In recent decades, emerging contaminants (ECs) have surfaced as one of the key environmental problems threatening ecosystems and public health. Most emerging contaminants are present in low concentrations, and therefore often remain undetected and are also referred to as ‘micropollutants’. Despite this, many ECs raise considerable concerns regarding their impacts on human and environmental health. DEMEAU (Demonstration of promising technologies to address emerging contaminants in water and wastewater), a European Seventh Framework Programme (EU-FP7, 2013-2015) project, aimed to tackle ECs in drinking and wastewater by advancing the uptake of knowledge, prototypes, practices and removal technologies. The project followed a solutions-oriented approach using applied research and demonstration sites, and explored four promising technologies for EC removal and/or degradation: Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Filtration (HCMF), Automatic Neural Net Control Systems (ANCS) and Advanced Oxidation Techniques (AOT). Furthermore, Bioassays (BA) were investigated as an effect-based monitoring tool. This article shares new findings for each approach and their potential for widespread integration in the drinking- and wastewater sector. Research results from DEMEAU demonstration sites show that opportunities for synergies among these developments offer the most promising and effective methods for tackling ECs in the water sector.

This project report summarizes work conducted in work package 12 of the DEMEAU project. Along with Deliverable 12.1 it covers all tasks from work package 12 as formulated in the Description of Work (DoW). This report contains information about (pre-) feasibility studies, design recommendations and pre-treatment options for different types of MAR. The wide range of hydrogeological features encountered in reality makes a site-by-site approach indispensable. As part of this effort the hydrogeological pre-requisites for surface spreading and deep well injection techniques are described in detail. In chapter 2, ten essential hydrogeological parameters are defined by objective criterias. The following chapter outlines and describes how to obtain these essential hydrogeological parameters. This feasibility assessment starts with the screening of the potential site based on a structured procedure. Site investigations start with relatively cheap but numerous field and laboratory testing and continue to more cost-demanding but less numerous tests. With this procedure it is possible to carry out technical site feasibility in a costand time efficient way. The fourth chapter investigates the International Hydrogeological Map of Europe (IHME 1500) as a planning basis for pre-feasibility of new MAR sites. It was found that the IHME 1500 is useful for a pre-assessment, but detailed regional and local scale maps (and investigations) are additionally necessary to effectively assess hydrogeological features. The final chapter deals with pre-treatment options for MAR. Pre-treatment is necessary to remove critical contaminants from the source water to i) enhance system performance and removal efficiencies, ii) ensure the long-term functioning of the system, iii) meet regulatory demands and iv) ensure beneficial uses of the aquifer beyond the attenuation zone. Available pre-treatment methods in relation to source water type and intended end-use are described. Based on chemical concentrations in source water and intended end-use the most appropriate pre-treatment method can be assessed from a table. Altogether this report thus provides guidance in designing new MAR systems based on a sound hydrogeological site characterisation and pre-feasibility assessment based on available information and parameters obtained from structured investigations.

This project report summarizes work conducted in work package 11. Along with the deliverable 11.1 and milestone report 11 it covers the tasks from work package 11 as formulated in the Description of Work (DoW). The content of the different sections is interrelated, but each section is organized as an independent part. Title of this report differs from DoW because recommendations for optimum design and operation will be handled in the deliverable 12.2. The sections in this report cover various topics and each section can be found as a stand-alone report in the DEMEAU tool box (http://demeaufp7.eu/toolbox/) for download. Detailed summaries can be found for each section separately.