Efficient Treatment of Pharmaceutical Residue at Source (EPIC)

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Project description

Residues of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) enter the environment mainly as a result of consumption of pharmaceutical products (excretion) and via unused pharmaceutical waste or via emissions from pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. The complex behavior and impact of APIs in the environment is not yet well known, but there is indication of harmful effects of some groups of APIs (e.g. endocrine disrupting hormones, behavioral changes in organisms and antimicrobial resistance enhancing antibiotics) to ecosystems and some APIs are known to be extremely persistent and bioaccumulative.

The challenges related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in environment and wastewater as well as in urea and in sewage sludge and for its exploitation have been recognized, despite their high nutrient content. Being a significant technical, economic and health issue, it is necessary to identify how the pharmaceutical residue in the environment and consequently food production can be most effectively minimized.

API load into the environment can be reduced by introducing advanced treatment technologies at municipal waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) or at primary emission sources. Removing API residues at primary source is technically more efficient than removal from MWWP effluents, sewage sludge, or drinking water.

Objectives

This project aimed to identify the APIs entering the waste water stream at different sources and tested effective technological solutions to treat APIs at their primary emission sources. The different technologies were tested in pilot studies. In support of new technologies, the project sought pollution prevention instruments in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Work packages (WP)

WP1: Identification of pharmaceutical residue emission loads and risks (Syke & HY)
WP2: Pilot testing of waste water technologies (LUT & Syke)
WP3: Cost-effectiveness of wastewater treatment solutions (Syke)
WP4: Policy recommendations (Syke & HY)
WP5: Coordination and communication (Syke, HY, LUT)

Research partners and Coordinators 

The Consortium of Project and Syke: PhD, Leading Expert Taina Nystén
LUT: Professor Mika Mänttäri
HY: Docent Tiina Sikanen
Subcontractor Law and Water: D.Sc. (Tech.), Water Expert Niina Vieno

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Coordinators of the Syke project organization. Top row from right: Jyrki Laitinen (WP3), Jukka Mehtonen (WP4) and Lauri Äystö (WP1). Bottom row: Päivi Fjäder and Taina Nysten (project consortium, Syke & WP5).

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Mika Mänttäri (LUT) ja Taina Sikanen (HY).

Key results

More information

Leading Expert Taina Nystén, (Syke), firstname.lastname@syke.fi

You can access the project's Finnish pages via the "Suomeksi" link in the upper right corner of this page.