Eliminating Micro-Pollutants from Effluents for REuse STrategies
EMPEREST
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EMPEREST

PROGRAMME 2021-2027
priority
2 Water-smart societies
objective
2.1 Sustainable waters
Project type
Core Project
Implementation
January 2023 - December 2025
Technical details

EMPEREST

The project EMPEREST tests advanced treatment technology that helps water utilities and companies better remove organic micropollutants such as PFAS or pharmaceuticals from wastewater.
In the spotlight

Are you interested in following the transnational work aiming at eliminating micropollutants from wastewater effluent? Twice a year, the project will issue newsletters for the interested stakeholders to inform about the progress and news in the field. Subscribe to the newsletter and don't miss a chance to join project events and make sure to benefit from project outputs!

Project summary

The EMPEREST project supports local authorities, service providers and policy-making community by strengthening the sustainable water management cycle. PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) discharge management is one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea Region. The holistic approach of the project to the elimination of PFAS and other persistent organic pollutants incorporates regional strategies for monitoring and assessment, technological advances in wastewater treatment, and risk management assessment for cities.

The EMPEREST project has four activity strands to fulfil its aims. First, during the implementation years, the project in close cooperation with HELCOM will prepare methodological recommendations to monitor PFAS group in the aquatic environment. At the same time, local authorities will address the subject on the city level by developing a PFAS risk assessment framework to identify and assess PFAS-related risks and propose relevant risk mitigation strategies.

Further, a large part of the project will look into the wastewater treatment as a point source of organic micropollutants to the environment. EMPEREST will support water utilities to make informed decisions about cost-effective treatment strategies and investment roadmaps for removing PFAS from wastewater streams. The project will pilot advanced treatment technologies with mobile pilot containers to collect a comprehensive picture from the region and evaluate its effectiveness and economic viability to remove micropollutants. The aim is to demonstrate the efficient technologies to other water utilities in the region and to scale up their application.

To support this and other activities, capacity development will take place for both local authorities and public service providers to inform them about the recent developments in the field and train them with tailored materials and tools. The training programme will improve professional skills of wastewater management experts to be better prepared to the upcoming regulatory changes regarding micropollutants in effluents, thus strengthening the overall water sector resilience to emerging risks.

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Budgets

EMPEREST
in numbers.
  • 5.43
    Million
    Total
  • 4.35
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway

Success indicators

EMPEREST
in numbers.
40 Organisations reached with 3 Solutions in offer 3 Solutionsin use 4 Pilotactivities 22 Organisationsin the project
  • 60.450661322.276476769601523
  • 60.167245124.9597605
  • 58.3670824526.692510929166655
  • 52.51094213.3287375
  • 60.448910322.2960629
  • 54.348501118.6056615
  • 53.430181814.5509623
  • 58.33990900000000626.734395995770676
  • 59.433452524.707581335013163
  • 54.898213923.9044817
  • 60.443115622.238092410201965
  • 52.116357711.6118868
  • 54.898623623.925300841787475
  • 56.94800329999999624.105344185015785
Lead partnerUnion of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission c/o City of Turku
  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
Total partner budget
632,571.46
Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission - Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)
  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
Total partner budget
431,311.00
University of Tartu
  • Town
    Tartu
  • Region
  • Country
    Estonia
  • Region
    Lõuna-Eesti
Total partner budget
374,731.00
Berlin University of Technology
  • Town
    Berlin
  • Region
  • Country
    Germany
  • Region
    Berlin
Total partner budget
603,551.19
Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS)
  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
Total partner budget
332,274.60
Gdańsk Water Utilities
  • Town
    Gdańsk
  • Region
  • Country
    Poland
  • Region
    Gdański
Total partner budget
644,722.30
Water and Sewage Company Ltd. of Szczecin
  • Town
    Szczecin
  • Region
  • Country
    Poland
  • Region
    Miasto Szczecin
Total partner budget
305,632.55
Tartu Waterworks Ltd
  • Town
    Tartu
  • Region
  • Country
    Estonia
  • Region
    Lõuna-Eesti
Total partner budget
646,798.00
Tallinn Water Ltd
  • Town
    Tallinn
  • Region
  • Country
    Estonia
  • Region
    Põhja-Eesti
Total partner budget
340,344.80
"Kaunas water" Ltd.
  • Town
    Kaunas
  • Region
  • Country
    Lithuania
  • Region
    Kauno apskritis
Total partner budget
201,576.00
Turku Region Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
Total partner budget
354,785.60
DWA German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste DWA Regional group North-East
  • Town
    Magdeburg
  • Region
  • Country
    Germany
  • Region
    Magdeburg, Kreisfreie Stadt
Total partner budget
164,543.60
Environmental Center for Administration and Technology
  • Town
    Kaunas
  • Region
  • Country
    Lithuania
  • Region
    Kauno apskritis
Total partner budget
149,318.40
City of Riga
  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
  • Country
    Latvia
  • Region
    Rīga
Total partner budget
249,883.20

Contacts

News

News

EMPEREST project addressing PFAS kicks-off in Turku
The discharge of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is one of the most pressing ...

News

Learning about PFAS from Sweden
EMPEREST continues the journey of mapping best practices in addressing micropollutants and ...

News

Co-developing PFAS risk assessment plans in Riga
When you look at PFAS from the municipality perspective, it can be found everywhere: in groundwater ...

Events

No upcoming events
    25-26
    May
    EMPEREST workshop on PFAS risk assessment
    Project: EMPEREST
    Physical Meeting
    25. - 26. May 2023

      ImagesCopy direct link

      Please choose albums below
      EMPEREST site visit to Turku wastewater treatment plant
      04/2023
      PFAS Roadshow in Stockholm: EMPEREST and ZeroPFAS II projects meeting
      05/2023

      EMPEREST site visit to Turku wastewater treatment plant 04/2023 (7 images)

      PFAS Roadshow in Stockholm: EMPEREST and ZeroPFAS II projects meeting 05/2023 (13 images)

      Videos

      Monitoring PFAS in marine environment - short story from EMPEREST project
      Video 1 of 1