The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment and the water cycle at trace levels may pose potential ecological and human health risks. Unmetabolized pharmaceuticals or their byproducts can exhibit biological activity in the environment.

In this regard, in the AdvIQwater project we focus on the development of solutions and hybrid technology for the degradation of metabolised and unchanged pharmaceuticals and the removal of heavy metals.

The project's primary objective was to promote a proactive approach to the sustainable use of advanced treatment technologies. This aims to prevent micropollutants and emerging contaminants from reaching the Baltic Sea and to disseminate this knowledge throughout the Baltic Sea Region.

Through the cooperation of research institutions and non-governmental organisations from Poland, Denmark and Estonia, we are sharing our experience for the significant improvement of advanced wastewater treatment processes.

In the project, we studied advanced treatment methods based on photocatalysis, fungal treatment, and biofilms to achieve practical and sustainable outcomes for water quality.

We proposed MBBR technology for the degradation of micropollutants and fungal treatment for the removal of heavy metals. Noteworthy outcomes of the research included the efficient degradation and assessment of anammox biofilm systems for the decomposition of pharmaceuticals and nitrogen removal in contaminated water bodies.

Anammox MBBR was an energy-efficient process for nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater, offering the potential to bring wastewater treatment plants closer to a neutral energy balance. Notably, the anammox process remained active at elevated pharmaceutical concentrations, with up to 75% removal efficiency of PhACs within the 6-hour batch cycle. The MBBR reactor is available at the University of Tartu for further cooperation.

Furthermore, considering the technological and economic aspects, also related to the treatment time, we proposed (photo)catalysis as an Advanced Oxidation Process based on the in-situ generation of the strongest oxidants for water and wastewater treatment from pharmaceutical residues. The mobile installation developed in the Department of Process Engineering and Chemical Technology at Gdańsk University of Technology can be easily transported and operated by companies interested in cooperation.

Additionally the methods were combined to enhance the effectiveness of micropollutant degradation at the pilot scale. The sequence of contaminant removal in the MBBR system, combined with fungal treatment and subsequent photodegradation of trace amounts of micropollutants, revealed the highest efficiency. More than 90% of the micropollutants were degraded in the combined process, meeting the requirements of the new EU Directive 2024/3019.

These innovations provide a resourceful and environmentally friendly approach to wastewater treatment, harnessing waste materials and advanced oxidants to deliver practical, scalable, and high-performance solutions that can significantly improve water quality.

The best practice guideline for implementing advanced water treatment implementation indicate directions how to apply specific advanced techniques effectively and explore possibilities for their integration.

This output represents a significant step forward in building trust and fostering the development of innovative future projects. Additionally, it increases the capacity of target groups to manage emerging pollutants using advanced treatment techniques, inspiring future collaborative initiatives.

We believe that insights gained from this piloting process will be invaluable for WWTPs, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding the most suitable technologies for enhanced wastewater treatment.

Thanks to the Interreg BSR support, the developed solutions provided initial outlines for the wider use of advanced treatment processes, leading to a better chemical state of the effluents released from wastewater treatment plants in the Baltic Sea Region.

The results are shared via dialogue, training, and guidance with target groups in the partner countries during project implementation and at the final seminars, which ensure the efficient utilisation of the results and further implementation of the advanced treatment technology in wastewater treatment.