This research report addresses the current uncertainties regarding the technical service life and aging behavior of the most common sewer rehabilitation method, Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) lining. The goal of this study is to develop a robust data foundation for a CIPP liner survival curve for use in aging models. The methodological approach includes (i) a literature review, (ii) interviews with sewer rehabilitation experts, and (iii) an analysis of data from Berliner Wasserbetriebe to create an updated and suitable data basis for the calibration of survival curves. The literature review and expert interviews predominantly estimate the service life of CIPP liners to exceed 50 years. However, the study also reveals that this lifespan is influenced by numerous factors and that there is a lack of reliable data. Further investigations of long-used CIPP liners are therefore essential. The installation process, particularly the curing phase, has been identified as the primary factor contributing to defects and deficiencies in CIPP liners. Standardizing damage assessment and condition evaluation for liner-specific defects, as well as establishing non-destructive inspection methods, is necessary to improve the understanding of aging behavior in the future. Recommendations include improving data collection during the operation, installation, and removal of CIPP liners, enhancing quality assurance during installation, investigating the impact of damage on service life, and promoting knowledge exchange among operators.

An innovative circular economy (CE) system was implemented at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Brunswick. The performance of the CE system was evaluated for 4 years: the thermal pressure hydrolysis enhanced the methane production by 18% and increased the digestate dewaterability by 14%. Refractory COD formed in thermal hydrolysis and increased the COD concentration in the WWTP effluent by 4 mg L−1 while still complying with the legal threshold. Struvite production reached high phosphorus recovery rates of >80% with a Mg:P molar ratio ≥0.8. Nitrogen was successfully recovered as ammonium sulfate with high recovery rates of 85–97%. The chemical analyses of secondary fertilizers showed a low pollutant content, posing low risks to soil and groundwater ecosystems. The total carbon footprint of the WWTP decreased due to enhanced biogas production, the recovery of renewable fertilizers and a further reduction of nitrous oxide emissions. Using green energy will be crucial to reach carbon neutrality for the entire WWTP.

Highlights

• PFAS and other persistent substances found in industrial urban stormwater runoff

• PFOA-equivalent concentrations for PFAS-24 exceeded EU proposal for surface- and groundwater

• Urban stormwater runoff from industrial sites is one source of PFAS in surface waters

Currently, there is uncertainty about emissions of pharmaceuticals into larger closed ecosystems that are at risk such as the Baltic Sea. There is an increasing need for selecting the right strategies on advanced wastewater treatment. This study analysed 35 pharmaceuticals and iodinated X-ray contrast media in effluents from 82 Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) across Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. Measured concentrations from Finland and Denmark were compared to predicted effluent concentrations using different levels of refinement. The concentrations predicted by the Total Residue Approach, as proposed by the European Medicines Agency, correlated with R(2) of 0.18 and 0.031 to measured ones for Denmark and Finland, respectively and the predicted data were significantly higher than the measured ones. These correlations improved substantially to R(2) of 0.72 and 0.74 after adjusting for estimated human excretion rates and further to R(2) = 0.91 and 0.78 with the inclusion of removal rates in WWTPs. Temporal analysis of compound variations in a closely monitored WWTP showed minimal fluctuation over days and weeks for most compounds but revealed weekly shifts in iodinated X-ray contrast media due to emergency-only operations at X-ray clinics during weekends and an abrupt seasonal change for gabapentin. The findings underscore the limitations of current predictive models and findings (...) demonstrate how these methodologies can be refined by incorporating human pharmaceutical excretion/metabolization as well as removal in wastewater treatment plants to more accurately forecast pharmaceutical levels in aquatic environments.

Die Partnerländer Schweden, Dänemark, Litauen, Lettland, Polen und Deutschland integrieren in WaterMan die Wasserwiederverwendung als ein neues Element des Wassermanagements, pilotieren Anwendungsbeispiele und bauen umfangreiche Kapazitäten auf lokaler Ebene auf.

Poster presented at the IWA Leading Edge Technologies Conference in Essen, Germany in June 2024