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Joint effects of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals from wastewater treatment plant effluents – evaluating concepts for a risk assessment using experimental scenarios

The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate concepts for a risk assessment of wastewater effluents taking into account the joint effects of chemicals, which are not completely eliminated in the wastewater treatment process. The focus is on pharmaceutical residues and industrial chemicals, particularly those that are frequently detected in effluents. The predictability […]

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Characterization, communication and minimization of risks originating from emerging contaminants and pathogens in the water cycle (TransRisk)L. Schlüter-Vorberg

Characterization, communication and minimization of risks originating from emerging contaminants and pathogens in the water cycle (TransRisk)

The presence of emerging contaminants and pathogens in the water cycle may pose a risk to humans and the environment. It is known that municipal wastewater treatment plants currently cannot remove all pathogens and anthropogenic micropollutants such as drug residues, cosmetics, or additives of food and industrial products from the wastewater. Advanced treatment methods such […]

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Novel processing routes for effective sewage sludge management (ROUTES)

The ROUTES project aimed to evaluate new routes of sewage sludge treatment and management matching the needs of different wastewater origins and different digested sludge utilisations. Elimination of micropollutants was targeted for agricultural sludge application, and minimising the production volume for other sludge disposal routes. Research of ECT in sludge-soil interactions focussed on three aspects: […]

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Comparison of the dung and soil fauna on ivermectin-treated and untreated meadows as an example of the effects of a veterinary drug

The application of veterinary medical products to livestock can affect soil organisms in manure-amended fields and, especially, organisms colonising the dung of treated animals, thereby potentially delaying the degradation of dung on pastures. For this reason, the authorisation process for veterinary medical products in the European Union includes a requirement for higher-tier tests when adverse effects on dung organisms are observed in lower tier toxicity tests. An international research project was performed…

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Validation of a sediment toxicity test with the endobenthic aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus by an international ring test

The aim of the project was the validation of a sediment toxicity test with the benthic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus by an international ring test. The test method was developed taking into account existing methods. A test protocol was prepared and used to run the test. A total of 14 institutions (governmental agencies, universities, contract laboratories […]

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Evaluation of a biotest battery for the ecotoxicological characterisation of waste: ring test with 60 laboratories from 15 countries

The ecotoxicological characterization of waste is part of its assessment as hazardous or non-hazardous according to the European List of Wastes (LoW, 2000/532/EC) amended by Directive 2008/98/EG and Regulation 2017/997. For this assessment, 15 hazard properties are evaluated. So far, there is no harmonised guidance for evaluation of the hazard property ‘ecotoxic’ (HP 14) using […]

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Supply of dung beetles for the performance of a ring test as a precondition for the implementation of an OECD Guidance Document

The objective of this project sponsored by the German Federal Environment Agency was the improvement of existing laboratory tests with dung beetles and dung flies. It was aimed at identifiying a second dung beetle species for standardised laboratory tests that should belong to the ecological group of ‘tunnelers’.  However, it was not possible to establish […]

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