Novel bioassays have been developed that simultaneously integrate adverse biological effects of multiple contaminants and transformation products. This has been done for a range of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) prioritized in the AQUAlity project.
A toxicity toolbox has been implemented that can be used to study the mitigating effects of different advanced water treatment technologies. Based on the results these treatment methods in most cases decreased the overall ecotoxicity and a toxicity toolbox can supplement chemical analyses since bioassays integrate the effects of most bioactive compounds.
Combined vacuum UV (VUV) and UV-C (UVC) irradiation as a treatment technology to degrade and remove common CECs have been assessed. Results suggested that combined VUV/UVC treatment is a relevant and potentially eco-friendly technology for the removal of CECs from drinking and wastewater. A direct positive correlation was often observed between the applied UV dose (fluence, J/cm2), and the disappearance of CECs and decreases in ecotoxicity.


Oceans, seas and waters