The Imperative of an Extra Cleaning Stage for Sewage Treatment Plants: A Crucial Step Towards Purer Wastewater in Hesse
Importance of an Extra Cleaning Phase in Wastewater Treatment Plants - as Perceived by an Expert - Importance of Additional Cleaning Phase in Wastewater Treatment Plants, Says Specialist
Let's chop it up, folks! Rolf Leonhardt, an expert from the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG), has dropped some knowledge about a game-changer for sewage treatment plants: an additional fourth cleaning stage. This stage can help filter out harmful residues, like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, from wastewater. But why's the progress slow in Hesse?
European Push
The revised European Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) could give our Munich boys and girls a good kick in the pants! Some municipal sewage treatment plants will have to implement this fourth stage in the future, depending on factors such as population numbers and protected areas in the vicinity.
First in Line
The fourth cleaning stage is already up and running at the sewage treatment plant in Mörfelden-Walldorf and the facilities of Merck KGaA. The Bickenbach sewage treatment plant on the Bergstraße joined the party in April 2025, according to the Environment Ministry. Six more sewage treatment plants in the Hessian Ried are in the pipeline.
Classic Cleaning Stages
In today's world, the three conventional cleaning stages play a vital role. They first remove solids, like toilet paper and food scraps, from the water. In stage two, biochemical treatment breaks down wastewater with the help of bacteria and other microorganisms. And in stage three, chemical-physical treatment tackles phosphorus removal.
Additional Cleaning Doesn't Come Cheap
Water expert Rolf Leonhardt called upon convincing the population, municipalities, and sewage treatment plant operators of the numerous advantages of this fourth cleaning stage. But here's the catch: municipalities often can't shoulder the costs alone and are dependent on funding.
The Community Cost
Trace substances make life tough for water organisms and negatively affect the treatment of drinking water from groundwater, Leonhardt warned. treat these substances in the drinking water treatment process can prove complex and costly, ultimately passed on to consumers through their water bills.
A Helping Hand for Drinking Water
The fourth cleaning stage could help neutralize this problem. These stages can remove up to over 80% of harmful substances, depending on the substance and process, Leonhardt said. This leads to improved water quality in the waterbody where the sewage treatment plant discharges. Long-term, this benefits the groundwater's quality and supports the protection of clean drinking water.
- Advanced Wastewater Treatment
- Sewage Treatment Plant
- Mörfelden-Walldorf
- Pharmaceuticals
- European Regulations
- Pesticides
- Environmental Protection
- Hesse
- Industry
- Water Quality
- Public Health
Enrichment Data:
Significance of the Fourth Stage
- Removal of Harmful Substances: The primary goal of the fourth stage is to eliminate harmful substances like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, which aren't efficiently removed by conventional treatment methods.
- Environmental Protection: By removing these substances, the fourth stage helps protect aquatic ecosystems and meet environmental regulations.
- Regulatory Compliance: Implementing the fourth stage can help wastewater treatment plants comply with legal requirements regarding water quality, particularly in regions with strong environmental policies.
- Public Health: Reducing the presence of harmful substances in water is also beneficial for public health, as these substances can potentially affect human health over time.
Specific Context in Hesse, Germany
In Hesse, the implementation of advanced treatment stages is crucial due to the region's strong environmental policies. The fourth stage can be tailored to address specific local concerns, ensuring that treated wastewater meets the highest standards before being released into the environment. This helps protect local ecosystems and aligns with broader EU initiatives aimed at improving water quality throughout Europe.
- Embracing the fourth cleaning stage at sewage treatment plants could serve as a vital step towards achieving stricter European environmental policies, notably the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The added stage, already operational in Moerfelden-Walldorf, Merck KGaA, and Bickenbach sewage treatment plants, targets the removal of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, substances that traditional treatment methods often fail to address effectively.
- To ensure long-term sustainability in Hesse's public health and environmental protection, municipalities, communities, and sewage treatment plant operators should collectively advocate for and invest in the implementation of this advanced wastewater treatment technology, which holds the potential to remove up to 80% of harmful substances, as suggested by water expert Rolf Leonhardt.
