Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

The research focus of the Process Engineering Department (ENG) ranges from current and future wastewater and drinking water treatment problems, as well as water pollution control and resource reuse. Our long-term goal is to develop sustainable concepts of the water and nutrient cycle in residential areas.

Rare earths are indispensable for many technical applications, but they also find their way into bodies of water and can have a negative impact on the organisms living there. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

February 10, 2026 –

An investigation in the canton of Zurich has shown that certain rare earth elements can enter bodies of water via wastewater treatment plants in concentrations that pose a risk to aquatic organisms. These elements are gadolinium,...

An investigation in the canton of Zurich has shown that certain rare earth elements can enter bodies of water via wastewater treatment plants in concentrations that pose a risk to aquatic organisms. These elements are gadolinium, which comes from contrast agents used in healthcare facilities, as well as lanthanum and cerium, which are used in a number of wastewater treatment plants to remove phosphorus.

The toolbox contains three sets of individual sheets that help with planning decentralised wastewater solutions – from defining goals and selecting a strategy to providing an overview of possible technologies. (Photo: Eawag, Peter Penicka)

November 18, 2025 –

An Eawag toolbox provides an overview of technologies for decentralised sanitation systems, their respective advantages and examples of built systems.

A series of temperature sensors with radio transmission is ready for a general overhaul, as operating conditions in the mountains or in sewer systems can be harsh. (Andri Bryner, Eawag)

November 11, 2025 –

Sensorlab is celebrating. It keeps water research at the cutting edge with new measurement and automation solutions, data transmission and management.

Ashta, N. M., Crosset-Perrotin, G., Moraz, A., Stoffel, J., Schilt, U., Ceglie, E., … Hueglin, C. (2026). Atmospheric deposition of microplastics: a sampling and analytical method including the associated measurement uncertainties. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 19(2), 371-388. doi:10.5194/amt-19-371-2026, Institutional Repository

Microplastics (MPs) are environmental contaminants of global concern, and the atmosphere may play an important role in their environmental distribution. In this study, we developed a tailored analytical chain – including sample collection, processing, and analysis based on optical microscopy and focal plane array μ-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FPA-μ-FTIR) – to quantify 20–215 µm MPs (excluding tire wear particles) in wet and dry atmospheric deposition samples. We present a novel sampling setup to collect particulate wet deposition, which consists of an on-site precipitation filtration device. Validation of the sampling setup via spike-recovery experiments using surrogate standards resulted in average recoveries of approximately 90 %, suggesting limited MP losses. Additionally, we developed a custom software platform that combines the results from optical microscopy and chemical imaging obtained through FPA-μ-FTIR. Furthermore, an assessment of the total measurement uncertainty was made by addressing each step of the analytical chain individually. The resulting total expanded uncertainty was approximately 90 % for determining MP numbers in a single wet or dry deposition sample. The conversion of MP numbers and associated size information into MP mass was estimated to generate an additional systematic error of 50 %. Based on analyses of blanks, the critical level and the limit of detection, number-based thresholds for minimizing false positives and false negatives, were 29 and 58 MPs per analyzed subsample, respectively. The analytical chain was applied to quantify the MP content in wet and dry atmospheric deposition samples collected at a suburban site in Switzerland. The principles and methodology used in this study to calculate the uncertainties, recoveries and limits of detection are transferrable to other analytical methods intended for MP analysis. Such an assessment of method-specific uncertainties is an important step towards enhancing the comparability of MP (monitoring) data.

Derlon, N., Schwaller, V., & Gubser, N. (2026). Boues densifiées. Retour d'experience de dix stations d'épuration Suisses. Aqua & Gas, 106(2), 39-45. , Institutional Repository

Hamilton, K. A., Quon, H., Ashbolt, N. J., Gurian, P. L., Reynaert, E., Haas, C. N., … Wilson, A. M. (2026). Making waves: Moving beyond the 1 in 10,000 benchmark in quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) through evidence-informed risk approaches and systems decision-making. Water Research, 289, 124903 (8 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.watres.2025.124903, Institutional Repository

26.02.2026,

4.00 pm

Eawag Dübendorf, FC-C20

Prioritizing technology development pathways for sustainable resource recovery

01.03.2026,

11.00 am

Alte Kaserne Winterthur, Winterthur (CH)

Wasserknappheit: Neue Denkansätze und Wege

Is a space research program, aiming to develop a bioregenerative life support system for long-term space missions and space habitations for example on Mars.