How to filter pathogens, drug residues and microplastics from wastewater – chemeurope.com

Advancing Sustainable Development Goals through Innovative Wastewater Treatment

Report on a Collaborative Research Initiative

Effective wastewater treatment is a cornerstone for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). A research collaboration between Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions GmbH is focused on advancing membrane activation reactor technology to address critical environmental and health challenges, thereby supporting a sustainable future.

Addressing Key SDG Challenges in Water Management

Limitations of Conventional Treatment and SDG Implications

Conventional wastewater treatment plants, while effective at biodegrading organic substances, face significant challenges in removing emerging pollutants. This inadequacy directly impacts several SDGs:

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Inability to reliably remove drug residues, hormones, multi-resistant germs, and viruses poses a risk to public health.
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): The discharge of microplastics and chemical contaminants into aquatic ecosystems threatens marine and freshwater biodiversity.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): The presence of these contaminants compromises the quality of water bodies, hindering efforts to ensure access to clean water for all.

Membrane Activation Reactors: A Solution for Enhanced Water Quality

The research project investigates membrane activation reactors as a superior alternative to conventional secondary clarification processes. This technology utilizes porous membranes to separate purified water from microorganisms and contaminants. The advantages of this process align strongly with sustainable development objectives:

• High Effluent Quality: The process ensures a superior quality of treated water, directly contributing to SDG 6.
• Reliable Contaminant Retention: Bacteria, viruses, microplastics, and certain drug residues are effectively retained, supporting SDG 3 and SDG 14.
• Sustainable Infrastructure: The technology requires a smaller physical footprint, making it a viable solution for urban areas and plant expansions, in line with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Research and Innovation for Sustainable Infrastructure (SDG 9)

Overcoming Economic and Technical Barriers

Despite their effectiveness, the widespread adoption of membrane activation reactors has been limited by economic and technical factors. The primary challenges include high operational costs and membrane fouling, where sludge particles clog the fine pores, necessitating regular and intensive cleaning. These barriers impede the scaling of a technology crucial for achieving global water quality targets.

Project Objectives for Energy Efficiency and Cost Reduction

The joint project aims to enhance the economic and energy efficiency of the membrane process, making it a more accessible solution. Research is centered on optimizing the system to prevent deposit formation on the membranes. Key research objectives include:

1. Optimizing Flow Control: Investigating circulation flows to reduce deposits on membrane surfaces.
2. Improving Aeration Efficiency: Researching the use of air bubbles to clean membranes while minimizing energy consumption, contributing to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
3. Enhancing Economic Viability: By reducing energy and maintenance costs, the project seeks to make advanced wastewater treatment more affordable and scalable.

Fostering Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

Collaboration Between Academia and Industry

This project exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by combining the strengths of academia and industry. The collaboration leverages the university’s specialized equipment and research expertise to address practical challenges faced by the industry.

• Advanced Research Capabilities: Osnabrück University provides a nine-cubic-meter glass basin that allows for detailed investigation and visualization of flow dynamics and aeration systems.
• Accelerated Innovation: This partnership enables in-depth analysis of different module configurations that would be impossible in a real-world operational plant, significantly accelerating research and development.
• Synergistic Value: The university’s technical capacity and the industry partner’s practical focus create a powerful synergy, driving innovation in sustainable water infrastructure.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The article’s primary focus is on advanced wastewater treatment to improve water quality, which is the core of SDG 6. It discusses new technologies (membrane modules) to remove pollutants and ensure treated water meets strict quality requirements before being discharged into rivers or lakes.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  By addressing the removal of “drug residues, hormones, multi-resistant germs and viruses” from wastewater, the research directly contributes to protecting public health. These contaminants pose significant health risks, and their removal from the water cycle is essential for preventing waterborne diseases and other health issues.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The article highlights a research and development project aimed at making an advanced technology (membrane activated sludge reactors) more “economical and energy-efficient.” This focus on improving industrial processes, fostering innovation through research, and developing sustainable infrastructure aligns perfectly with SDG 9.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The effort to remove “microplastics” and other pollutants from wastewater before it is discharged into rivers or lakes directly protects aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics are a significant threat to marine and freshwater life, and this technology helps mitigate that threat at the source.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article explicitly describes a collaboration between Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and an industrial partner, MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions GmbH. This public-private partnership to “accelerate research” and solve technical challenges is a clear example of the collaborative approach promoted by SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. The entire project is focused on improving the quality of treated wastewater by removing challenging pollutants like microplastics, drug residues, and germs, which directly supports this target.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. The research aims to reliably retain “multi-resistant germs and viruses” and “drug residues,” which are forms of water pollution that can cause illness. This directly contributes to achieving this target.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and processes. The project’s goal to make membrane technology “more economical and energy-efficient” is a direct effort to upgrade wastewater treatment infrastructure with a cleaner, more efficient technology.
  • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… encouraging innovation. The collaboration between the university and the company to research and optimize membrane modules is a direct example of enhancing scientific research to upgrade technological capabilities in the water treatment sector.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. The removal of microplastics from wastewater is a key land-based activity mentioned in the article that prevents this form of marine debris from entering aquatic environments.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The article describes a public-private partnership between Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions GmbH, showcasing the effectiveness of such collaborations in advancing technology and research.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 6.3:

  • Implied Indicator: Quality of treated wastewater effluent. The article mentions that treated water must meet “strict quality requirements” and specifically names pollutants to be removed: “carbon,” “nitrogen,” “drug residues, hormones, multi-resistant germs and viruses,” and “microplastics.” Measuring the concentration of these substances in the final effluent would be a direct indicator of progress.

• For Target 9.4:

  • Implied Indicator: Energy consumption of the treatment process. The research explicitly aims to “reduce energy consumption” associated with aeration. Measuring the energy used per cubic meter of treated water would be a key performance indicator for this target.
  • Implied Indicator: Operational and maintenance costs. The article notes that high costs are a barrier to wider adoption. A reduction in the need for “mechanical and chemical” cleaning and overall operational costs would indicate progress toward making the technology more sustainable and accessible.

• For Target 17.17:

  • Mentioned Indicator: The existence of a public-private partnership. The article directly states the collaboration between “Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences” and “MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions GmbH” as a functioning partnership to “accelerate research.” The project itself serves as an indicator of this partnership in action.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: chemeurope.com