Project

The effectiveness and cost efficiency of product-based and end-of-pipe measures to reduce the discharge of micropollutants to water (Micropollutants)

For many micropollutants such as, e.g. household chemicals, substances used in SMEs, pharmaceuticals or biocides, the municipal wastewater system (effluent, combined sewer overflows and, depending on the application, rainwater discharges) is the dominant emission pathway to water.

This project aims to examine the interaction, effectiveness and cost efficiency of substance regulations and downstream measures (targeted elimination stages in municipal wastewater treatment, improving the treatment of combined wastewater and stormwater and rainwater) based on examples of important representative substances, some of which are already or are to be regulated as priority substances under the Water Framework Directive (e.g. diuron or diclofenac).

The objective is to propose suitable combinations of measures and their framework conditions that are characterized by high cost efficiency. These combinations of measures should be amenable to impact assessment and therefore be easy to integrate into the planning process of the Water Framework Directive.

Reducing water contamination due to micropollutants has been an important objective of the water industry for many years. At European level, the EU Water Framework Directive (Article 16: “Strategies against pollution of water”) states that specific measures have to be implemented to combat water pollution due to individual pollutants or groups of pollutants that pose a substantial risk to or via the aquatic environment. It was planned to set Community-wide quality standards and emission controls for particularly critical pollutants with Europe-wide relevance (“priority substances”). After lengthy negotiations, the Directive 2008/105/EC set environmental quality standards for 33 priority substances or substance groups to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and at the same time to represent the benchmark for the good chemical status of waters required by the Water Framework Directive up to the year 2015. This list of substances is currently being updated.

At the same time, provision is made in the Water Framework Directive for norms to be set at national level for those chemicals classified as substances of concern at local catchment area or nationally, but not as priority substances at EU level (river basin-specific pollutants). Substance-related requirements were summarized for Germany in the Surface Water Ordinance (Oberflächengewässerverordnung (OGewV)) in 2011. If existing or future requirements are exceeded, measures should be taken to reduce the discharges to water. In principle, both measures at source (substance avoidance/ environmental protection integrated in production) and downstream reduction measures along the emission pathway are conceivable (e. g. at the actual discharge points such as municipal wastewater treatment plants or combined wastewater and stormwater overflows). Their effectiveness and the associated costs play a major role when selecting emission reduction measures.

Publications

  • Thomas Hillenbrand, Felix Tettenborn, Eve Menger-Krug, Frank Marscheider-Weidemann, Stephan Fuchs, Snezhina Toshovski, Steffen Kittlaus, Steffen Metzger, Imee Tjoeng, Paul Wermter, Michael Kersting, Christian Abegglen (2015): "Maßnahmen zur Verminderung des Eintrages von Mikroschadstoffen in die Gewässer". UBA, Texte 85/2014.
  • Thomas Hillenbrand, Felix Tettenborn, Eve Menger-Krug, Frank Marscheider-Weidemann, Stephan Fuchs, Snezhina Toshovski, Steffen Kittlaus, Steffen Metzger, Imee Tjoeng, Paul Wermter, Michael Kersting, Christian Abegglen (2015):  "Maßnahmen zur Verminderung des Eintrages von Mikroschadstoffen in die Gewässer - Kurzbericht". UBA, Texte 86/2014.
  • Thomas Hillenbrand, Felix Tettenborn, Eve Menger-Krug, Frank Marscheider-Weidemann, Stephan Fuchs, Snezhina Toshovski, Steffen Kittlaus, Steffen Metzger, Imee Tjoeng, Paul Wermter, Michael Kersting, Christian Abegglen (2015): "Measures to reduce micropollutant emissions to water - Summary".  UBA, Texte 87/2014.
  • Thomas Hillenbrand, Felix Tettenborn, Eve Menger-Krug, Stephan Fuchs, Snezhina Toshovski, Steffen Metzger, Imee Tjoeng, Paul Wermter, Michael Kersting, Christian Abegglen (2014): Kombination quellenorientierter und nachgeschalteter Maßnahmen zur Emissionsminderung von Mikroschadstoffen aus dem urbanen Bereich. KA : Korrespondenz Abwasser, Abfall 61 (2014), 11, S. 1019 - 1028.

Duration

01.10.2012 - 31.03.2016

Clients

  • Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit/Umweltbundesamt (German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety/Federal Environment Agency) (FKZ: 3712 21 225)

Partners

  • Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Wasser und Gewässerentwicklung, Bereich Siedlungswasserwirtschaft und Wassergütewirtschaft

  • Kompetenzzentrum Spurenstoffe Baden-Württemberg (KomS)/Uni Stuttgart

  • Forschungsinstitut für Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft an der RWTH Aachen (FiW)

  • Ruhr-Forschungsinstitut für Innovations- und Strukturpolitik (RUFIS) e.V.

  • Plattform "Verfahrenstechnik Mikroverunreinigungen" VSA