P-THREE - Removal of persistent polar pollutants through improved treatment of wastewater effluents

The increasing efforts necessary for drinking water preparation had mainly been due to the presence of trace organic compounds in the raw wastewater. Polar persistent pollutants (PPP=P³) originate from wastewater discharges in partly closed water cycles and had not been removed in wastewater treatment. The scarcity of pristine waters for drinking water supply had always rendered the reuse of water necessary and increasing and controlled closing of water cycles had always been an essential part of sustainable water resources management. These needs had required an improved removal of P³ from municipal wastewaters (WW). P-THREE attained this by a tired approach: i) improving the elimination of P³ from urban WW by applying and optimising novel membrane bioreactors (MBR) with respect to P³ encountered in municipal wastewater and comparing it with conventional activated sludge systems; ii) Evaluating and improving the potential of advanced oxidation procedures (AOP) towards the removal of P³ as a pretreatment step in industry that discharges into the sewer system and iii) Reducing the emission of P³ into sewer systems by initiating reduction and substitution measures. The results were expected to help to improve WW treatment and surface water quality and a prerequisite for future in direct potable reuse of municipal wastewater in the EU.