Project: Potential of decentralized wastewater treatment for preventing the spread of antibiotic resistance, organic micropollutants, pathogens and viruses

Acronym PRESAGE (Reference Number: ID 375)
Duration 01/09/2021 - 31/08/2024
Project Topic New approaches are needed to reduce the emission of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Some sources contribute strongly to such emissions, which has driven the focus of PRESAGE on innovative decentralized wastewater treatment (WWT), based on anaerobic and aerobic compact systems. An integrated analysis of the behaviour of organic micropollutants (OMPs), antibiotic resistant microorganisms and genes (ARMs/ARGs) and pathogens (viruses and bacteria) will be carried out. This will allow better understanding the relation between the operational parameters of reactors, the microbiological evolution in the system, the removal of OMPs and pathogens, and the development of ARMs and ARGs. The contribution of such a complex mixture on the final effluent ecotoxicity will be assessed. The technologies will be validated at 4 demosites treating black and grey water, and effluents from hospitals and an antibiotic industry, in close collaboration with the industrial sector. This high readiness level anticipates a good impact of project results on wastewater innovation.
Project Results
(after finalisation)
1.To understand which design/operating parameters affect the fate of CECs during biological To relate the characteristics of the different sludges, including their physical configuration (floccules, granules, biofilms) with the microbiological composition and metabolic activity in the reactors and with the OMPs and ARMs/ARGs fate. 2. To understand if the enhanced biodegradation of antibiotics from acclimated microbial consortia, favours the increase or mitigates the prevalence of ARGs in the final effluent. 3. To assess the impact of advanced disinfection processes on the final emission of ARMs and pathogens. 4. To determine the effectiveness of decentralized WWT, based on combined biological secondary treatment followed by disinfection, to reduce the emission of CECs and produce effluents suitable for reuse. 5. To understand what types of CECs determine the final effluent ecotoxicity and which tests are needed to provide environmentally relevant information.
Network AquaticPollutants
Call 1st AquaticPollutants Joint Call 2020

Project partner

Number Name Role Country
1 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) Coordinator Spain
2 University of São Paulo (USP) Partner Brazil
3 Technical University of Denmark Partner Denmark
4 University Porto (UP) Partner Portugal
5 CNRS/Institut National polytechnique de Toulouse (INP Toulouse) Partner France
6 TU Dresden Partner Germany