Activities – NEREUS

Meetings

STSMs

Training Schools

Summer School 2017

Café Scientifique Events

Policy-related facts/meetings

Final Conference

Presentations, Agendas, Minutes and photos from the meetings can be found in the Members-Only area.

Limassol, Cyprus (85 participants)

Final MC and WGs meetings - Final conference of the Action (XENOWAC 2018)

Dates: 10-12 October, 2018

Location: Grand Resort Hotel, Limassol Cyprus

Sofia, Bulgaria (50 participants)

WGs meeting

Dates: 22-23 March 2018

Location: Federation of scientific unions

Belgrade, Serbia (13 participants)

Blue Circle Society meeting

Dates: April, 2018

Vienna, Austria (47 participants)

MC and WGs meetings

Dates: 14-15 September, 2017

Location: Technische Universität Wien

Limassol, Cyprus (13 participants)

Blue Circle Society first meeting

Dates: 24-25 April, 2017

Location: Cyprus University of Technology

Patras, Greece (54 participants)

MC and WGs meetings

Dates: 22-23 March, 2017

Location: Hellenic Open University

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (65 participants)

WGs meeting

Dates: 19-20 September, 2016

Location: Hotel Courtyard by Marriott

Luqa, Malta (54 Participants)

MC and WGs meetings

Dates: 16-17 March , 2016

Location: Institute of Water Technology, Water Services Corporation.

Belvaux, Luxembourg (65 participants)

MC and WGs meetings

Dates: 29-30 October, 2015

Location: The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology

Barcelona, Spain (64 participants)

MC and WGs meetings

Date: 8 May, 2015

Location: The Autonomous University of Barcelona

The Early Career Investigators (ECIs) of the Action have established their society entitled “Blue Circle Society”.

Rome, Italy

Date: 3- 4 , December, 2015

The meeting took advantage of the already scheduled meeting of the NORMAN Association and enabled the discussion with the members of NORMAN that gathered in Rome during the same dates.

Ms. Anna Ofrydopoulou

From: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
To: Cyprus University of Technology
Duration: 26/08/2018 to 30/09/2018
STSM topic: Assessing effect of contaminants of emerging concern in multi-component mixtures
Personal story: "I had the opportunity to learn new & useful techniques"

Dr. Liguan Li

From: Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
To: University of Helsinki, Finland
Duration: 20/8/2018-30/9/2018
STSM topic: Dynamics of ARG dissemination across in microbial communities.
Personal story: "The whole STSM is the start point in applying newly developed epicPCR to the field of plasmid-host-range tracking"

Mr. Mariano González García

From: Polytechnic University of Cartagena
To: Technical University of Denmark
Duration: 6/8/2018-12/8/2018
STSM topic: Prediction fate of Ibrufen and ketoprofen in lettuce irrigated with reclaimed water

Dr. Carmen Fernández López

From: University Center of Defense at the Spanish Air Force
Academy, Santiago de la Ribera, Murcia Spain
To: Technical Unifversity of Denmark
Duration: 6/8/2018-12/8/2018
STSM topic: Develop a prediction model of removal efficiency of pharmaceutical compounds in a WWTP to produce wastewater safe for reuse.
Personal story: "The results obtained could contribute to the identification of technologies that are able to eliminate pollutants"

Dr Efthalia Chatzisymeon

From: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
To: Technical University of Crete, Chania Greece
Duration: 21/6/2018-13/7/2018
STSM topic: UV persulfate-assisted treatment of antibiotics for wastewater reuse
Personal story: "A good opportunity to learn new scientific approaches towards the treatment of antibiotic pollutants."

Mrs. Monika Nowrotek

From: Silesian University Of Technology (Gliwice, Poland)
To: Dr. Adrian Silva, University of Porto
Duration: 1/2/2018-30/4/2018
STSM Topic: Quantification of sulfonamides resistance genes and sulfamethoxazole concentration in the filling material from vertical-flow
Personal story: "An invaluable experience where I gained new knowledge and research skills"

Mr. Dobril Valchev

From: University Of Architecture, Civil Engineering And Geodesy (Sofia, Bulgaria)
To: University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland
Duration: 5/2/2018-5/4/2018
STSM Topic: The effect of algae-based wastewater pre-treatment on micropollutants removal through activated carbon
Personal story: "I had the opportunity to work in a very well-equipped lab that helped me get useful results for my future research"

Dr. Ana Ribeiro

From: Faculdade De Engenharia Da Universidade Do Porto (FEUP), Porto, Portugal
To: Loughborough University, UK
Duration: 5/2/2018-10/3/2018
STSM Topic: Modelling peroxone (O₃/H₂O₂) process efficiency: effect of wastewater components
Personal story: "It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and to develop new joint projects"

Mr. Albert Serra

From: Catalan Institute For Water Research (Girona, Spain)
To: RIKILT - Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
Duration: 19/2/2018-27/4/2018
STSM Topic: Exploring the capabilities of a microbial bioassay for the monitoring of antibiotic residues in treated water and in environmental matrices (water, soil and biota)
Personal Story: "Working with professionals helped me learn new and useful techniques"

Mr. Igor Antić

From: University Of Novi Sad, Faculty Of Technology, Novi Sad, Serbia
To: IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
Duration: 10/1/2018-9/4/2018
STSM Topic: Determination of contaminants of emerging concern in irrigated water of different quality, arable soil and their uptake and bioaccumulation in selected vegetables
Personal story: "This STSM was a unique opportunity that provided me advanced knowledge & experience in the field of CEC determination".

Mr. Antonino Fiorentino

From: University Of Salerno (Fisciano, Italy)
To: Dr. Ana Aguera, Universidad de Almería, Spain
Duration: 21/1/2018-18/4/2018
STSM Topic: Urban wastewater disinfection by solar Photo-Fenton: effect on antibiotic resistance
Personal story: "The sharing of knowledge and experience conducted in the laboratory has been an excellent opportunity for my career development"

Ms. Veronica Roman

From: University Of Lorraine (Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France)
To: University of Helsinki
Duration: 21/1/2018-18/2/2018
STSM Topic: Determining the taxonomic assignement to SXT bearing bacteria in aquatics environments
Personal story: "An excellent opportunity to obtain the practical experience I needed to perform EpicPCR in my own laboratory"

Dr. Rui Martins

From: University Of Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal)
To: University Rovira i Vergili
Duration: 15/1/2018-4/2/2018
STSM Topic: Solar Photocatalytic Ozonation using N-TiO₂ for Water Recovery
Personal story: "This STSM enabled the establishment of long and lasting scientific and personal bounds"

Mr. João Gomes

From: University Of Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal)
To: Plataforma Solar de Almería-CIEMAT
Duration: 13/2/2018-2/3/2018
STSM Topic: Scale-up studies for Water Recovery Strategies involving Solar Photocatalytic Ozonation
Personal story: "This STSM was very enriching while it gave me new perspectives in terms of research"

Ms. Tjaša Gornik

From: Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
To: Malmö University, Sweden
Duration: 3/8/2017-31/10/2017
STSM Topic: Application of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) in wastewater treatment and reuse
Personal story: ″It was so beneficial to work with other experts on common problems″

Mr. Chmingui Walid

From:University of Tunis, Tunisia
To: Nireas-IWRC, University of Cyprus
Duration: 8/1/2018-8/2/2018
STSM Topic: Identification and quantification of pharmaceutical compounds in environmental matrices under real field conditions of wastewater reuse in agriculture
Personal Story:"A good opportunity associated with a great team and exchange of scientific knowledge".

Dr. Zacharias Frontistis

From: University Of Patras (Patras, Greece)
To: The University of Edinburgh
Duration: 19/12/2017-17/1/2018
STSM Topic: Evaluation of hybrid LED - based advanced oxidation processes for the synergistic degradation of antibiotics
Personal story: This STSM allowed me to develop professional skills on the use of UV LED light

Mrs. Milena Milaković

From: Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia
To: Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Germany
Duration: 9/10/2017-11/3/2017
STSM Topic: Characterization of mobilome that is involved in antibiotic resistance dissemination in aquatic environment
Personal story: The group seminars and lab meetings resulted in knowledge exchange and new friendships"

Ms. Heidemarie Schaar

From: Technical University of Vienna, Austria
To: BioDetection Systems, The Netherlands
Duration: 2/10/2017-6/10/2017
STSM Topic: Toxicological evaluation of ozonation and subsequent activated carbon filtration for advanced wastewater treatment as a basis for water reuse with standardised bioassays
Personal story: "I gained valuable experience in various extraction methods/bioassays"

Mr. Roberto Marano

From: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
To: University of Helsinki, Finland
Duration: 9/4/2017-23/4/2017
STSM Topic: Learning and addressing novel methods to assess Class 1 integron dynamics in wastewater treatment plants and downstream environments
Personal story: "A great opportunity to share information with other researchers & get undoubtedly important scientific inputs for my research"

Ms. Jessica Subirats Medina

From:Catalan Institute for Water Research, Spain
To: National Research Council of Italy, Italy
Duration: 27/2/2017-29/4/2017
STSM Topic: Effects of WWTP effluents and antibiotics on the composition of natural bacterial communities and their associated resistome
Personal story: "This STSM will surely boost my professional career"

Dr Marjeta Cesen

From: Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
To: Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Duration: 24/2/2017-30/4/2017
STSM Topic: Optimisation of a novel passive sampler based on diffusion in hydrogel for the determination of time averaged concentrations of selected compounds of emerging concern in wastewater
Personal story: "The experience gained is important for the entire group in my own institute"

Dr. Anna Wegrzyn

From: Silesian University of Technology, Poland
To: Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
Duration: 1/11/2016-15/12/2016
STSM Topic: Distribution of sulfonamide resistance genes in bacterial endophytes isolated from Miscanthus sp.
Personal story: "A great opportunity for exchange of scientific knowledge"

Ms Ana Belen Martinez-Piernas

From:University of Almeria, Spain
To: CNR Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Italy
Duration: 18/09/2016-18/12/2016
STSM Topic: Behaviour of carbamazepine and its transformation products in plant material and soil
Personal story: "I have improved my organizational skills in order to meet tight deadlines"

Dr. Carmine Fiorentino

From: University of Bologna, Italy
To: Technical University of Denmark
Duration: 22/8/2016-18/9/2016
STSM Topic: Fate and elimination of organic chemicals during wastewater treatment : modelling implementation and
simulation
Personal story: "This STSM was valuable for my career as I worked with an excellent research group"

Dr. Saulo Della Giustina

From:The Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Spain)
To: NIREAS-International Water Research Center, University of Cyprus
Duration: 26/6/2016-31/7/2016
STSM Topic: Chlorination of Wastewaters- Effects on ARG&B and Antibiotics
Personal story: "This STSM fulfilled the objectives set and expanded my scientific network in the field of wastewater treatment technologies"

Dr. Felipe Lira

From: Spanish National Centre of Biotechnology, Spain
To:Catholic University of Portugal, Portugal;
Duration: 28/2/2016-1/4/2016
STSM Topic: Bioinformatics analysis of antimicrobial resistance genes and bacterial communities in wastewater treatment influent and effluent
Personal story: "This STSM was an opportunity to strengthen my network across Europe"

Ms. Popi Karaolia

From: Nireas-IWRC of the University of Cyprus
To: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany
Duration: 5/10/2015-31/10/2015)
STSM Topic: Evaluation of the capacity of an MBR and AOPs for the reduction of antibiotic resistance in wastewater
Personal story: "″A great opportunity to work on such a challenging task″

Mrs Therese Kettner

From: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany
To: Institute of Ecosystem Study (CNR-ISE), Italy
Duration: : 21/9/2015-18/10/2015
STSM Topic: Microplastics: An unnoticed site for bacterial ARGs transfer during wastewater processing
Personal story: "A great opportunity to work on emerging topics of worldwide relevance: microplastic pollution, increase of ARB and water scarcity"

Mr. Rui Ribeiro

From: University of Porto, Portugal
To: University of Patras, Greece
Duration: 7/9/2015-20/10/2015
STSM Topic: Evaluation of the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation technology for the elimination of persistent microcontaminants present in urban wastewater for reuse
Personal story: "This STSM has enabled me to expand my working boundaries and skills"

Dr Sinead Murphy

From: Maynooth University, Ireland
To: Spanish National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Spain
Duration: 1/9/2015-15/9/2015
STSM Topic: Modelling peroxone (O₃/H₂O₂) process efficiency: effect of wastewater components
Personal story: "Through this STSM I have learned bioinformatics which is a very important tool for my future career"

Ms. Ivone Vaz-Moreira

From Universidade Católica Portuguesa
To: Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, Spain
Duration: 1/9/2015-31/10/2015
STSM Topic: Bacterial communities in secondary and tertiary treated effluents
Personal story: "An excellent opportunity to acquire new skills in bioinformatics"

Dr. Francisco Pedrero Salcedo

From: CEBAS-CSIC, Spain
To: Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Duration: 1/9/2015-13/9/2015
STSM Topic: Uptake of chemicals by plants irrigated with reclaimed water
Personal story: "STMS are among the best approaches to exchange ideas"

Dr. Massimiliano Marvasi

From: Middlesex University, London
To: University of Florence, Italy
Duration: 2/7/2015-31/8/2015
STSM Topic: Fitness and prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria upstream and downstream treated effluent water in Arno river water
Personal story: ″I believe that the STSMs of the COST Programme are a fruitful way to foster scientific excellence″

WG1 Training School - Barcelona, Spain

13-15 June 2016

Hosted by Dr. Josep Bayona (CSIC) and Dr. Benjamin Piña (CSIC)

Through the course, the following aspects were addressed:

Introduction in wastewater reuse practices - case studies
Bacterial diversity and eco-physiology in water and soil
Biotic/abiotic factors stimulating horizontal gene transfer in aquatic microbiomes
Overview of the problem: its implications for human health and uncertainties that need to be solved
Methodological approaches used to diagnose and measure antibiotic resistance, emphasizing the similarities and contrasts between clinical vs. environmental settings
Specific terminology and relevant sources of information
Promote the development of critical thinking in the area - e.g. limitations and biases of some experimental approaches or sampling strategies.

Statistics:

25 trainees received grant from COST + 4 participants covered their own expenses
13 Male and 16 Female
19 PhD candidates and 10 PhD holders
19 countries (including Tunisia)

Supporting documents

a. Training School Overview

b. Training School Trainers

c. Training School Application information

d. Training School Programme

WG2 Training School - Nicosia and Limassol, Cyprus

29-31 May 2018

Hosted by Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos (Nireas-IWRC, UCY), Dr. Anastasis Christou (ARI) and Dr. Vassilis Fotopoulos (CUT)

Through the course the following aspects were addressed, at both theoretical and practical level:

Introduction to wastewater reuse: Is it a source of introduction of CECs in the environment?
Multi-residue and target compound extraction methods of selected CECs from various matrices with laboratory demonstrations and practical exercises
LC-MS/MS tool demonstration for identification and quantification of CECs at ng-μg L^-1 concentrations
Uptake and translocation of selected CECs by crops: factors affecting the uptake
Biochar production and its use as soil amendment: Possible reduction of the bioavailability/bioaccessibility of CECs
Methodologies for screening and quantifying ARB&ARGs in wastewater, soil and plant matrices
Recent advances in the study of pharmaceuticals as plant stressors and stress-related physiological markers
Human health risk assessment of the consumption of agricultural products irrigated with treated wastewater
Practical work on the evaluation of acute toxicity of treated wastewater

Statistics:

20 trainees received grant from COST + 13 participants covered their own expenses
16 Male and 17 Female
10 PhD candidates and 11 PhD holders
13 countries (including Jordan)

Supporting documents

NEREUS contributed to the initiative of the European Commission to develop a Legislative Instrument for minimum quality criteria for the assessment of the reclaimed wastewater intended for agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge, by preparing comprehensive suggestions.

The history of important facts/events/meetings in which NEREUS has been involved, is summarised below:

EC Reports

The Action, through its Chair/Vice Chair and the WG1/WG2/WG3 Leaders, prepared comprehensive suggestions/recommendations regarding antibiotic resistance monitoring and contaminants’ uptake by crops irrigated with treated wastewater to be considered by the European Commission for the development of a European Legislative Instrument, regarding the minimum quality criteria for the assessment of reclaimed wastewater intended for agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge. A report entitled ″Development of minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge - Towards a legal instrument on water reuse at EU level″ was published on 7 February 2018 on the EU Science Hub (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/minimum-quality-requirements-water-reuse-agricultural-irrigation-and-aquifer-recharge). The report mentions the following: ″Although a great deal of information, amongst others compiled by the COST NEREUS Action, indicate that domestic wastewater is amongst a likely major environmental reservoir, the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has to be addressed in a general context of wastewater sanitation rather than specifically for reuse schemes. Evidence seems actually to indicate that a reuse for irrigation leads to a removal of AMR, since most of the resistant bacteria cannot survive in the receiving soils. A respective minimum requirement for AMR is hence neither justified, nor feasible to the lack of inconclusive and comparable data″.

The European Commission Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) was requested by DG-Environment to provide a scientific advice on "Proposed EU minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge" technical document prepared by the Joint Research Centre (JRC). In this document three major directions are addressed by the relevant SCHEER working group (including two external experts, one being the leader of WG4 of the NEREUS COST Action): (i) contaminants of emerging concern, (ii) antibiotic resistance spread through urban wastewater treatment plants’ effluents, and (iii) possible risks associated with disinfection and/or advanced treatment of urban wastewater. The SCHEER adopted this document on 9 June 2017 (https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/scientific_committees/scheer/docs/scheer_o_010.pdf).

In May 2018, the European Commission compiled a proposal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiative/1774/publication/238837/ attachment/090166e5bafed561_en) for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for water reuse. The proposal mentions: ″The JRC presented at several public events as well as scientific meetings the progress of work. These presentations included amongst others the Water Group of the European Parliament, the EIP Water Action Group on Water Reuse, 11^thIWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse as well as the COST NEREUS Action on New and Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Wastewater Reuse″.

Meetings

The Chair of the Action was invited to participate in the 6^th meeting of the CIS Ad-hoc Task-Group on water reuse which will take place in Milan on 23-24 October 2018. The Vice Leader of WG3 will represent the NEREUS COST Action in this meeting where he will present the Action’s outcomes in relation to wastewater reuse and contaminants of emerging concern. Also, he will attend the workshop on 'Water Reuse Risk Management Plans: Towards European Guidance for Agricultural Irrigation and Aquifer Recharge' (25 October 2018), which aims at developing the table of contents of what is to become future guidance documents under the umbrella of the Common Implementation Strategy of the Water Framework Directive.

The Chair, the Vice Chair and the WG1 Vice Leader were invited to participate in the expert meeting on antibiotic resistance and urban wastewater, organised by the European Environment Agency (Copenhagen, October 2018) to discuss current knowledge and implications represented by urban wastewater treatment in the transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. The Vice Chair and the WG1 Vice Leader participated.

The Chair of the Action was invited to participate in the event “EFSA conference 2018 – Science, Food & Society” which was organised on18-21 of September 2018 in Parma, Italy. The Vice Leader of WG1 participated finally as a speaker in the break-out session on “Advancing Risk Assessment Science – Biological Hazards/Threats” and delivered a presentation on “Reuse of wastewater for irrigation in agriculture: what are the risks?”, where important outcomes of the NEREUS COST Action with respect to wastewater reuse and crops' uptake were presented.

The Vice Chair and theWG3 Leader participated in the first meeting of the Ad-hoc Task Group (ATG) on water reuse (Malta, 18-19 March 2016), where they presented the Action’s suggestions to be considered by the European Commission. The Chair organised a combined NEREUS/NORMAN Association meeting (Rome, 3-4 December 2015) to discuss how NEREUS and NORMAN can contribute to the on-going activities on the water reuse policy instrument.

The Chair was invited by theLeibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (IRS) to participate in the International Round-table Workshop "The Governance of Water Reuse. International Experiences and Future Perspectives for Research and Action" (Berlin, 8 October 2015) to discuss the challenges of reusing wastewater for irrigation.

The Chair was invited by theDG Environment as an expert to the meeting on "Water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge - Towards EU-guidance for minimum quality requirements" (Brussels, 25-26 June 2015), to provide information on the new and less-investigated pollutants present in urban wastewater, and how these can be adopted into the DG Environment action plan for wastewater reuse.