Pre-Comercial Procurement of innovative and sustainable solutions to Treat HEalthcaRE System wAstewater

ongoing

Hospital wastewater (HWW) poses a significant environmental and health risk due to the presence of pharmaceuticals, pathogens, and other hazardous substances that are administered in healthcare institutions. Unfortunately, current urban wastewater treatment (WWT) plants are not capable of effectively removing many of the pollutants generated by hospitals. As a result, these contaminants reach and accumulate in natural water bodies, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity, and public health through the contamination of drinking water or food. In addition, public health is also menaced by HWW as it contains important amounts of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and genes. In fact, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest health threats of our times. While most common medicines are consumed in households, specialized drugs such as cytostatic drugs, some antibiotics, or X-ray contrast agents are mainly distributed in hospitals. Furthermore, HWW is a hotspot for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG). To reduce the risk associated to these contaminants, it is key to remove them as close to their source as possible, and before they are discharged to the municipal water network. Despite the existence of different technologies that efficiently remove contaminants from HWW, currently, there is no single process that can be used for the comprehensive treatment of HWW regarding the elimination of a mix of pollutants to a high degree. Moreover, technology may be further developed to be more efficient, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective for hospitals. In this context, the main objective of THERESA PCP is to launch a pre-commercial procurement process (PCP) based on the development of an environmentally sustainable on-site system to decontaminate HWW, being capable of effectively removing, among other contaminants, cytostatic drugs, X-ray contrast agents, antibiotics, ARB and ARG, from HWW.