactors structured at the nano and micro levels for catalytic

water purification

WATERMIM - Water Treatment by Molecularly Imprinted Materials

Nametech - Development of intensified water treatment concepts by integrating

nano- and membrane technologies

NEW ED - Advanced bipolar membrane processes for remediation of highly saline

waste water streams

Clean Water - Water Detoxification Using Innovative vi-Nanocatalysts

The short description of these projects can be found at: http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/projects_information/catalogue_projectspdf_1/_EN_1.0_&a=d