
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)
c. Training School Application information
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)
WG4 Summer School - Porto, Portugal
10-14 July 2017
The NEREUS Summer School was held on July 10-14, 2017 at the University of Porto in Portugal.
The Summer School was jointly organized by the NEREUS COST Action ES1403 and the “European PhD School on Advanced Oxidation Processes” (School), with the support of Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto.
A total of 134 participants (80 PhD students) from 21 Countries attended the Summer School.
The lectures/talks were delivered by School Scientific Committee members and international experts and they can be downloaded through the link of the corresponding title from the following program.
Monday July 10, 2017 (School introduction and “Floor to PhD students”)
- Short Oral Communications (PhD students)
- Publication of research results, FEUP Library Team
- How to get your article published: An editor perspective, Gianluca Li Puma, Loughborough University, UK, Editor, Journal of Hazardous Materials (Elsevier)
- Poster session & Coffee Break
Tuesday July 11, 2017 (Complementary skills and fundamentals of AOPs)
- AOPs for environmental applications: an overview, Dionissios Mantzavinos, U. Patras, Greece
- How to manage your time during your research life?, Suresh Pillai, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland
- Photocatalysis: semiconductor physics, Carlos Tavares, U. Minho, Portugal
- Fundamentals of photocatalysis applications for water detoxification, trends and limitations, Elisenda Pulido Melián, U. Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Spain
- Photophysical mechanistic aspects of AOPs, Antonio Arques, U. Politècnica de València, Spain
- Simulation and design of photoreactors, Javier Marugan, U. Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO): potential applications and challenges, Juan José Rodriguez, U. Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
- Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO): process and catalyst developments, Helder T. Gomes, IPB, Bragança, Portugal
- Applications of raceway pond reactors for solar photo-Fenton: principles and uses, J.A. Sánchez Pérez, U. Almería, Spain
- Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes, Manuel A. Rodrigo Rodrigo, U. Castilla la Mancha, Spain
- Assessment of ElectroFenton technology for water and soil restoration, M. Pazos Currás and A. Sanroman, U. Vigo, Spain
- Chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of polar chemicals in water and transformation products elucidation, José Benito Quintana, U. Santiago Compostela, Spain
- General discussion about AOPs, Montserrat Pérez-Moya, U. Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
Wednesday July 12, 2017 (CECs and antibiotic resistance control in water/wastewater)
- New and emerging challenges and opportunities in wastewater reuse: NEREUS COST Action ES1403, Despo Fatta-Kassinos, NIREAS-IWRC, University of Cyprus
- MSCA individual fellowships proposal preparation & writing “Hints & Tips” - The Evaluator's “Point of View”, Despo Fatta-Kassinos, NIREAS-IWRC, University of Cyprus
- Treatment of CECs by solar driven AOPs, Sixto Malato, Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain
- Effects of AOPs on toxicity of CECs oxidation intermediates, Idil Arslan Alaton, Istanbul Technical U., Turkey
- Antibiotic resistant bacteria as contaminants of emerging concern, Celia Manaia, U.Católica, Portugal
- Microbial inactivation by the solar-assisted Fenton process at near-neutral pH, Stefanos Giannakis, École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne, Switzerland
- Advances in photocatalytic urban wastewater treatment for controlling antibiotic resistance spread, Luigi Rizzo, U. Salerno, Italy
- Endocrine disrupting chemicals and emerging contaminants: new challenges and perspectives, Miguel Santos, CIIMAR, Portugal
- Removal of CECs from urban wastewater by membrane bioreactors (MBRs), Pawel Krzeminski, Systems Eng. and Techn. Norwegian Inst. for Water Research (NIVA)
- Use of biochar from microware pyrolysis for removal of pharmaceuticals by filtration, Petr Hlavínek, Technical U. Brno, Czech Republic
- Disinfection of WWTP secondary effluents by solar photo-Fenton process, Ana Belén Esteban García, Plataforma Solar de Almería - CIESOL, Spain
- Ionizing radiations as efficient AO(R)P method for remediation of waters and wastewaters, Andrea Capodaglio, U. degli Studi di Pavia, Italy
- Application of ultrasound for the degradation of organic pollutants in waters, Ricardo A. Torres-Palma, U. Antioquia, Colombia
Thursday July 13, 2017 (Workshop on Advanced Treatment)
- Photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants and the subsequent synergic reduction of Cr6+ in aqueous solution, using sodium decatungstate photocatalysts, Mohamed Sarakha, U. Clermont Auvergne, France
- On photocatalytic membrane reactors in water and wastewater treatment: recent experiences and perspectives, Sylwia Mozia, U. of West Pomeranian, Poland
- Intensification of photocatalytic processes: phenomenological computational modelling Cíntia Soares, Federal U. Santa Catarina, Brazil
- Treatment of agro-industrial and textile wastewaters by different Fenton processes, José Alcides Peres, U. Trás dos Montes, Portugal
- Catalytic ozonation: from powder to structured catalysts, M. Fernando R. Pereira, FEUP, U. Porto, Portugal
- Wastewater treatment by ozonation, Santiago Esplugas, U. Barcelona, Spain
- The Arvia Process: combining adsorption and advanced oxidation, Mikael A. Khan, Arvia, UK
- Treatment by AOPs and reuse of Oil&Gas wastewater, Sandra Contreras, U. Rovira i Virgili, Spain
- Novel photoreactors for photocatalytic processes: towards process Intensification, Vítor J.P. Vilar, FEUP, U. Porto, Portugal
- From bench- to full-scale AOPs application, Sérgio C. Silva, Adventech, Portugal
Friday July 14, 2017 (Technical-Social Event, Sponsored by Adventech)
Supporting documents:
b. Template for Short Abstract
Antibiotic resistance in daylife, from water reuse to agricultural product
27 January 2018 - Dresden, Germany
Organised by: Aparna Chandrasekar, Ioannis Kampouris, Gianuario Fortunato)
Main topics discussed: antibiotic resistance, wastewater treatment and reuse, mathematical modelling
E-learning Café Asprela
30 November 2017 - Porto, Portugal
Organised by: Iakovos Iakovides, Nazareno Scaccia, Katarzyna Slipko, Ian Zammit
Main topics discussed: conventional and advanced wastewater treatment technologies, removal of antibiotics and ARB&ARGs, environmental and health risks associated with the spread of antibiotics, ARB&ARGs through irrigation with treated wastewater.
Let's talk about (biological) sexes...
23 November 2017 (Nicosia) and 30 May 2018 (Larnaca) - Cyprus
Organised by: Marlen Ines Vasquez
Main topics discussed: identification of factors that can influence biological sexes, among others the effects of endocrine disruptor compounds as contaminants of emerging concern on the hormonal reproductive system
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, 11thIWA 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 6th 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.
XENOWAC II –Conference
A decade after…10-12 October 2018, Limassol Cyprus
"Challenges and Solutions related to Xenobiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Framework of Urban Wastewater Reuse: Towards a Blue Circle Society"
Nireas International Water Research Center (Nireas-IWRC) of the University of Cyprus is proud to announce the XENOWAC II conference, a decade after the first XENOWAC conference (XENOWAC I) took place in Cyprus in March 2009. The Conference embraces the work performed in the framework of NEREUS COST Action ES1403 and H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015/675530 ANSWER, both coordinated by Nireas-IWRC.
Join us and be part of this leading event for presenting and discussing the latest concepts and developments in the field of contaminants of emerging concern and urban wastewater reuse.
News:
Two special issues hosted selected papers both from our XENOWAC II Conference and the wider scientific community. There are:
- “Challenges related to antimicrobial resistance in the framework of urban wastewater reuse”, Water Research, Elsevier
This special issue will be open for submissions from November the 15th, 2018 to January 31st, 2019.
For more details please visit the link: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/…/challenges-antimicrobi
2. “Urban wastewater reuse and chemical contaminants of emerging concern”, Chemosphere, Elsevier.
This special issue will be open for submissions from December the 1st, 2018 to April 30th, 2019.
For more details please visit the link: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/…/urban-wastewater-reuse-…
Announcements:
Conference Program: XENOWAC II Programme
Poster Awards:
Joint Presentation (Academia and Industry)
Organizing Committee
Round table discussions, 10 and 11 October, 2018
Plenary speakers
Keynote speakers
Water JPI Event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7B375dPIY8&feature=youtu.be
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