Microplastic Analytics: EU plans are not enough
9. September 2024
Educational project „WASoMI Lab“ launched
12. December 2024
‘...show how it can be done’ - OPEN HOUSE on water without microplastics and micropollutants enters the next round in 2025
Wasser 3.0 gGmbH welcomed partners, representatives from industry, science, and politics to the Landau site at the first OPEN HOUSE in 2022. Since then, a lot has happened within the non-profit Greentech company, which focuses on water without microplastics and pollutants. And the next OPEN HOUSE 2025 is just around the corner.
The second Wasser 3.0 gGmbH Open House will take place on 26 and 27 June 2025 at the EW Landau wastewater treatment plant. Registration is now open. There are only a limited number of places, so it’s worth being quick.
© Wasser 3.0
Looking back with an outlook
Having received several national and international awards for its innovations, in recent years, the team led by Managing Director Dr Katrin Schuhen has further expanded in many areas of work. These include application-orientated, responsible research as well as the innovation transfer and education area WASoMI.
In addition to new innovative products for microplastic detection and removal, transparent communication was promoted across all stakeholders on the new findings and results on the topic of water without microplastics and pollutants. A book project was also realised in 2024. The non-fiction book “Rebellin des Wassers” has been available in stores since October.
More knowledge on the hotspots of microplastics - for everyone
During the OPEN HOUSE, visitors can view and experience Wasser 3.0’s fields of activity on site and engage in dialogue with the experts. The doors to the research and development site at the Landau-Mörlheim wastewater treatment plant will be opened on two mornings in June 2025. The focus is on water without microplastics and micropollutants. The innovators have been working at full speed in various projects and collaborations to standardise microplastic analysis using innovative fluorescent markers and fluorescence microscopy and to provide comprehensive data on microplastic hotspots in the environment.
© Wasser 3.0
The pollution of our rivers, lakes and oceans with microplastics is a growing problem. Microplastics’ small size make them a huge problem: microplastics that are contained in our household products, for example, or that are released from fabrics when washing clothes made of synthetic fibres, cannot be removed from the water in sewage treatment plants and thus end up in our rivers, lakes and oceans. - And ultimately also in our bodies when we, for example, eat marine animals that have mistaken microplastics for algae or plankton. How much we really consume has so far only been estimated.
© Wasser 3.0
The scientists at Wasser 3.0 published the first long-term study on microplastic levels in wastewater treatment plant effluents with over 320 analyses in August 2024. The data collected from the two-year sampling provides answers on microplastic pollution in treated wastewater as well as important recommendations for policymakers. The data shows that the two mandatory samples per year for large wastewater treatment plants outlined in the EU Urban Wastewater Directive (UWWTD) are not sufficient to describe the problem or take action.
The team also researched the recurring question: ‘Is our washing machine a hotspot for microplastics in the environment?’. The researchers found that no additional filters are needed in washing machines to reduce the amount of microplastics entering the environment. Instead, they have a completely different recommendation for consumers:
Reducing the washing temperature and number of revolutions and using a detergent, regardless of liquid or solid, is enough to reduce the entry of microplastics into wastewater by 70% without much effort. Would you have known that?
Added value is created when different views are combined in joint actions
Another milestone in 2024 was the Global Map of Microplastics. This was launched together with the Wasser 3.0 app. This is a citizen science project in which the interested public and educational institutions can help to obtain data on microplastics in local waters. Equipped with an analysis kit, water samples are collected from regional rivers, streams and lakes using a standard protocol. The samples are sent to the research laboratory in Landau for microplastic analysis and the data is entered into the map once it has been analysed. This project is financed exclusively through donations and sponsorship. Visible and direct impact included.
Hotspots known, danger averted?!
The Wasser 3.0 PE-X® technology for removing microplastics from water has been used in more than 15 feasibility studies in various industrial applications in recent years. The requirement profiles were always different. Thanks to adaptivity and a 360° view, important findings were obtained. The data obtained has been incorporated into profitability and impact analyses that confirm the ecological, economic and social added value. Not only was it possible to reliably remove more than 90% of the microplastic load from industrial wastewater, but the waste was also recycled as a resource. This comprehensive sustainability upgrade gave the companies a broader view of the entire process and they were surprised that a return on investment is possible in the water industry after two years.
#bettertogether: discussion, networking, start-up area
The OPEN HOUSE 2025 brings together the movers and shakers of today and tomorrow. You can expect live demonstrations on:
- Microplastic analysis (sampling, sample preparation and analysis)
- Industrial wastewater treatment and circular economy process streams
- Innovative processes for the treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater
- 4th purification stage and 4th purification stage plus in the context of sustainable process design for municipal wastewater treatment plants
- Global Map of Microplastics and Microplastics Mapping
For everyone
All stakeholders and interested parties from industry & municipalities, politics & science, educational institutions and the public are invited. The event will be held in German and English. Participation is free of charge. A voluntary donation is welcome. Please find information on data protection here.
Please note
As the OPEN HOUSE requires a security concept, we can only welcome a limited number of guests. Registrations are now possible via the link.
