Transnational project EMPEREST addresses the removal of PFAS and other organic micropollutants from wastewater in cooperation with local authorities, service providers, and policy-making community. Working together with HELCOM and Baltic Sea PFAS Network, EMPEREST is at the forefront of the regional PFAS discussions!

The project EMPEREST (Eliminating Micro-Pollutants from Effluents for Reuse Strategies), funded by the Interreg BSR Programme, started in January 2023, at the same time as the news about PFAS risks started to appear in media in the Baltic Sea Region and globally. This created a momentum to raise awareness about the complex problem, and now stakeholders follow the updates of the Urban Wastewater Directive and discussions on banning PFAS closely. The time is just right to work on PFAS in our region: the latest holistic assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3) has identified hazardous substances to now be the main driver of Baltic Sea’s poor environmental status.

The project contributes to PA Hazards Action 1 “Prevent pollution and reduce the use of hazardous substances”, and is an excellent example of how action can happen at different levels to make a larger impact: collaborating closely with HELCOM as well as the Baltic Sea PFAS Network, which was created to support PA Hazards.

EMPEREST employs a holistic and transnational approach, focused around four activity strands, each targeting specific stakeholder group:

• creating methodological recommendations for the monitoring and assessment of PFAS in the aquatic environment, this work is coordinated by HELCOM,
• building a PFAS risk-assessment tool for local authorities,
• testing effluent treatment technologies with wastewater treatment plants, and
• developing training for WWTP operators and local authorities.

The results of all four main activities will strengthen the sustainable water management cycle through better elimination of PFAS and other persistent organic micropollutants from wastewater.

Regional monitoring with national experts

All project activities are based on cross-sectoral cooperation, and when it comes to the shaping of recommendations for monitoring and assessment of PFAS, a strong science-policy dialogue is paramount. Following the due research and an extensive PFAS monitoring data call sent to the contracting parties of HELCOM, at the end of 2023, this dialogue was ensured by a hybrid workshop organized at the HELCOM Secretariat.

The workshop on 30 November 2023 engaged 40 experts working with monitoring in different BSR countries to further discuss possible outlook of the PFAS monitoring to come, including target substances to monitor; most feasible sampling and analysis methods for PFAS; spatial and temporal coverage of the monitoring systems; and possibilities for assessment and evaluation of the monitoring results. Active group work helped to outline possible tools for reaching informed decisions about the trends of PFAS pollution and potentially even highlight the sources of the pollution.

The draft methodological recommendations for PFAS monitoring are coming as the first large milestone of the project, later in spring 2024.

 

Engaging the national level with PFAS Roadshows

An amplified push to bring the knowledge and expertise collected in EMPEREST closer to the stakeholders was possible through the cooperation with Baltic Sea PFAS Network represented by the ZeroPFAS II project (Minimization and reduction of PFAS input to the Baltic Sea).

Together, ZeroPFAS II and EMPEREST organised three PFAS Roadshows: in Stockholm (May 2023), Vilnius (October 2023) and Tartu (February 2024). These events especially focused on addressing first Swedish, then Lithuanian and Estonian experts and stakeholders both from the government and scientific community, agencies working with environmental protection and monitoring as well as universities and research institutions.

 

 

Cooperation possibilities open for you!

The next large EMPEREST workshop open for public will take place in Gdansk, Poland, on 11-12 June 2024. It will be a great opportunity for the regional stakeholders to follow the project activities and hear about the latest available technologies. Save the date – the agenda will be released in April!

You can also follow EMPEREST activities online:

• EMPEREST project page: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/emperest/
• EMPEREST newsletter: http://eepurl.com/io0sh2
• EMPEREST LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emperest