ZeroPM removal workshop: Assessing the sustainability of water treatment systems

2025-10-08 1 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036756. Assessing the sustainability of water treatment systems Greg Peters, Rahul Aggarwal, Sabrina Altmeyer Mendes, Magdalena Svanström, Sverker Molander Removal Workshop, Mytilene, 8th October 2025 Some overarching questions… •What are the impacts of treatment methods? •At what point are we doing more harm than good? •How can we do the assessment (better)? •Classic product/process developer sustainability tools: •Environmental life cycle assessment •Life cycle costing / levelized cost of water •Issues with these tools: •Missing operational data •Missing effect and characterisation factors 1 2 2025-10-08 2 3 4 2025-10-08 3 Data curation for characterisation factor calculation 5 Harmonized ecotoxicity data Select chemicals Add transformation products (Aggarwal, Holmquist, et al. 2024) PM chemicals Gather ecotoxicity data PM chemicals + transformation products Apply extrapolation factors (Aggarwal, Gustavsson, et al. 2025) Harmonize ecotoxicity data (Aggarwal, Holmquist, et al. 2024) Extrapolated ecotoxicity data Calculate EFs (Aggarwal, 2024) Calculate CFs (Aggarwal and Peters, 2024; Aggarwal, Holmquist, et al. 2024) EFs CFs Gathered ecotoxicity data FF x XF x EF = CF Aggarwal et al, 2024 6 Partners This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036756. Comparing effect factors (EFs) calculated with QSAR data vs experimental data Combined Estimated data •PM chemicals, [n=45], R2=0.37 •PFAS[n=13], the R2= 0.0006 •Triazines [n=12], R2= 0.31 •Triazoles [n=20], R2= 0.50 ECOSAR QSAR data •PM chemicals, [n=33], R2=0.36 •PFAS [n=2] •Triazines [n=12], R2= 0.14 •Triazoles [n=19], R2= 0.46 TEST QSAR data •PM chemicals, [n=33], R2=0.53 •PFAS[n=12], R2= 0.29 •Triazines [n=8], R2= 0.62 •Triazoles [n=13], R2= 0.66 Correlation using log-transformed fit regression analysis 5 6 2025-10-08 4 Bioassays account for mixture effects and unknowns Various endpoints: -estrogenicity, -mutagenicity, -oxidative stress, etc.) Reference substances obtained from dose-response curves used as input to LCA, e.g. ethinylestradiol Ecotoxicity balanced when bioassays included but not with chemical analysis Preliminary results from Högstrand et al (2024)… paper soon! 7 8 2025-10-08 5 References •Altmeyer Mendes S, Aggarwal R, Svanström M, Peters G (2025) Review of water treatment technologies for PFAS from a life cycle perspective, with meta-analysis of financial costs and climate impacts. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 223:108524 •Aggarwal R (2024) Ecotoxicological effect factors for calculating USEtox ecotoxicity characterization factors. Environmental Sciences Europe 36:127 •Aggarwal, R., Gustavsson, M., Peters, G., Molander S (2025). Extrapolation factors for calculating ecotoxicity effects in LCA. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 30:134-150 •Aggarwal R, Peters G (2024) Freshwater ecotoxicity characterization factors for PMT/vPvM substances. Chemosphere, 360:142391 •Aggarwal R, Holmquist H, Arvidsson R, Reppas-Chrysovitsinos E, Peters G (2024) Influence of data selection on aquatic ecotoxicity characterization factors for selected persistent and mobile substances. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 29:344-354 •Högstrand S, Peters G, Svanström M, Önnby L (2024) On the applicability of incorporating bioassays in life cycle assessment for more complete evaluation of advanced wastewater treatment. Extended abstract and platform presentation at the SETAC Europe 26th Symposium on Life Cycle Assessment, Gothenburg, Sweden, 21-23 October. •Högstrand S, Peters G, Svanström M, Önnby L (2025) Testing the incorporation of bioassays into life cycle assessment – A case study on advanced wastewater treatment. Accepted last week by the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 9