Projects supported by German organisations Archive

Further development of biotest methods for evaluation of the hazard property ‘ecotoxic’ (HP 14) of waste

HP 14 classification of mirror entries in the List of Wastes – proposals for further developing the German ‘Recommendations for the ecotoxicological characterization of wastes’

February 2022

The European List of Wastes (Decision 2000/532/EC, amended by Decision 2014/955/EC) contains a list of waste types: absolute hazardous entries (wastes that are hazardous without further assessment), absolute non-hazardous entries (wastes that are non-hazardous without further assessment) and mirror entries (wastes that can be classified as either hazardous or non-hazardous, depending on their properties). A waste is defined as hazardous, if it displays at least one of 15 hazard properties or contains certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in concentrations above the specified limit values. The hazard property ‘ecotoxic’ (HP 14) can be evaluated using a calculation approach based on the content of hazardous substances in a waste sample or using ecotoxicity tests with the respective waste sample or waste sample eluate…

New developments in the toxicity testing of soil organisms – protecting soil biodiversity

D. Leib

Further development of toxicity tests with soil organisms – protection of biodiversity in soils

December 2018

The project objective was to identify and quantify uncertainties that occur in the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides, specifically for the soil compartment. The project was based on the assessment that the general approach of employing surrogate species and experimental setups to assess the effects of pesticides has certain shortcomings that affect the outcome […]

Development and standardisation of an ecotoxicological test method using fungus gnat larvae for the risk assessment of genetically modified plants

K. Duis

Development and standardisation of an ecotoxicity test with fungus gnat larvae for the risk assessment of genetically modified plants

December 2018

According to EU Directive 2001/18/EC, genetically modified organisms (GMO) must be assessed for potential risks to human health, animal and plant life, nature, and the environment prior to experimental release or market authorization. The concepts and methods used for this purpose must correspond to the state of the science and technology and consider the specific issues and characteristics of the testing of GMO […]

T. Junker

Further development of simple test systems for the evaluation of potential PBT substances: How to bridge the gap between screening tests and complex studies?

November 2018

The first aim of the project was to assess whether the existing OECD test guidelines for ready biodegradability of chemicals (OECD test guidelines 301 A–D and 310) can be harmonized. The gained insights were discussed at an international expert workshop in April 2019. Laboratory experiments were performed for five test substances to verify the impact […]

University of Aarhus

Evaluation of biodiversity via DNA-extraction from soil and organism samples taken at permanent soil monitoring sites (MetaSOL)

September 2018

Germany lacks a nationwide and standardised survey of soil organisms, although a comprehensive infrastructure for such a survey is available with approx. 800 permanent soil monitoring sites (Bodendauerbeobachtungsflächen, BDF). Not all federal states conduct their own soil biology surveys on their permanent soil monitoring sites. The most important reason for this is probably the time-consuming […]

CNT-based nanoporous membranes for treatment of wastewater and process waters

CNT-based nanoporous membranes with high flux for energy-efficient treatment of wastewater and process waters from natural gas and crude oil processing industries

October 2017

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) represent an important group in the class of carbon-based nanomaterials. Their physical characteristics make them highly suitable for use in filtration methods, and lab-scaled applications have been very promising. However, large-scale CNT-based nanoporous membranes for application in industrial processes are not yet available. The objective of the present project is the development […]

Adaptation of the current earthworm field study guideline to harmonise field testing and risk evaluation for earthworms

September 2017

This project has three aims: (1) to compile and critically evaluate standardised earthworm field studies in order to optimise the current test design, (2) to perform a pilot earthworm field study following the improved test design, and (3) to prepare an OECD draft guidance document. After having discussed different design options within the OECD-GSIG expert […]

Development of an ecotoxicological assessment concept for contaminants based on their bioavailability in soils

August 2017

The German Soil Protection Ordinance defines precautionary values for seven metals/metalloids which, if exceeded, indicate that concern for a harmful soil change exists. All precautionary values given in the German Soil Protection Ordinance are based on total concentrations (aqua regia extraction). However, total metal/metalloid concentrations do not represent the actual exposure of soil organisms to […]

Development and standardisation of an ecotoxicological test method for the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants

July 2016

Prior to releasing a genetically modified plant (GMP) into the environment and placing it on the market in the European Union (EU), an environmental risk assessment (ERA) according to EU Directive 2001/18/EC has to be performed. Current testing of the effects of GMPs on non-target organisms is mainly based on ecotoxicological test methods that were […]

GBIF Information System Soil Zoology. Coordination of national and international assessment for the organism groups Lumbricidae and Enchytraeidae (Edaphobase II)

June 2015

In this joint research project, ECT is responsible for the improvement of existing and the development of new methodological standards regarding collection, storage and usage of data in the German central data base on soil biology, Edaphobase. Besides taxonomy and biogeography the functional role of soil organisms (e.g. via gathering traits of at least the […]