Ecotoxicological evaluation of micropollutants and their possible transformation products

The increasing pollution of aquatic ecosystems with chemical compounds is one of the most pressing environmental problems. Particular attention is also paid here to the so-called trace substances or micropollutants, which can harm water-living organisms. To remove these micropollutants from wastewater, various oxidation and adsorption techniques are used at wastewater treatment plants.

In this project, oxidation techniques (ozone, photolysis) for the treatment of wastewater are in the focus of the investigations. The focus here is on the ecotoxicological effects of oxidatively modified micropollutants. For this purpose, the effects of waste water containing micropollutants (before and after oxidative treatment) as well as of single substances on the behavior of different  macroinvertebrate species will be investigated and their stress level will be measured using biomarker analyses. The aim is an ecotoxicological assessment of relevant micropollutants and their metabolites formed during oxidation processes.