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Feasibility of ULtrafiLtration membranes for REMOVAL of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes from secondary effluents from wastewater treatment plants

Project description

Removing ARB from drinking water

What does our drinking water have to do with antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens, which is responsible for the death of thousands of people every year? Aquatic ecosystems are a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). While wastewater treatment plants guarantee contaminated water is released back to the environment in safe conditions, the rise in antibiotic consumption has made them hotspots for the development of ARB and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The EU-funded FULLREMOVAL project will explore the use of ultrafiltration membranes as physical post-treatment for the removal of ARB and ARGs from wastewater treatment plant effluents. By combining advanced water technology with innovative microbiological analyses, the project will help to find mitigation strategies.

Objective

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) guarantee that contaminated water is released back to the environment in safe conditions. However, due to the rise in antibiotic consumption all over the world, they have become hotspots for the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is responsible for the death of thousands of people every year and thus, a high-priority issue for the WHO and the EU. The use of ultrafiltration membranes as physical post-treatment is considered a promising solution for the effective removal of ARB and eARGs from WWTP effluents. However, this alternative has been studied to a limited extent and many questions remain to be tackled. FULLREMOVAL is a training-through-research project aimed at filling these knowledge gaps by investigating: a) the abundance of ARB and eARGs in a local WWTP together with the capacity of eARGs to transform non-resistant bacteria (specific objective-SO1), b) the efficiency of ultrafiltration membranes to remove ARB and eARGs from secondary effluents (SO2) and c) the role of biofouling layer formation for the spread of ARB and eARGs (SO3). The interdisciplinary approach of the hereby presented project combines advanced water technology with innovative microbiological analyses and will help to find mitigation strategies for one of the major global health threats of this century. FULLREMOVAL’s achievements will be beneficial for sanitary services all over Europe as well as adjacent sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry and water resource management. Above all, the whole society will benefit from shedding light on this important public health issue.The experience and prestige of the UFZ in conducting environmental research in all of its facets combined with the scientific expertise of the fellow in membrane technology will make the perfect tandem for the successful development of FULLREMOVAL.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH - UFZ
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 174 806,40
Address
PERMOSERSTRASSE 15
04318 LEIPZIG
Germany

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Region
Sachsen Leipzig Leipzig
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 174 806,40
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