Our blog about water without microplastics
8. April 2024
Understanding of water vs reality
17. June 2024
It's done: EU Urban Wastewater Directive adopted in April.
The EU Urban Wastewater Directive (UWWTD for short) was adopted by the European Parliament at the beginning of April 2024. Among other things, it aims to remove microplastics and micropollutants from our wastewater and increase the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants in a cost-effective manner. The keywords here are also: Resource conservation, water quality, circular economy, energy efficiency and sustainability. But what is the roadmap for this? We have taken the Wasser 3.0 perspective.
Amendment of the EU Urban Wastewater Directive (UWWTD): Small steps for clean water
One of the primary objectives of the European Urban Wastewater Directive 91/271/EEC is to protect the environment from the harmful effects of inadequately treated urban wastewater. To achieve this, the EU directive places requirements on the member states. In addition to the collection and purification of wastewater from residential areas of a certain size, these also include the comprehensive collection of data and new planning of the so-called 4th purification stage for the removal of micropollutants.
The member states are obliged to report regularly to the EU Commission on the status of implementation of the directive's requirements. The new version now makes adjustments.
The amendment to the EU UWWTD was adopted in the European Parliament in April 2024 with 481 votes in favour, 79 against and 26 abstentions. In concrete terms, this means that enormous new challenges will arise for municipal wastewater treatment plants, although in many places the old challenges with regard to global developments in climate and water protection have not yet been solved. All the more reason for us to offer our help as a non-profit organisation. For clean water and more water without microplastics.
From our perspective: What is behind EU’s UWWTD?
Our main points of contact are in the areas of 4th treatment stage, 4th treatment stage plus, water reuse, and detection standards. Considering that all wastewater treatment plants with more than 150,000 population equivalents (PE) are to have a 4th treatment stage by 2045, this also means that an overview of the actual pollutant loads must first be obtained before planning for the expansion/installation of a 4th treatment stage can begin. The same applies to all wastewater treatment plants serving more than 10,000 PE that pose a particular risk according to a risk assessment, e.g. wastewater treatment plants that discharge their treated wastewater into bodies of water for drinking water use. In addition to micropollutant analysis with extended monitoring of so-called pathogens, antibiotic resistance and PFAS, microplastic analysis is also coming to the fore.
Uncertainty factor: analysis is lagging behind - while planning is being haphazardly carried out
Data on micropollutant pollution in wastewater and water has been recorded for more than 20 years. Sometimes more, sometimes less - rather situational and, due to a lack of standards, comparative data and a lack of data harmonisation, only ever as individual values for individual events - rarely continuous, not at all comprehensive and certainly not comparative.
Analytical methods have been further developed, but DIN standards have not.
No one really knows what to do because the analytics lag behind the EU Urban Wastewater Directive. It's great that action is being taken, but it makes little sense to proceed blindly with analysis. There are many traditional companies in the field of continuous data collection for micropollutants and microplastics, but also many new companies, that are working on closing the gaps. However, the fact that until now, most analytical developments do not produce comparable values makes any tangible action complicated.
In fact, it is currently not possible to obtain data that can be compared in an AI-driven process (= data harmonisation), regardless of the device or process. We have been developing in parallel universes in this area for many years, and now an EU municipal wastewater directive is supposed to bring together what does not fit together. Sounds difficult? It is.
Advanced wastewater analytics for more data, transparency, and sensible planning of wastewater treatment systems
In addition, many wastewater treatment plants are already facing major challenges. Pollution parameters are becoming more complex and wastewater treatment plants are reaching their limits already within the three treatment stages. Monitoring and ensuring water quality are becoming more extensive and more expensive.
So, what information do wastewater engineers need to collect meaningful data? What information do the people who write the tenders for the wastewater treatment plants require? What information is essential for decision-makers? In principle, there is still time until 2045 and some of today's decision-makers will certainly no longer be in office, but what if we show you what advanced wastewater analysis looks like and how to get from data to values and ultimately to meaningful planning and action?
How can the purification performance of municipal wastewater treatment plants be increased without massively raising wastewater charges?
According to current data, the current three treatment stages in most German wastewater treatment plants cannot cope with the complex combination of micropollutants and microplastics. The treated wastewater still contains large pollutant loads that are flushed unhindered into our waters. Our environment then often tries to regulate itself. Some substances are broken down by natural processes (UV radiation, microorganisms, etc.). However, the so-called persistent substances, including PFAS, phosphonates and microplastics, remain in the environment and continue to spread. The result is that concentrations continue to rise. But this doesn't have to be the case. The key is comprehensive analysis and planning in line with the requirement profiles. It's about adaptivity and optimisation. It's about variability and flexibility. "A lot helps a lot and the bigger the better" used to be a credo in wastewater treatment, but today these old thought patterns are increasingly breaking down and we see ourselves (without praising ourselves too much) in a favourable position to move forward here - as real changemakers and role models.
What do we do?
Together we enter the field of analytics. We analyse the general and specific pollutant load of the wastewater and determine the potentials and levers for increasing the efficiency and cleaning performance of the processes.
Based on the 4th purification stage plus, we create a cost-effective concept for the removal of micropollutants and microplastics. To use sewage sludge as a fertiliser, for example, it needs to be of very good quality and free of heavy metals, micropollutants and microplastics. Although the spreading of sewage sludge is prohibited in Germany, it is still common practice in many other countries around the world.
This is where our reuse concepts come in. We close cycles and help to reduce the overall CO2 footprint of municipal wastewater treatment.
Our experience to date shows that even small changes can have a big impact. We develop a customised solution for the specific challenges of your wastewater treatment plant that makes ecological and economic sense. Our technologies and approaches support sustainable water treatment that ensures excellent water quality in both chemical and ecological terms in the long term. Together, we are making a measurable contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. And this brings us full circle to the last important point of the amendment of the EU Urban Wastewater Directive.
Extended producer responsibility and resilience - closing the circle
For years, we have been talking about developing sensible solutions at the hotspots of pollutant loads (in industry, in municipal sewage treatment plants) and advancing these in a politically regulated manner. It is therefore very positive that the extended producer responsibility has also been adopted. Even if it’s only on a small scale, small steps in the right direction are appreciated.
In concrete terms, this extended producer responsibility means that manufacturers of pharmaceuticals (human medicine, not veterinary medicine) or cosmetic products will bear at least 80% of the costs for the construction and operation of the 4th purification stage no later than three years after the EU UWWTD comes into force. However, we cannot and do not wish to assess at this point whether this makes sense and whether other polluters should also assume responsibility.
It was also decided that more attention should be paid to water reuse. If possible, all new plants and process optimisations should therefore be designed with this in mind. We have been talking about a sustainability upgrade for years. However, these upgrades also need to be monitored, including profitability analyses, impact analyses and life cycle assessments. Unfortunately, there is no in-depth information on this either.
It is good to read that the topic of water supply resilience strategies has reached the level of the member states. This means that water reuse is officially associated with the water supply. This connection is not new to those involved in water management, but it is good that politicians have now also understood the global water cycle and the interplay between water supply and wastewater treatment.
Further information
