The number of people living in the coastal zone is rapidly increasing, resulting in an additional load of pharmaceuticals for WWTPs.

Part of the pollutants, especially active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), have become an emerging problem in the Baltic Sea Region.

Conventional treatment technologies employed in wastewater treatment plants (preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments) are inadequate for degrading residues of persistent active pharmaceutical ingredients released into the aquatic environment.

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment and the water cycle at trace levels may pose risks to aquatic organisms associated with long-term exposure to low concentrations of pharmaceuticals and the combined effects of their mixtures.

In this regard, the AdvIQwater project focuses 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 is to promote a proactive approach to the sustainable use of advanced treatment technologies, aiming 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 among us for the significant improvement of advanced wastewater treatment processes.

In the project, advanced treatment methods based on photocatalysis, fungal treatment, and biofilms are studied to achieve practical and durable outcome for sustainable water.

A combined treatment train MBBR-Photocatalysis-GAC sorption has been tested, and the results are presented in the report along with recommendations. 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.