Reducing Chemical Pollution through Innovative Nature-Based Water Treatment

Le résumé fourni par la source

This Policy Brief presents the main policy-relevant outcomes from the RHE-MEDiation project and provides recommendations to help modernise wastewater treatment and enable uptake of the approach tested during the project. It also highlights the untapped potential of microalgae-based photobioreactors as an innovative and nature-based solution to support the implementation of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD), particularly for rural and remote municipalities across Europe. This document was developed by the European Marine Board Secretariat, in collaboration with partners from RHE-MEDiation project. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, RHE-MEDiation was a three-year project (2023-2026) that aims to destress the Mediterranean Sea from chemical pollution, by testing and validating an innovative remediation technology: microalgae-based photobioreactors. These photobioreactors were integrated within existing water/wastewater treatment systems to enhance the removal of nutrients, heavy metals and forever chemicals. The system also includes mobile and fixed sensing systems to identify and measure chemical substances in fresh, sewage and marine waters. The data from these sensors are uploaded to the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) data portal to contribute to the Digital Twin of the Ocean. The microalgae-based wastewater treatment system tested in the framework of the RHE-MEDiation project offers a scalable, modular alternative capable of removing nutrients and emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, while producing biomass that can be reused as biofertilizer or bioenergy, supporting both pollution reduction and circular economy goals.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.