Water Reuse in Europe - Relevant guidelines, needs for and barriers to innovation

An EU regulatory instrument for water reuse is planned to be developed by 2015, in order to find innovative solutions to the challenges of ensuring water supply for urban, industrial and agriculture use. Despite the water reuse applications already developed in many countries, a number of barriers still prevent the widespread implementation of water reuse around Europe and on a global scale. These barriers will have to be overcome. This JRC Science and Policy Report analyses the technical, environmental and socioeconomic challenges to the option of water reuse as a means of ensuring sufficient supply to meet the growing needs of society. It presents and compares the most relevant national and international guidelines on water reuse, evaluates existing water reuse standards in EU Member States, presents a risk-based management approach for wastewater reuse, and identifies the areas that require technological and regulatory innovation as well as the barriers to be overcome.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF) - An Introduction to the Chemometric Evaluation of Environmental Monitoring Data Using PMF

Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) is a multivariate factor analysis technique used successfully among others at the US Environmental Protection Agency for the chemometric evaluation and modelling of environmental data sets. Compared to other methods it offers some advantage that consent to better resolve the problem under analysis. In this report, the algorithm to solve PMF and the respective computer application, PMF2, is illustrated and, in particular, different parameters involved in the computation are examined. Finally, a first application study on PMF2 parameters setting is conducted with the help of a real environmental data-set produced in the laboratories of the JRC Rural, Water and Ecosystem Resource Unit.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Elements in Aqua Regia and Nitric Acid Digests by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Method (GF-AAS) in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of elements in aqua regia and nitric acid digests by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry method (GF-AAS). It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Loss on Ignition (LOI) in Soils, Sludge and Treated Biowaste in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of Loss on Ignition (LOI) in soils, sludge and treated bio-waste. It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants load to marine environment by MAPPE-Global model focusing on European regional seas

MAPPE-Global modeling tool belongs to the group of the global box models for environmental fate and transport of POPs. The estimated error level of MAPPE-Global is about a factor of two, which suggests that the model could be considered as a tool for a screening or initial evaluation of chemical risk for POPs at global scale. The verified MAPPE-Global is applied in practical assessments of chemical loads to the European regional seas. The PCBs case study relates to a sum of 22 congeners and considers two emission scenarios: first - the current status relative to the 2010 year; second – a future projection corresponding to the 2020 year. The total amount of 22PCBs released to air equals to 101.03 t for year 2010 and to 50.2 t for year 2020, respectively. The Baseline scenario for Lindane assumes, for the reference year 2005, 86.6 t atmospheric emissions only from European sources and omits the impact of the long range atmospheric transport. The second scenario for Lindane aims to targeting the situation in the year 2020. This scenario (denoted as LRT) suggests no emissions to atmosphere from any European origin due to the banning of this substance but admits that Europe is affected by an unavoidable „import” of 5.4 t Lindane through trans-continental air transport. According to the MAPPE-Global model, the extended European area is exporting to the marine water 3.7 t of 22PCBs in 2010 and 1.9 t in 2020, respectively. In both scenarios, the most affected seas are the Mediterranean Sea (ca.35% from the total) followed by Northern (ca. 21.5%) and Black sea (ca. 19%). It was estimated that the European seas receive by atmospheric deposition about 7.9 t of 22PCBs in 2010 and ca. 4t in 2020. This is two times more when comparing to the entire riverine discharge of 22PCBs for these years. MAPPE-Global forecasts 10.1 t riverine sea load of Lindane under the Baseline scenario and 0.26t in the case of LRT meaning 97% reduction compared to the baseline option. The highest discharges are observed for Atlantic Ocean – in Baseline scenario 2.2t (21.8% from the total) and for LRT 0.06t (23%); and Mediterranean Sea - Baseline 3.5t (34.7%) and LRT 0.04t (15.4%). For the gamma-HCH, likewise for the PCBs, it is found that the atmospheric deposition over the European seas dominate the river input to the coastal zone. Under the Baseline scenario, the total air deposition (50.2t/y) is about 5 times higher than the riverine component of the sea load. Potentially the outcome of MAPPE-Global model could serve in the assessments of different policy options related to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) or Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) as well as to support the implementation of the European sea conventions as HELCOM (Baltic Sea), OSPAR (North-East Atlantic), MEDPOL (Mediterranean Sea) and BSC (Black Sea).JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) by Dry Combustion in Soils, Sludge and Treated Biowaste in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in soils, sludge and treated bio-waste. It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Mercury in Aqua Regia and Nitric Acid digests by Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (CV AAS) in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of mercury in aqua regia and nitric acid digests in soils, sludge and treated bio-waste using by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV AAS). It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Selected Phthalates (DEPH/ DBP) in Soils, Sludge and Treated Biowaste Using GC-MS and GC-ECD in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of selected phthalates (DEPH/ DBP) in soils, sludge and treated bio-waste using GC-MS and GC-ECD. It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Validation of a Horizontal Standard for the Determination of Kjeldahl Nitrogen in Soils, Sludge and Treated Biowaste in a European Intercomparison Exercise

Project HORIZONTAL is interdisciplinary aiming at a harmonisation and horizontal standardisation of test procedures, in particular for sludge, soils and biowastes. In the context of this standardization project, a series of draft technical specification were designed upon an extensive desk study, fine-tuned after expert consultations and finally validated in international intercomparisons exercise. This report summarises the work performed within the validation study of the draft standard for the determination of Kjeldahl nitrogen in soils, sludge and treated bio-waste. It further explains the underlying statistical concept for the calculation of reproducibility and repeatability from intercomparisons data. In addition all single values, results of the statistical evaluation as well as background information on the validation materials used are described and explained.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Analysis of chemical constitutents and additives in hydraulic fracturing waters 1. Technical review and proposal for a non-target approach

This technical report is a first one of series of reports addressing the issue of chemical constituents and additives occurring in the waters related to hydraulic fracturing in the exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbons. Specific focus is on the types of chemical constituents being addressed so far in flowaback, produced waters and potentially exposed ground and surface water. It gives on overview on typical approaches. With regard to organic constituents it addresses the typically examined compounds and investigates to which extent non-targeted approaches with accurate mass spectrometry can be used to fill existing knowledge gaps. The concept of an envisaged feasibility study for a imoproved baseline assessment is described, too.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource