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Dealing with the micropollutants present in wastewater will undoubtedly become increasingly challenging in the future, especially since they can have negative impacts not only on the environment, but also on human health. As part of responding effectively to this challenge, Saur Group experts are available to support those local authorities committed to pioneering progress on this issue in a country where there are currently no regulatory controls.
Back in the 1970s, we were all shocked to discover that water was being contaminated with micropollutants that were potentially harmful to ecosystems and human health(1). Since then, a great deal of analytical work has been done to identify and characterize these micropollutants, with the result that no fewer than 110,000 distinct molecules are now listed in the European regulations. But local authorities have the opportunity to go further than simply identifying these micropollutants by implementing wastewater treatment plant processes that can protect water resources.
The Saur Group CarboPlus solution is based on the adsorption of micropollutants by a fluidized bed of continuously regenerated activated carbon micro-granules, and offers many advantages over other solutions available in the market.
End-to end micropollutant treatment, from analysis to elimination
But even before such a system is implemented, Saur Group experts are available to work alongside local authorities to identify pollution flows and the disruptions they can cause. The ultimate aim is, of course, to improve the efficiency of those wastewater treatment processes that may then be adopted.
Analyses can help identify the most problematic molecules in a given water catchment area by identifying which occur in the greatest concentrations and/or have the most disruptive effects. The rate at which these target molecules could potentially be reduced can then inform local authority decisions around wastewater treatment where their reduction at source is not an option.
This is what happens when Saur Group experts work with those industrial companies operating within the local authority area to help them adopt measures to reduce micropollutants at source, and work closely with them and the relevant local authorities to put in place special discharge agreements that pose no threat to wastewater treatment plant operation. Under the terms of these agreements, industrial users commit themselves to comply with discharge limits, even where these are not necessarily linked to a precisely identified micropollutant, and the experts involved agree that an overall reduction in pollutant load would be sufficient.
Beyond regulation
Although France has yet to regulate the treatment of micropollutants present in wastewater, some local authorities are nevertheless asking for commitments on this issue, especially those with vulnerable natural environments under their management. Where this is the case, Saur Group generally enters into commitments based on analyses of treatment flows or on specific molecules considered relevant by the experts involved.
But even where local authorities do not request commitments, Saur Group experts are now proactively offering commitments on the treatment of micropollutants based on substantial field experience and targeting those drug residues most frequently found in wastewater, which include the analgesic ibuprofen and the anticonvulsant carbamazepine.
