MORPHEUS - Model Areas for Removal of Pharmaceutical Substances in the South Baltic

Lead Partner: Kristianstad University (SE), Project Partners: EUCC – The Coastal Union Germany (DE), University of Rostock (DE), Gdansk Water Foundation (PL), Gdansk University of Technology (PL), Environmental Protection Agency (LT), Klaipeda University (LT).

Contact:  Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jens Tränckner, M.Sc. Alena Kaiser

Funding: European Regional Development Fund
Duration: 01.01.2017 bis 31.12.2019

Projektbeschreibung

Project website:   www.morpheus-project.eu

The background to this project is the constant release of pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to the South Baltic Sea (SBS).

The project will combine information on upstream pharmaceuticals consumption patterns with estimates of the downstream discharge of pharmaceuticals from a few selected WWTPs located in the coastal regions Skåne (Sweden), Mecklenburg (Germany), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Pomerania (Poland). Additionally an inventory of the status of existing treatment technologies will be made available.

This information will aid WWTPs and authorities in a future implementation of the most suitable advanced treatment technology.

The main outputs are

  • recommendations for actions on how to reduce chemical burden,
  • roadmaps for investment in advanced treatment technologies at selected regional WWTPs,
  • training courses on basic pharmaceutical analysis and advanced treatment technologies,
  • awareness raising among consumers.

The expected change is increased knowledge among WWTPs staff and regional/national authorities on pharmaceuticals released to the SBS and improved likelihood of them making wise investments in updating WWTPs in coastal regions the coming decade, thereby improving the water quality of the SBS.

Some Results

Final conference in Lund, SE, 10 December 2019

http://www.morpheus-project.eu/morpheus-realised-its-final-conference-in-lund-se-10-december-2019/

With more than 60 participants representing stakeholders in the water sector, environmental protection agencies and research institutions from all over the South Baltic and wider Baltic Sea Region the MORPHEUS project realised its final conference. The MORPHEUS partners presented the results of their three year cooperation, covering topics such as upstream pharmaceutical consumption patterns, downstream discharges of pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the projects model areas, information on advanced treatment technologies and investment roadmaps for selected WWTPs. The presentations were followed by lively discussions that showed that MORPHEUS has contributed to the South Baltic Region being better prepared to meet the ongoing challenge of reducing and removing pharmaceuticals in the environment.

Europa Information Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Dec 2019
https://www.europa-mv.de/Informationen-aus-Br%C3%BCssel/Europa-Informationen/
Download

Awareness raising movie (different languages)   http://www.morpheus-project.eu/downloads/

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Workshop Morpheus/CWPharma - Arzneimitteleinträge in die Ostsee

Die beiden EU Interreg-Projekte MORPHEUS und CWPharma befassen sich mit der Quantifizierung, der Risikoabschätzung und dem Rückhalt von Arzneimitteleinträgen in die Ostsee. Welche konkreten Schlussfolgerungen ergeben sich daraus für MV?
Neben praktischen Aspekten zur Probennahme und Laboranalytik werden Bilanzierungsmodelle an Kläranlagen sowie die darauf folgende Ergebnisverwertung thematisiert. Potentielle Techniken der 4. Reinigungsstufe sowie die Einschätzung der tatsächlichen Belastung durch Arzneimittelrückstände in den Fließgewässern und der Ostsee werden diskutiert.     Flyer
Weitere Informationen zu den Forschungsprojekten unter:  morpheus-project  bzw. www.cwpharma.fi

Organisation:     AUF, Professur für Wasserwirtschaft und DWA Nord-Ost 
Kontakt: alena.seidenfadenuni-rostockde / dwadwa-node