Newsletters   Subscription   Contributions     Newsletter issue n° 21 - June 2010

EDITORIAL NOTE

INFO DAY on Environment Theme, related to the publication (expected on July 30th) of the Work Programme 2011.

Next 12-13 July 2010 the Environment Directorate of DG RTD is organising an INFO DAY and brokerage events related the forthcoming publication of the FP7 call for proposals - Work Programme 2011.

The INFO DAY will take place in Brussels, Centre Albert Borschette, 36 rue Froissart, starting on Monday afternoon 12 July.

In particular, the morning of Tuesday 13th July will be entirely devoted to the presentation of the Eco-Innovation call and to the related brokerage event. The 50 M€ EC contribution bottom-up on Eco-Innovation call represents a very interesting and challenging call that is intended to actively contribute to boosting eco-innovative solutions in EU also through a wider involvement of SMEs.

Details about the agenda of the meeting, the registration form and other information are available at http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=events

Please notice that registration is mandatory. Due to the limited availability of space, a "first come, first served" policy will be applied. However, in case of over-subscription, limitation to the number of representatives for each institution may be requested.

For organisational reasons, it is particularly important that participants specify which sessions they intend to attend and whether they intend to make a "flash" presentation of a FP7 proposal with its foreseen title. The flash presentation cannot last more than 3 minutes and it should be not longer than 3 slides.

The Information Day is dedicated to all parties – researchers, research institutions, companies, Industry, SMEs, National Contact Points, etc. – interested in the process of responding to one of the Environment Theme call for proposals.

For any additional information please send an email to RTD-ENV-2011-CALLS@ec.europa.eu

OPEN CALLS

There is, for the moment, no open call in the field of environmental technologies research under the umbrella of the European Union's 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Developments and Demonstration (FP7). The next call is scheduled to be published in late July this year based on the Work Programme 2011 of the FP7, coming soon. An information day is scheduled for the 12-13 July. Check details above.

COMING EVENTS

Third OSIRIS Training Course

OSIRIS (Optimised Strategies for Risk Assessment of Industrial Chemicals through Integration of Non-Test and Test Information) aims to develop Integrated Testing Strategies (ITS) for risk assessment of chemicals, increasing the use of non-testing information for regulatory decision making and thus minimising the need for animal testing. ITS shift risk assessment from a “box-ticking” approach with extensive animal testing to a more efficient, context-specific and substance-tailored approach.

The OSIRIS ITS Training Courses specifically target professional end-users in industry and regulatory agencies involved in the submission and review of chemical risk assessments and aim to introduce the main concepts underlying the design of ITS, giving particular emphasis on non-testing methods such as (Q)SAR (qualitative or quantitative structure-activity relationships), chemical grouping and read-across, as well as training on the practical application of software tools that facilitate the optimisation and application of ITS.

The next OSIRIS Training Course will be held in November 2010 at the Mario Negri Institute in Milan, Italy. It will consist of two separate modules: Module 1 covers several topics related to risk assessment and the conceptual background of ITS, Module 2 focuses on the practical application of ITS software tools. The practical training will be devoted to the application of QSAR and expert systems tools for predicting a human endpoint (mutagenicity/genotoxicity) and an environmental endpoint (bioconcentration factor), including the ITS components developed in OSIRIS. A number of case studies will be presented and developed with the participants. Details on the programme and registration will be published on the OSIRIS website http://www.osiris-reach.eu.

2nd INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP on New Developments in fluorinated Surfactants. Idstein, Germany, 17-19 June 2010

The main objective of the workshop is to bring together specialists from around the world in order to present and discuss new developments regarding synthesis, behaviour, fate and risks of fluorinated surfactants. Due to the environmental problems perceived with the ongoing use of some fluorinated surfactants, this workshop especially addresses new developments towards more environmentally friendly compounds. Besides research regarding synthesis, performance testing and degradation studies, environmental processes and regulation will be given significant space in this workshop.

Keynote speakers will open the following sections:

- Synthesis and application of new fluorinated surfactants
- Environment: Analysis and fate
- Human exposure, toxicology, ecotoxicology
- (Risk) Assessment and Regulation
- Round table discussion: Specific topics, such as sustainability, labelling, legislation and policy will be discussed including Pro’s - Con’s.

Workshop website for further details: http://pft.hs-fresenius.de

The 9th Conference on Membranes in Drinking and Industrial Water (MDIW 2010). Trondheim, Norway, 27-30 June 2010

MDIW 2010 is the continuation of meetings, initiated by Prof. Jan Schippers, head of the membrane committee of IWSA joined by EDS, and has been hosted by EDS, IWA, AWWA and JWA together with local organizations to address the most recent developments in membrane technology. MDIW 2010 Trondheim aims to follow and promote the tradition set by the series of events marked by 1995 - Paris, Vivendi; 1997 - L’Aquila, EDS; 1998 - Amsterdam, IWSA; 2000 - Paris, Ondeo; 2002 - Mulheim, IWW; 2004 - L’Aquila, EDS; 2007 - Harrogate, Cranfield; and 2008 - Toulouse, INSA. Themes covered in the conference series include the treatment of groundwater, river, lake, brackish and seawater sources as well as filter backwash water, industrial and domestic wastewaters with membrane processes. Membrane processes covered have included reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, electrodialysis, and hybrid membrane processes, and combinations of membrane technologies to produce high quality water, i.e. ultrapure water, boiler feed water and to achieve zero liquid discharge. The Organisers invite the members of the membrane science and technology community to a mid-summer meeting close to the Arctic Circle. The light summer nights provide a great opportunity to exchange news and developments in membrane technology, meet fiends and colleagues and be a good setting to make new contacts and acquaintances. Detailed information is available on and registration is possible through the http://www.mdiw2010.no/ website.

The World Water Week 2010. Stockholm, Sweden, 5-11 September 2010

The World Water Week 2010 will take place at the Stockholm International Fairs. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is the host and organiser of the event, the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development. As an open platform for over 2,000 participants including key decision-makers and more than 200 collaborating organisations, the conference promotes the exchange of views and experiences between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities, thereby advancing the water, environment, health, livelihood and poverty reduction agendas. The theme for 2010 will be "The Water Quality Challenge – Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement". It will be the second year under the niche “Water: Responding to Global Changes”. For more information on the 2010 World Water Week, please visit www.worldwaterweek.org. The World Water Week website is a year-round resource on issues and topics covered during the Week. You can also download presentations, background documents, reports and outcomes from the sessions of 2009 and 2008.

The programme will be available at the http://www.worldwaterweek.org/programme2010 webpage. The Event Finder helps you to find sessions that will be held during the World Water Week. Currently, there are 8 workshops listed to form the basis for the abstract submittal process: (1) Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control; (2) Shortcutting Historical Pollution Trends; (3) Water Quality for Human Health; (4) Improved Water use Efficiency through Recycling and Reuse; (5) Management of Groundwater Abstraction and Pollution; (6) Minimising Land Use Based Water Pollution; (7) Resilience, Uncertainty and Tipping Points and (8) Origins, Pathways and Accumulation of Pollutants – An Urban Perspective. As the programme develops, stay tuned to the event finder to see more information on plenary sessions, seminars, side events, field visits and social events.

The 2nd European Conference on Sludge Management: Dewatering, drying, thermal valorisation and climate change (ECSM 2010). Danubius Hotel Aréna, Budapest, Hungary, 9-10 September 2010

This international scientific conference aims to bring together researchers and engineers from European universities, R&D laboratories, water agencies, governmental delegates, private companies involved in the management of sewage sludge. As the environmental regulations became stricter, the production of sewage sludge increased continuously in the last decade. This growth is particularly important in those countries, which joined the EU in the last two rounds of accession. The new member states in Central and Eastern Europe have set out their National Strategies on Waste Water Treatment for 2010-2020 on the development of waste water treatment facilities to meet the European requirements on waste water treatment. These requirements raise problems in this region. As the disposal of waste without pre-treatment is prohibited the importance of energy recovery and spreading on land have increased. During the sewage sludge treatment it is important to take into considerations the effects on climate change. One of the objectives of the conference is to raise awareness of the best technologies for minimizing GHG emissions related to sludge management. Important deadlines: (i) 31 March 2010: Submission of abstracts; (ii) 3 May 2010: Notification of acceptance; (iii) 1 June 2010: Submission of full articles. Selected papers will be published in international journals. The flyer can be downloaded from the http://ecsm2010.kszgysz.hu/ecsm2010.pdf website.

UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. New York, USA, 20–22 September 2010

What has become known as the ‘MDG Summit’ - referred to in official documents as the ‘High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly’ – will take place from 20-22 September 2010 at the UN Headquarters in New York. With only five years left until the 2015 target date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals the Summit will bring together world leaders to review progress, identify gaps, and commit to a concrete action agenda to achieve the MDGs and internationally agreed development goals. Leaders from civil society, foundations and business are also expected to announce new initiatives to accelerate progress. In addition to statements by world leaders and round tables on key issues, a number of high-profile side events are expected to focus on specific initiatives. The summit is conceived by UN Member States as a significant opportunity to reaffirm commitment, rally support and initiate collective action in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The summit will focus on accelerating progress towards the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, taking into account the progress made with regard to the internationally agreed development goals, through a comprehensive review. Likely, the meeting will result in the adoption of a concise and action-oriented outcome to be agreed by Member States. As a preparation for the Summit the European Commission is stressing the need for an increased focus on access to water, as the achievement of other UN development goals depends on it. The European Parliament's Intergroup on Water agreed that access to water and sanitation is indeed a prerequisite for achieving other MDGs and should be put higher on the agenda. This year's mid-term review of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) presents an opportunity to integrate a comprehensive water strategy into development strategies across the world. For more information please download the fact sheet of the Summit at the http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg_summit_factsheet.pdf homepage.

4th European Water & Wastewater Management Conference, Seminar and Exhibition. Reducing the environmental footprint of the water industry. The Royal Armouries, Leeds, UK, 27-28 September 2010

The theme for this year's European Water and Wastewater Management Conference is “Reducing the Environmental Footprint of the Water Industry”. Throughout Europe the water industry has made great strides over the past twenty years in treating water and wastewater to the standards required by European legislation. The investment in the infrastructure to achieve this has been vast and it leaves a legacy of asset maintenance to be borne by future generations. Achieving improvements in the quality of potable water and treated effluent comes with an additional cost in that the environmental footprint of these assets is now significant. There are increasingly urgent calls to minimise our carbon emissions and with a rapidly shrinking timeframe to achieve the cuts thought necessary to avert irreversible major global warming. Thus it is timely to examine the contribution of the water industry to GHG emissions and to examine present and future technologies intended to minimise these impact. The main themes for this year's events are: (i) Legislatory Overview; (ii) The Sewer as a Solids Transport System; (iii) Improving Water Management; (iv) Pumps and Pumping; (v) Potable Water Treatment; (vi) Resource Recovery; (vii) Carbon and Energy Management; (viii) On-Site Generation of Renewable Energy; (ix) Innovation ; (x) Sensors and Instrumentation. For more information please visit the http://www.ewwmconference.com/ homepage.

Integrated Water Resources Management - Karlsruhe 2010. Convention and Exhibition, Karlsruhe Convention Center, Karlsruhe, Germany, 24-25 November 2010

In view of the great local and seasonal variation in availability, quality and demand, the task of water resource management is to optimise water usage, taking the requirements of the society and the economy into account. Water management is just as important today as the provision, treatment and distribution von water. The IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 convention, which will be accompanied by an exhibition, aims to bundle the international know-how and hands-on expertise on the topic of “Integrated Water Resources Management” and to stimulate the exploitation of this knowledge. IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 will present the entire field of water management, from computer modelling of water resources through to scenario-based decision support. To accomplish this, IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 is inviting, either directly or as service providers, hands-on users of such systems from municipal and private water suppliers – including those responsible for planning the general conditions – as well as service providers and scientists who provide or are developing IWRM systems. This will allow IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 to live up to its own expectations, to link the operative chain from the formulation of scenarios through to configuration of appropriate models and the optimisation and logical decision-making including the aspects of model development and the necessary and feasible data provision. The exhibition which will accompany the conference will provide an opportunity to discuss the functions of such systems with vendors first-hand. For more information and registration please visit the http://www.iwrm-karlsruhe.com/ homepage.

PAST EVENTS

"Buildings for the future", conference organised by the European Renewable Energy Council. 6 May 2010 at the Palais des Académies Bruxelles, Belgium

It was aimed at raising awareness about the optimisation of energy performance of buildings through renewable energy and energy efficiency. This conference was very timely for the preparation of DG Research Eco-Innovation Action Plan and also relevant to the 2011 Work Programme Eco-Efficiency activities. The building sector is a key area to look into as buildings are responsible for over 40 % of our energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Buildings are big consumers of energy but have a great potential for cost-effective energy saving measures combined with energy generation with renewable energy sources. These measures could therefore contribute considerably to the achievement of the Climate & Energy Package targets adopted by the EU in June 2009.

PUBLICATIONS

EUROPEAN INNOVATION SCOREBOARD 2009. Comparative analysis of innovation performance by the Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) pp 63

Launched in 2001, the EIS indicators focus on innovation outputs, non-technological innovation and service sectors. The EIS 2009 comprises 29 innovation-related indicators and trend analyses for all 27 EU Member States, along with Croatia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. The indicators fall under three categories: enablers (human resources, finance and support); firm activities (firm investments, linkages & entrepreneurship, throughputs); and outputs (innovators, economic effects). The ninth edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) is out and preliminary data show that the economic crisis impacting Europe is also affecting the progress of innovation across the region. The majority of EU Member States may have posted stronger innovation performance results in 2008, but countries with lower innovation performance levels are likely to be responsible for reversing the convergence process that the EU has undergone in the last few years. Despite the EU's drive and determination to meet and potentially surpass the US in terms of innovation performance, the results show the opposite is happening. However, the EU still maintains an advantage over Brazil, China, India and Russia, which are all emerging economies. The EIS 2009 data show that the region's five top innovation performers are once again Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden and the UK. A breakdown shows that Germany and Finland reported the quickest improved performances, while Denmark and the UK lagged behind. The 'Innovation followers' for 2009 are Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia, while the 'Moderate innovators' are the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia. The 'Catching-up' countries, Bulgaria, Latvia and Romania, reported innovation performances that were below the EU-27 average, the EIS 2009 shows. But they are all working to bridge any gaps between them and the other EU Member States. The report indicates that Bulgaria and Romania have clinched the top fastest innovation performances of the EU-27. The full report is downloadable at the http://www.proinno-europe.eu/sites/default/files/page/10/03/EIS 2009 Final report.pdf homepage.

TECHNEAU: Safe Drinking Water from Source to Tap. State-of-art & Perspectives by Theo van den Hoven and Christian Kazner, IWA Publishing, ISBN: 9781843392750, pp 480

The best papers from the three-day conference on Safe Drinking Water from Source to Tap June 2009 in Maastricht are published in this book covering the themes of challenges of the water sector and adaptive strategies, treatment, distribution, risk assessment and risk management, sensors and monitoring, small scale systems, simulation, alternative water supply & sources, consumer involvement, and future drinking water. Worldwide, the water supply sector is facing tremendous challenges. Ever new emerging contaminants and pathogens and aging infrastructures that are vulnerable for deliberate contamination pose a threat to the quality of water supplies. Shortage of good quality and readily treatable resources is increasing due to global warming, urbanisation and pollution from agriculture and industry. Regulators and consumers are becoming more demanding. TECHNEAU - the largest European project on drinking water - addresses these challenges by developing adaptive supply system options and new and improved treatment and monitoring technologies. Future system options to be studied are flexible, small scale and multi-source supplies, utilising non conventional resources like brackish ground water, treated wastewater and urban groundwater. On-line booking is available at the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392750 website.

RTD RESULTS: USE, EXPLOITATION AND COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCES

FP6 INNOWATECH (036882): Innovative and integrated technologies for the treatment of industrial wastewater

On 31 March 2010 the EC project INNOWATECH was over. Its main objective has been to investigate, assess and enhance the potential of promising technological options (i.e., technologies, processes and concepts) for the treatment of industrial wastewater. The intended aim of the project was to provide effective solutions to end-users for the treatment of a wide range of wastewaters including sectors which have not been investigated in the project. Specific objectives have been:

- Investigating and enhancing the performances of promising wastewater treatment options, namely: aerobic granulation, advanced oxidation processes integrated with biological processes and membrane-based hybrid processes (i.e., membrane contactors and membrane chemical reactors);
- Achieving fundamental and technological knowledge advancements necessary for advanced wastewater treatment application in different industrial sectors;
- Assessing the economic and environmental sustainability of the considered wastewater treatment options;
- Outlining integrated tailor-made solutions for end-users in different industrial sectors;
- Transferring the developed know-how to potential end-users inside and outside the project;
- Contributing to enhancing the EU Water Industry competitiveness.

In order to achieve such objectives, coordinated research activities have been planned for treating, by the selected technological options, wastewaters produced by different sectors such as Food-, Pesticides-, Pharmaceutical- and Chemical-Industry plus mature landfill leachates.

The carried out activities have generated relevant and innovative results that can be summarized as: new concepts, processes and technologies for wastewater (WW) treatment with benefits regarding the stability of the effluent quality, energy and operational cost savings, and the protection of the environment. More specifically:

- The further development of aerobic granular biomass based systems together with accurate biomass characterization, through new or adapted protocols, have enabled the demonstration of the effectiveness of the technology towards industrial wastewater treatment (e.g., food industry WW). The novel technology was shown to require a smaller footprint and produce less excess sludge compared to conventional alternatives.
- When treating complex wastewater (e.g., mature municipal landfill leachates or pharmaceutical WW), the integration of biological and chemical treatments results in synergistic effects that generate cost saving and increased treatment efficacy.
- Utilization of solar light in photochemical reactors enables chemical and energy savings without detriment to the effectiveness of the process for the treatment of wastewaters containing toxic pollutants such as pharmaceutical WW or liquid streams containing pesticides.
- Innovative methods for immobilizing photo-catalysts on the surface of commercial polymers have been developed. The obtained photo-catalysts work at near neutral pH greatly enhancing the technologies appropriateness for a range of wastewaters. Specific benefits were demonstrated with regards to reduced chemical sludge production and the ability to regenerate the catalyst under solar irradiation.
- Innovative silicone coated selective membranes were developed for use in the Membrane Contactor which was then optimized enabling the recovery of organic acids and bases economically appropriate for small- and medium-scale applications in chemical industry.
- Key development issues required to utilize the membrane coupled photo-catalysis reactor were identified and overcome demonstrating the efficacy of the technology to a number of industrial wastewaters a resulting in a suggested design for the technology when applied to industrial wastewater treatment.
- Definition and testing of conceptual models of existing treatment systems as well as of treatment systems developed in the project, using suitable softwares for LCA and LCC modelling and calculations, have allowed comparisons of the sustainability of the investigated technologies.

For additional and more detailed information see the website: www.innowatech.org

FP6 MEDINA (036997): Membrane Based Desalinization: An integrated approach

The three years project Membrane-Based Desalination: An Integrated Approach (acronym MEDINA) has been funded by the European Commission within the 6th Framework Program. The project started formally on 15th October 2006, it had its First Annual Meeting in Banyuls (FRANCE) on 8th – 9th October 2007, its Second Annual Meeting in the Negev Desert (Israel) on 21st – 24th September 2008 and its Final Meeting in Paris, at the Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, on 7th - 8th January 2010.

At the final MEDINA meeting, beside the participation of representatives of all Organizations involved in the project, Korean colleagues responsible of SeaHero project, Prof. Masaru Kuriara (from Japan) and Dr. Michel Schouppe (the European Officer of MEDINA project) attended as well. Whereas the Korean experts reported about the main goals of their on-going project, MEDINA participants presented the main activities carried out in the thirty-nine months of the project. During the project, MEDINA Consortium developed a work programme which aimed at improving design and operation practices of the current membrane-based desalination plants. Project team tried to solve or, at least, to decrease some critical issues of sea and brackish water desalination systems such as: improvement of water quality, enhancement of recovery factor, reduction of water cost, minimizing of brine disposal problem. For solving and/or alleviating these problems, an approach based on the integration of different operations in reverse osmosis (RO) pre-treatment and post-treatment stages was proposed.

To date the most relevant results achieved in the project are as follow: the improvement and full application of laboratory protocols for organic matter characterization (LC-OCD and F-EEM); a bigger number of standard representative organic matter compounds were mapped; clone libraries were constructed for microorganisms that were found on membrane autopsies; a new set-up was developed, tested and validated for measuring particulate and colloidal fouling (MFI-UF); the crossflow sampler fouling index (CFS-FI) was tested and compared with the MFI-UF at constant flux; a monitoring method for calcium carbonate scaling was developed and, Pitzer activity coefficients were incorporated into the saturation index procedure; the effect of AOC on fouling has been investigated in the laboratory and in full scale facilities using the Membrane Fouling Simulator (MFS) system; the ATP method has been adapted for seawater applications; the biofouling parameter has been developed and tested on real seawater in combination with LC-OCD. During the project promising results were also obtained on MBR as a means for reducing organic content from seawater and as a step towards reducing fouling potential (removal of TOC and EPS). Moreover, the removal of particulate matter and organics from seawater by the use of biofiltration was investigated. Granular activated carbon (GAC) and anthracite were tested as a filter medium at two different velocities. The filtrate quality was evaluated by measuring the silt density index (SDI), modified fouling index (MFI) and turbidity removal. Both biofilters demonstrated similar behavior in terms of SDI and MFI. In addition, fiber filter as pre-treatment of SWRO in terms of MFI, SDI10, pressure drop, turbidity and MWD was investigated with and without precoagulation. Submerged microfiltration coupled with physic-chemical processes such as adsorption on powder activated carbon was investigated as well.

Two handbooks on the methods and analytical tools used for performing an autopsy were prepared: one focuses on the basic methods whereas the second one describes the advanced analytical tools used by the different partners according to their expertise. In total, 23 analytical tools were used for autopsying 12 reverse osmosis modules, 10 from seawater pilot and full-scale plants and 2 from a brackish full-scale plant. Some analyses such as AFM, CLSM, SEM-EDX, FTIR-ATR were conducted directly on membrane pieces; other analyses were performed on the deposit; these analyses aimed at enumerating bacteria, quantifying microbial activity, characterizing organic matter and identifying minerals involved in the fouling phenomenon. All the analyses showed that the phenomenon of biofouling was prevalent on all the sites but at different extent. Organic matter was dominant in all membrane samples even if inorganics, such as aluminosilicates and iron precipitates, could be put into in evidence on a few sites.

Progresses were made with testing cleaning chemicals and procedures in laboratory procedures and in a pilot plant. A laboratory test method using biomass attached to plastic materials, was optimized to obtain defined biomass concentrations, analytical procedures for biomass quantification and standardized conditions for testing (duration, temperature). Selected chemical agents were tested for biomass inactivation and removal. The achieved results showed that observations with the pilot plant are consistent with those in the laboratory tests, confirming that removal of attached biomass with chemical cleaning agents is difficult.

Computerized Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used the optimize characteristics of the spacer in spiral wound elements in terms of mass transport enhancement, fouling and scaling mitigation, and reduction of energy consumption.

The performance of membrane contactors for removing the dissolved oxygen while controlling the pH in different parts of a desalination plant was optimized in terms of operating conditions and membrane properties. By selecting the appropriate stripping gas phase it was possible to increase or decrease the water pH up to 30% while removing oxygen. Results obtained on synthetic waters were reproduced also on real waters. It was, therefore, confirmed that by using membrane contactors it is possible to reduce the chemical consumption inside the plant, controlling the water pH and the oxygen content by simply using a gas stream.

Fresh holder/Brackish water RO, Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD), Membrane Crystallization (MCr) and/or Wind Intensified enhAnced eVaporation (WAIV) were studied as technologies for improving the productivity of desalination systems, reducing their environmental impact and recovering some of the valuable ions present in the highly concentrated streams of the desalination plants. In particular, the benefits and hurdles of using brackish groundwater as a drinking water source, as well as the practical guidelines for the design of BWRO plants were studied and the results were collated in two deliverables (D5.1.1A and D5.1.1B); microporous hydrophobic membranes were prepared and characterized for performing VMD tests on seawater and on reverse osmosis brine; the coupling of the VMD unit with solar energy was investigated through the modeling of four different configurations involving a salinity gradient solar pond and a solar thermal collector; a semi-industrial unit where the VMD units are coupled to solar collectors was built in Tunisia; a Vacuum Membrane Distillation Modelling Software was achieved; the economical evaluation of desalination systems with membrane crystallizers working on RO or on NF retentate was carried out; the use of wind to evaporate desalination brines and reduce their volume in an economic way with minimal energy inputs was realized using WAIV. Efforts were also made to combine WAIV with MCr. Particularly , tests were carried out on a brackish water integrated desalination system constituted by pre-treatment/RO/WAIV/MCr. The obtained results showed that water recoveries as high as 75 – 76% can be achieved from the integrated system while less than 0.75% of the raw water fed to the desalination system is discharged to the environment. The results achieved in the RO pre-treatment and post-treatment stages were incorporated in the integrated membrane-based desalination system. Different combinations of membrane units were modelled in order to analyse how the single and the overall performance change because of the synergic interactions. The different flow-sheets were compared in terms of quantitative indicators, such as water recovery factor, brine reduction, permeate quality improvements and costs. All flow-sheets were based on the presence of MF followed by NF and, finally, by RO. The difference among them was related to the type of concentration units (membrane crystallizers and/or membrane distillation) and the streams they treated (NF and/or RO brines). The highest water recovery factor (92.4%) and brine reduction (86.4%) were obtained in the desalination system with membrane crystallizers working both on NF and on RO brine. The integrated flow-sheets were also studied in terms of exergetic efficiency and the obtained results were compared to those of traditional system (MF/RO).

Finally, the environmental concerns of desalination projects were comprehensively evaluated in the project. In order to provide guidance to project designers, regulators and decision makers, a structured environmental impact assessment (EIA) approach was developed for desalination projects, including a 10-step methodological approach and a modular environmental monitoring framework. Furthermore, the concept of best available techniques (BAT) was applied to desalination processes and recommendations on which technologies and modes of operation can generally be considered as BAT were elaborated. A decision support system based on multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was used to compare different intake and pretreatment alternatives for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants in order to identify the best option. Now the project ended (closing date: 15 January 2010). Therefore, a concrete dissemination policy has been started for the diffusion and discussion of the results of potential interest for industrial exploitation.

For further information: http://medina.unical.it

NORMAN network on emerging environmental substances

The NORMAN network http://www.norman-network.net (former 6th EU FP project, and now a permanent non-profit association with more than 40 members in Europe and beyond) works as an independent and competent forum of reference laboratories, research centres and related organisations in the field of emerging environmental substances. It is the leading disseminator of information in this field, organising events and information exchanges, maintaining three databases and publishing a regular newsletter/bulletin. Its activities for 2009–2011 are mainly focused on the protection of water resources and supporting the objectives of the Water Framework Directive; particularly ensuring that the complexity of contamination is better understood and taken into account. In this context, the network strongly supports an integrated approach, including chemical and biological tools, for the identification of substances that should be considered for further investigation, either at the local scale or more widely. Three NORMAN working groups have been set up and are expected to produce concrete results this year. The "WG1: Prioritisation of Emerging Substances" identifies emerging substances for priority attention (including priority needs for improving existing data, analytical methods, biological tests, etc.). The "WG2: The Value of Bioassays and Biomarkers in Water Quality Monitoring Programmes" looks at current applications of biological test tools in water quality monitoring, and the inventory and critical analysis of strategies for interpretation of results from using these tools. The "WG3: Field-Relevance-Based Approaches for Hazardous Pollutant Identification" uses effect-directed analysis to provide a field-relevance-based approach to identify hazardous compounds in support of current prioritisation processes.

Events held include: workshop on "Mixtures and Metabolites of Chemicals of Emerging Concern" (November 2009, Amsterdam) which considered the metabolites and degradation products needing further investigation and monitoring for a more complete picture of the impact of chemical compounds; Expert Group meeting (May 2009, Prague) for the drafting of a position paper (planned publication April 2010) on the "State of the Art, Performance and Use of Passive Sampling", in its application to polar emerging contaminants; inter-laboratory exercise (2009) on "Perfluorinated Compounds in Water, Fish and Sludge" - report to be published soon on NORMAN website. Forthcoming events in the NORMAN Programme of Activities for 2010–11 include: (1) a workshop on "River Basin–Specific Pollutants – Selection and Monitoring in EU Member States" organised by JRC-IES (10–11 June 2010), where Member States will be invited to exchange information on current approaches for identification and monitoring of river basin-specific pollutants (including emerging pollutants); (2) a workshop on "Environmental Specimen Banking" organised in Berlin (20–21 June 2010) by the German UBA, to share experiences and explore the potential for closer networking of ESBs and for cooperating with EU chemical safety management; (3) the "TransCon2010" Conference organised by EAWAG (September 2010) http://www.eawag.ch/medien/veranstaltungen/events/transcon2010/index_EN which will be an opportunity for a follow-up to the debate on metabolites and degradation products at the previous NORMAN workshop; (4) an inter-calibration study at the international level (Water Research Institute) in 2011, as a follow-up to the May 2009 Prague meeting.

FP6 OSIRIS: Optimised Strategies for Risk Assessment of Industrial Chemicals through Integration of Non-Test and Test Information

The regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) requires demonstration of the safe manufacture of chemicals and their safe use throughout the supply chain. The goal of the project OSIRIS is to develop Integrated Testing Strategies (ITS) considering different information sources, that enable to significantly increase the use of non-testing information for regulatory decision making, and thus to minimise the need for animal testing. The ITS web tool developed will be made available to end-users from industry and regulatory authorities for the risk assessment of chemicals.

At the Third OSIRIS Annual Meeting, which took place on 9−11 March 2010 in Liverpool, England, the major results achieved in the third project year were presented, including amongst others: a cross-cutting activity on data quality assessment within (and beyond) OSIRIS, involving 12 partner institutions, contributing to the discussion on data quality from different (inter)disciplinary perspectives; refinement of the decision tree for waiving experimental bioconcentration studies; experimental and computational methods to quantify electrophilic reactivity and bioassay derived structural alerts for excess toxicity; extension of the OSIRIS mammalian toxicity database; derivation or refinement of Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) values for inhalation and oral exposure; analysis of the applicability of acute-chronic ratios of fish toxicity data as a tool to prioritise chemicals for chronic testing; toxicogenomics gene expression profiling to determine differences in biological mechanisms; decision trees for exposure-informed testing under REACH for both environmental exposure and direct and indirect human exposure; uncertainty analyses of the developed OSIRIS models for predicting environmental exposure and bioaccumulation of more difficult substances such as polar, ionising and metabolising compounds; demonstration on how cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) can assist in decision making in different contexts such as given for regulators, social planners and chemical companies; the OSIRIS ITS web tool including preliminary ITS for bioconcentration, mutagenicity, aquatic toxicity, skin sensitisation, and a consensus tool for combining different types of information; identification of ca. 3200 (3%) PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic) candidates by computational PBT profiling of ca. 113.000 chemicals on the European market.

The Third OSIRIS Stakeholder Workshop was held on 1-2 March 2010 in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin, Germany. It was aimed at continuing the dialogue between the project and EU stakeholders. The OSIRIS concepts and applications of the ITS were presented, the OSIRIS web tool for ITS and its functionalities were demonstrated and selected case studies were discussed for the endpoints bioconcentration factor (BCF) and skin sensitisation. Around 75 Stakeholders from industry, regulatory authorities, NGOs and academia participated in the workshop and provided valuable input.

Further information is available on the OSIRIS website http://www.osiris-reach.eu.

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EDITOR:

European Commission
Research DG, Unit I03
B-1049 Belgium
© European Union, 2010

e-mail : Javier.peinado@ec.europa.eu                Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged