Pollutants

Ways to reduce pollution

Thousands of chemical substances end up in the aquatic environment, either by direct or indirect means. Some of these chemicals – hormones for example – have an effect on aquatic organisms, with far-reaching consequences. The water treatment plants cannot remove all of the pollutants from the wastewater. Eawag researches amongst other issues how supplementary measures in water treatment plants  affect biodiversity.

News

September 14, 2023

September 14, 2023At today's Eawag Info Day, the Aquatic Research Institute outlined the steps that need to be taken to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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August 24, 2023

August 24, 2023This can indirectly affect the survival of fish populations and may be one of the reasons for the fish decline we are currently observing in Switzerland.

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Scientific publications

Ma, Y.; Ramoneda, J.; Johnson, D. R. (2023) Timing of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial range expansion, Nature Communications, 14(1), 3530 (12 pp.), doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39354-z, Institutional Repository
Varga, L.; Fenner, K.; Singer, H.; Honti, M. (2023) From market to environment - consumption-normalised pharmaceutical emissions in the Rhine catchment, Water Research, 239, 120017 (10 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120017, Institutional Repository
Raths, J.; Schinz, L.; Mangold-Döring, A.; Hollender, J. (2023) Elimination resistance: characterizing multi-compartment toxicokinetics of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid in the amphipod Gammarus pulex using bioconcentration and receptor-binding assays, Environmental Science and Technology, 57(24), 8890-8901, doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c01891, Institutional Repository
To the library

Publications for practitioners

Comments on the amendment of the Water Protection Ordinance, 11-2017 [German]

Fact sheet: Frequently asked questions about road salting [available German and French]

Micro plastics in the environment
[available German and French]

Fact Sheet: on agricultural pesticides in rivers, lakes and groundwater [available German and French]

Fact Sheet: What’s the difference between monitoring values (EQS) and authorisation values (RAC)? [available German and French]

Eawag Factsheets

Selected research projects

This project aims to characterize, model and predict enzyme families driving pollutant biotransformations in periphyton.
In the canton of Basel-Landschaft, existing pollution situation and hazards to groundwater were determined. The model area Hardwald is characterized by strongly urban and industrially areas.
Comprehensive monitoring of organic trace substances in surface waters is time-consuming and costly. The NAWA SPEZ project delivers data and analyses on the status of water pollution.
Wastewater is a source of antibiotic resistant bacteria. We study their dissemination in the aquatic environment, and strategies to remove them.
Water Resource Quality (WRQ) was an integrated project running from 2006-2012 at Eawag that aimed to develop a generally applicable framework for the mitigation of geogenic contamination in groundwater used for drinking.
Interdisciplinary project on biological effects of micropollutants on the periphyton
Sustainable transformation of the Swiss agriculture to internalized negative external effects of pesticide use.
Development of animal-free methods for the assessment of chemicals
Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) are generated by the erosion of tires while driving, and represent a large part of anthropogenic particles released into the environment.
Upon chemical exposure, growth in fish is hindered. A systems toxicology approach will decipher how and why this phenomenon is being observed.
Comprehensive monitoring of organic trace substances in surface waters is time-consuming and costly. The NAWA SPEZ project delivers data and analyses on the status of water pollution.
Treatment with powdered activated carbon (PAC) and ozonation are established methods for advanced wastewater treatment plants...
A large number and variety of chemicals used in households, healthcare, industry or agriculture enter our wastewater treatment plants with the domestic and industrial wastewater....
Why do toxic cyanobacteria bloom? A gene to ecosystem approach...

Experts

Dr. Michael Berg
  • inorganic contaminants
  • arsenic
  • geogenic contaminants
  • groundwater
  • surface water
  • drinking water
Marc Böhler
  • wastewater treatment
  • activated carbon
  • micropollutants
  • ozonation
  • trace substance elimination
Dr. Carmen Casado-Martinez
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • ecotoxicology
  • sediments
Prof. Nathalie Dubois
  • chromatography
  • isotopes
  • surface water
  • sediments
  • biomarker
Prof. Dr. Rik Eggen
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • micropollutants
  • surface water
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Fenner
  • biological degradation
  • mass spectrometry
  • micropollutants
  • organic pollutants
Dr. Benoit Ferrari
  • micropollutants
  • ecotoxicology
Dr. Andreas Frömelt
  • wastewater
  • wastewater treatment
  • data science
  • machine learning
  • modeling
Dr. Ksenia Groh
  • molecular ecotoxicology
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • proteomics
  • micropollutants
  • endocrine disruptors
  • bioanalytics
PD Dr. Thomas Hofstetter
  • isotopes
  • micropollutants
Prof. Dr. Juliane Hollender
  • Computational methods
  • biological degradation
  • bioaccumulation
  • groundwater
  • mass spectrometry
Dr. Céline Jacquin
  • membranes
  • decentralized systems
  • water quality
  • drinking water
  • cellular ecotoxicology
Dr. David Janssen
  • inorganic contaminants
  • chemistry
  • metals
  • nutrients
  • biogeochemistry
PD Dr. Elisabeth Janssen
  • photochemistry
  • organic pollutants
  • algae
  • biological degradation
Dr. Joaquin Jimenez-Martinez
  • groundwater
  • hydrogeology
  • modeling
  • porous and fractured media
  • transport of contaminants
Dr. Marion Junghans
  • algae
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • micropollutants
  • ecotoxicology
Dr. Ralf Kägi
  • Computational methods
  • electron microscopy
  • nanoparticles
  • microplastics
Dr. Cornelia Kienle
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • ecology
  • ecotoxicology
Dr. Marissa Kosnik
  • computational methods
  • data science
  • ecotoxicology
  • transdisciplinary research
Dr. Alexandra Kroll
  • Risk assessment
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • Flow cytometry
  • inorganic contaminants
  • regulation of chemicals
PD Dr. Judit Lienert
  • decision analysis
  • public acceptability
  • sustainable water management
  • stakeholder participation
  • transdisciplinary research
Dr. Christa McArdell
  • activated carbon
  • wastewater treatment
  • mass fluxes
  • micropollutants
  • ozonation
Dr. Lena Mutzner
  • modeling
  • water quality
  • micropollutants
  • monitoring
  • sustainable water management
Dr. Christoph Ort
  • wastewater
  • wastewater-based epidemiology
  • micropollutants
  • modeling
  • monitoring
Dr. Serina Robinson
  • Microbiology
  • biotransformation
  • Metagenomics
  • pharmaceuticals
  • biodegradation
Prof. Dr. Kristin Schirmer
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • micropollutants
  • molecular ecotoxicology
  • nanoparticles
  • ecotoxicology
  • cellular ecotoxicology
Dr. Martin Schmid
  • modeling
  • surface water
  • hydropower
  • climate change
  • Lake management
Heinz Singer
  • chromatography
  • mass spectrometry
  • organic pollutants
  • surface water
Dr. Christian Stamm
  • wastewater
  • agriculture
  • water quality
Dr. Etienne Vermeirssen
  • aquatic ecotoxicology
  • ecotoxicology
  • sediments
Dr. Colette vom Berg
  • fish
  • molecular ecotoxicology
Dr. Alexandra Anh-Thu Weber
  • evolution
  • genetics
  • ecology
  • Environmental change
  • comparative genomics

Cover picture: Eawag researcher Michael Patrick investigates pyrethroid insecticides. (Photo: Alessandro della Bella)