Investments and Innovation vs. Micropollutants

EYATH initiated a discussion today regarding micropollutants in drinking water and urban wastewater, in anticipation of the inclusion of the new European directives on the subject into Greek legislation and the resulting challenges for water and sewerage utilities.

This issue now lies at the heart of European environmental and public health policies, as the European Union’s new regulatory framework—ranging from the revision of the Water Directive to the stricter requirements of the Urban Wastewater Directive—raises the bar for all stakeholders. As EYATH Board member Theodoros Leonidis stated in his opening remarks, “Micropollutants represent perhaps the most significant emerging challenge for our sector. Monitoring, detecting, and—above all—removing them requires new technologies, substantial investment, and, of course, collaboration.” “For water and wastewater utilities, this means transitioning to more complex processes, upgrading infrastructure, and improving coordination with stakeholders—including producers, industry, and institutional bodies.”

“PFAS pollution poses a threat to our environment; our air, soil, and water are already contaminated. The cost of addressing PFAS contamination is estimated to have reached billions of euros,” noted Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of the European Federation of National Associations of Water Services (EurEau). He called on the European Commission to “ban these substances and implement the “polluter pays” principle.” “Only by tackling PFAS at the source can we protect public health while ensuring that those responsible bear the cost of their removal from the environment, rather than European consumers,” added the EurEau Secretary General, outlining the stance of the European federation—which represents 38 national water and wastewater associations from 33 European countries—on the issue. “At EYATH, we have been monitoring the presence of PFAS since 2021, even without any legal obligation to do so. Biocides are periodically detected (in January, spring, and summer) in surface water samples from the Aliakmonas River prior to treatment at the facility. However, following treatment, these micropollutants are not detected in the vast majority of treated drinking water samples—thanks, of course, to the technologies employed at the Thessaloniki Water Treatment Plant, which ensure their complete removal long before the water reaches consumers’ taps,” stated Nikoletta Xanthopoulou, Head of the Laboratory Department at the Thessaloniki Water Treatment Plant (EENTH) and Vice President of EurEau. Earlier, EENTH Director Georgia Seretoudi had outlined the stages of producing drinking water from the Aliakmonas River, the technologies ensuring high water quality, and plans to expand the facility and increase water production, concluding with the recommendation to “drink tap water without hesitation”! Dimitra Lambropoulou, a Chemistry Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), discussed the University’s long-standing collaboration with EYATH regarding water and wastewater, noting that “over the past decade of systematic wastewater monitoring, the situation mirrors that, of other countries at both European and global levels. As expected, we detect levels of emerging pollutants ranging from a few nanograms up to 100–200 ng/L; naturally, this necessitates an upgrade of wastewater treatment facilities. Currently, removal rates exceed 80%—reaching 100% in some instances—though there are exceptions requiring additional treatment.” Regarding so-called “forever chemicals,” she clarified that “the detected concentrations are extremely low—a very encouraging sign for environmental protection—which is certainly due to the fact that we do not have a heavy chemical industry.”

Katerina Christodoulou, Head of the Research & Development Department at EYATH, discussed the “participation” of producers responsible for micropollutants in wastewater—specifically manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics—in the broader costs associated with preventing and treating these pollutants. She presented the methodology adopted within the EU to incorporate producer requirements regarding micropollutants—known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)—into the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD). She also outlined the potential implementation framework for this policy, the roles of the stakeholders involved, the operational requirements, and the anticipated benefits of its implementation.

Eugenia Karabougiouki, Head of the Environmental Monitoring Department at EYATH, presented the company’s wastewater treatment facilities—which have undergone energy and operational upgrades—as well as the milestones achieved toward energy neutrality. “The new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive introduces numerous new requirements for treatment facilities regarding the removal of micropollutants, microplastics, and PFAS.” “Therefore, the necessary upgrades for monitoring and ultimately removing micropollutants must be carried out over the coming years—a process for which we at EYATH are already preparing by planning and implementing strategic investments over the next five years,” noted Ms. Karabougiouki.

Professor Nasos Stasinakis of the University of the Aegean’s Department of Environment presented data on the levels of pharmaceutical compounds and PFAS detected in the wastewater of Greek Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). “Conventional wastewater treatment does not effectively remove most pharmaceuticals and PFAS. While quaternary treatment technologies are available, factors such as performance, cost, energy requirements, and staffing availability must be taken into account,” the professor pointed out. Mr. Stasinakis also addressed the presence of PFAS in sewage sludge and the potential risks associated with reusing sludge in agriculture, while also presenting results from the European research project ZeroPM, which focuses on the use of innovative technologies for micropollutant removal.

Konstantinos Plakas, a researcher at the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH), discussed the challenges posed by new EU directives mandating strict rules and parameters for the treatment of drinking water (Directive (EU) 2020/2184) and urban wastewater (Directive (EU) 2024/3019). “By employing advanced technologies to complement conventional treatment facilities with a quaternary treatment stage, it will be possible to control various micropollutants—such as PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceutical compounds, and benzene—with the aim of protecting public health,” Mr. Plakas stated.

Olga Ourloglou, from the Ministry of Health’s General Directorate of Public Health and Quality of Life, presented the micropollutant monitoring framework, which includes a risk assessment spanning the entire water supply chain, right up to the consumer’s tap. Fani Miskaki, Deputy Director of Planning & Development at EYDAP, addressed the risks to water quality—particularly those stemming from water scarcity and the climate crisis—as well as the measures EYDAP takes to ensure excellent quality. She also discussed the cutting-edge technologies and non-targeted analysis methodologies employed to detect micropollutants in Athens’ water supply. Dimitris Skouroumounis, Head of Waste Treatment Units at ETVA VIPE S.A., spoke about ETVA’s activities as Greece’s largest private industrial waste management entity, as well as the specific operational challenges of treatment facilities within Business Parks hosting a wide range of industrial activities.

Giorgos Gourgouletis—owner of SCIENCE ME, co-organizer of today’s event, and founder of the PFAS Community—highlighted that “micropollutants have become a pressing environmental issue, and Greece is once again demonstrating a high level of laboratory capability and readiness for conducting these analyses.” Regarding his platform, SCIENCE ME, he stated that it is “a targeted platform for information on science and technology topics, aiming to connect and communicate scientific issues to society as well as to the academic and scientific communities.”