Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Drawing water daily from a water hole in the Central African Republic. (Photo: Unicef/Pierre Hotz)

August 11, 2022

August 11, 2022As an additive in toothpaste, it protects our teeth from decay. But when fluoride occurs in nature in larger quantities and accumulates in groundwater, it can become a hazard for our health. For the first time, Eawag scientists have produced a detailed map of global fluoride contamination in groundwater and shown which regions of the world are particularly affected.

Bachsee, Wikimedia commons and Water-Science-Policy

July 19, 2022

July 19, 2022Even though industrial wastewater is treated at state-of-the art plants, the sheer variety of synthetic organic compounds from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry which end up in surface waters are seriously underestimated. This is shown by a new study carried out by Eawag and ETH Zurich.

Rainbow trout gill cells were fixed and stained using molecular probes for nuclei (blue), lipid (green) and actin (red). These cells were healthy control cells unexposed to chemical stimuli. (Photo: Vivian Lu Tan, Eawag)

July 18, 2022

July 18, 2022As part of a new national research programme that aims to replace animal experiments in research, the National Science Foundation is supporting a project at Eawag. This opens up new possibilities for determining the toxicity of chemical substances based solely on tests with cultured cells and computer models. Animal experiments could thus be replaced.

If lake water is filtered through sand filters, microplastics present in it would be efficiently retained. Lake Zurich. (Photo: Andri Bryner, Eawag)

May 31, 2022

May 31, 2022The biologically active, slow-flow sand filters of lake water treatment would remove nanoplastics from the raw water very efficiently. This was shown both in the laboratory and in larger, realistic tests and modelling.

Kai Udert, Sabine Hoffmann and Lisa Deutsch in conversation (Photo: Eawag, Peter Penicka)

May 5, 2022

May 5, 2022Eawag researchers Sabine Hoffmann, Kai Udert and Lisa Deutsch are committed to a sanitation and nutrient transformation. They use an example to explain why a transformation is needed and why collaboration with politicians in particular is a challenge.

Energy-efficient evaporation of excess water in a test at the SAC's Legler Hut at 2280 m a.s.l. (Michel Riechmann, Eawag)

May 4, 2022

May 4, 2022What has been a purification process in wastewater treatment plants for decades can also be used decentrally or semi-centrally as a recycling process for nutrients. Early separation of "solid and liquid" plays a key role here. It allows for flexible solutions in terms of process technology, especially in the treatment of urine. New studies also show that the processes can be used not only for human urine, but also for that of cows or pigs.

Post-treatment of wastewater following ozonation with fresh granulated activated carbon results in significant additional purification performance. (Photo: Eaum M/Shutterstock)

May 2, 2022

May 2, 2022Ozonation is an established treatment process to remove micropollutants from wastewater. However, since unstable toxic reaction products can be formed in the process, biological post-treatment is necessary. Results from the Ecotox Centre and Eawag show how well different post-treatment methods reduce ecotoxicological effects. The combination of ozonation and activated carbon proved to be the most effective.

Trout are often used in experiments. Machine learning could be an alternative to fish testing. (Image: istock, edited by Eawag)

April 26, 2022

April 26, 2022Eawag researchers are using computer algorithms to predict the toxicity of chemicals to fish. Machine learning can help set priorities for experiments and, in the longer term, enable a tremendous reduction of animal testing.