Greater Black Sea Window
These semi-finalists are competing for an intensive six-month acceleration programme delivered by Civitta, including dedicated mentorship and technical assistance valued at $20,000. The winners will receive structured support to refine their solutions, strengthen their business and impact models, and enhance their investment readiness.
BlueNile Intelligence is an AI-driven platform that monitors, analyzes, and predicts marine pollution in real time. By integrating satellite data, IoT sensors, and community reporting, it provides actionable insights for governments, NGOs, and local stakeholders to prevent pollution and protect marine ecosystems.
This project uses engineered floating wetlands to intercept plastic waste in rivers and canals before it reaches the Black Sea. The system combines nature-based infrastructure with targeted plastic capture and transforms recovered waste into eco-friendly products such as eco-bricks and upcycled accessories.
This project introduces a cost-effective and adaptable technology to reduce microplastics in treated municipal wastewater, to be piloted at Samsun Arıtma A.Ş. The project builds on prior academic research demonstrating the presence of microplastics in treated wastewater in Türkiye.
AI-powered Early Industrial Pollution Detection System for Black Sea Tributaries is a real-time early warning solution that detects industrial, municipal, and agricultural water pollution before it reaches the Black Sea. The system combines in-situ water quality sensors, AI-based anomaly detection, and a secure data registry to generate verified, regulator-ready alerts.
This project develops floating and retrievable bio beads designed to simultaneously remove excess nutrients and heavy metals from coastal waters. The system is based on natural mineral and biopolymer components and operates as a low energy and environmentally compatible remediation approach.
ReBio is an innovative vermifiltration and bioconversion system for organic waste, wastewater, and landfill leachate treatment that combines natural biological processes with technological solutions. It utilizes technological earthworms and microbial communities to process food waste, purify wastewater, and remediate landfill leachate, thereby minimizing environmental impact and enhancing soil fertility.
BLUE TWIN is an eco-innovation that integrates Digital Twins, nature-based solutions, and real-time IoT monitoring to reduce urban water pollution at its source in the Black Sea Basin. By combining modular rain gardens, greywater reuse, and data-driven simulation, the model enables cities to monitor, optimize, and verify pollution reduction in real time.
SpiraBas is a nature-based carbon capture and wastewater filtration system inspired by the Earth’s long-term mineralization cycles. By combining microalgae (spirulina) with basalt rock, the system captures atmospheric CO₂, converts it into stable mineral forms, and simultaneously removes nutrients and pollutants from wastewater. This integrated approach turns waste streams into regenerative resources while supporting climate mitigation, water recovery, and ecosystem resilience.
Carbon Stream Map (CSM) is an engineering-led supply-chain mapping and carbon measurement project designed to identify, quantify, and reduce pollution and emissions across agricultural value chains. The project focuses on upstream, midstream, and downstream activities, using ISO-aligned methodologies to translate farm-level and operational data into actionable insights for pollution prevention at source.
CONTATRAP is a floating, energy-free treatment system that uses layered double hydroxide (LDH) composites to remove nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals directly from Black Sea waters. The innovation integrates pollutant removal with controlled regeneration and nutrient recovery, enabling a low-cost, circular, and scalable solution for regional water quality improvement.
Our project deploys a circular economy biotechnology platform using Antarctic extremophile microalgae to bioremediate acidic winery effluents that traditional systems cannot treat due to extreme pH and cold winter temperatures. We transform these pollutants—primary drivers of eutrophication in the Black Sea—into high-value biofertilizers that restore soil health and reduce reliance on synthetic inputs.
CyFract develops a low-pressure uniflow hydrocyclone that removes suspended particles from water using fluid forces alone. Our chemical-free, membrane-free system cuts energy use by up to 95% and operates continuously with no moving parts, making it well suited for long-term deployment in sensitive aquatic environments.
This project proposes the establishment of algal cultivation (Algal Bioremediation) systems in drainage channels. Algae, through their natural biological processes, are ideal agents for reducing the nutrient load originating from agricultural areas and accumulating in drainage waters. During their rapid growth, algae assimilate excess Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) compounds from the water into their cellular structures and utilize them in their metabolism.
The project proposes an integrated, sustainable, and scalable solution for the removal of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water systems under a One Health framework. Our approach combines advanced adsorption materials, green catalytic degradation, and real‑time monitoring technologies to create a complete and environmentally responsible treatment chain capable of addressing both legacy PFAS and emerging compounds.
The developed filter is a collapsible modular mesh structure that operates similarly to a fish keep net or a long flexible underwater bag. It is installed externally at the outlet of a stormwater pipe or wastewater discharge line — either at the shoreline or on underwater outfalls at depths up to 5 meters.
The AquaSift Project is an innovative eco-innovation initiative that employs artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to detect and manage marine litter. The system analyzes images collected from the sea surface to map the types and densities of waste and shares these data with decision-makers in real time. In this way, clean-up activities can be planned in a more targeted, rapid, and efficient manner.
This project develops an autonomous, low-energy water treatment platform based on biocatalytic micro/nanomotors designed to actively remove chemical and industrial pollution in the Black Sea. Unlike passive treatment systems, the self-propelled micromotors move vertically through stratified water layers, accelerating the removal of heavy metals, industrial chemicals, and persistent organic pollutants.
Eco-Ports will develop an end-to-end, real-time emission monitoring and source attribution system for the full range of port operations, covering all vessel categories and land-based assets such as cranes, bunkering, trucks, and internal transport. The project will accurately detect what pollutants are emitted, where they originate, and at what intensity, enabling precise identification of emission sources even in complex environments and with emerging “green” fuels.
BioClean Black Sea is an eco-innovation aimed at cleaning chemical and industrial pollution from mining waste in the Black Sea basin. Utilizing native, acidophilic bacteria, this process ensures efficient and environmentally friendly recovery of metals, transforming waste into a resource
A zero-discharge agricultural model that recycles nutrients internally, eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers, and prevents nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from entering the Black Sea.