Water is one of the most valuable raw materials, which unfortunately gets polluted sometimes by our technological development. Recent research shows that the aquatic environment, from which we produce potable water in Europe, contains anthropogenic substances. Until a few years ago, their presence was unknown.
Pollution from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) finds its way into the environment through excretion, household waste, waste and sewage, bathing and waste waters, and direct disposal. While many of these compounds are broken down and degraded, many will remain in the soil and in reclaimed water, and create potential hazards to the environment and human life.
Most waste water treatment plants are not able to eliminate them. This lack of knowledge needs to be tackled by developing one common course of action and policy on EU level.
The boDEREC-CE project aims to design an integrated management model of waterworks that improves the quality of drinking water. This focuses not only on the study of PPCP behaviour but also on assessing the effectiveness of attenuating this specific type of pollution, using different types of drinking water treatment technologies. This innovative model-based decision-making tool can then be used as an early warning tool.
More information will follow soon.