WP1 – Characterization of water quality

WP leader: Dr. Christian Lütke Eversloh (BfG)

WP1 will identify and measure suitable and representative indicator CECs (contaminants of emerging concern) and their transformation products (TPs) that can be used to assess the performance of indirect potable reuse (INPR) strategies to minimize environmental and human health risks associated with CECs.

Objectives:

  • Prioritization of representative CECs and their TPs as suitable indicators for the assessment of performance of INPR strategies
  • Development of sensitive analytical multi-methods for CECs and their TPs
  • Development of non-target methods for a comprehensive process evaluation
  • Assessment of pathogens inactivation and the removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria/genes
  • Assessment of short- and long-term adverse impacts on ecology/human health

Task 1.1: Prioritization & detection of CECs and TPs
Task 1.1 is designed to identify indicator CECs and to develop sensitive, robust and precise high-throughput multi-component analytical methods to enable a precise quantification of both chemical indicator CECs and TPs. These methods will enable an identification and prioritization of multiple chemical indicators representing a broad range of physicochemical and biological properties for classes of CECs that are known to persist in natural and engineered systems and/or are potentially relevant from a health perspective. These target substances will be used to assess the elimination capability of various INPR treatment processes.

Task 1.2: Non-target methods for processes Evaluation
During Task 1.2, non-target methods for the evaluation of INPR processes will be developed. This effort will enable a large set of chemical contaminants to be assessed without the need to identify each single compound and will also allow for accounting for other known, unknown or new CECs entering the environment in the future.

Task 1.3: Pathogens and antibiotic resistances
Within Task 1.3, strategies will be developed to assess the elimination of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), water borne pathogens, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria/genes during various treatment combinations.

Task 1.4: Ecotoxicological and human health assessment
In Task 1.4 a toxicological assessment approach will be developed that can be applied to evaluate treatment process efficiencies for parent compounds but also for associated TPs. These results will be linked to risk assessment that takes into account short- and long-term toxicological effects.