New technology – Innovative treatment of hospital wastewater
We are collaborating with Danish hospitals, environmental authorities and technology manufacturers on the development of innovative solutions. These solutions will address problems associated with hazardous and environmentally harmful substances and pathogens.
Hospital wastewater can be treated at the source
We are participating in a project with a total budget of DKK 43 million. It is financed by Herlev Hospital, the Business Innovation Fund, Copenhagen Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and a number of municipalities. The purpose is to develop a full scale demonstration plant in order to exhibit the technology to potential customers. The plant is expected to be established in May 2014 and the project will continue till 2015.
The project is managed by Grundfos. It will demonstrate how technologies must be combined and adapted to operate most efficiently with respect to business economics, treatment efficiency and robustness. The purpose is to test and adapt a system for treatment of hospital wastewater on a large scale.
Our role in the project is to document all the project activities and results. Furthermore, we take care of the environment and health risk assessments of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and pathogens. We also contribute to the development and the efficiency of technologies, allowing the best possible design of these.
The outcome of the project is supposed to demonstrate the advantages of treating wastewater directly at the source. This is more cost efficient than treatment at a municipal WWTP. The project will also show the possibilities for reuse of the water.
We are collaborating on the development of solutions to problems with hospital wastewater
Hospital wastewater contains a complex mix of environmentally harmful pharmaceuticals, pathogenic organisms and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These are not being removed in the existing WWTPs. We contribute to the development of solutions which comprise:
- Environment and health risk assessment of the discharge of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and pathogens
- Identification of the problems and assessment of risks related to the discharge from hospitals and the surrounding waters
- Development of innovative treatment technologies, where the technology is tested in the laboratory, in pilot projects and in full scale plants
- Utilisation of wastewater. Evaluation of the possibility of discharging the treated wastewater directly to the recipient or recycling it as process water, cooling water or for recreational purposes
