SPONGE · Surface runoff as source of microplastics and emerging contaminants in megacities aquifers
„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“
- Период
- 2022-11-11 → 2025-11-10
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 242 336 €
- Участници
- 2
- Схема
- MSCA-IF
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Микропластмасите и антибиотиците в градските подземни води се анализират чрез пример с мегаполиса Шенжен. Това помага да се разбере дали дъждовната вода може безопасно да попълва тези резервоари, без да влошава качеството на водата за пиене.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Surface runoff as source of microplastics and emerging contaminants in megacities aquifers
Urban areas are increasingly affected by groundwater contamination due to rapid urbanisation, ageing infrastructure, and the accumulation of emerging pollutants. Among these, microplastics (MPs) and pharmaceutical compounds, such as antibiotics, have raised growing concern because of their persistence in the environment and their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. While surface waters have been extensively investigated, urban groundwater systems remain poorly studied, despite they can be a critical source of drinking water for a large portion of the global population. This lack of knowledge is particularly relevant in the context of nature-based solutions, such as the sponge city concept, which promotes stormwater infiltration to enhance urban water resilience. Understanding whether stormwater and other non-conventional water sources can safely contribute to groundwater recharge without degrading water quality is therefore a key societal and environmental challenge. The SPONGE project was designed to address this gap by investigating the occurrence, transport, and fate of microplastics and emerging contaminants in urban groundwater systems, using the rapidly urbanising megacity of Shenzhen (Guangdong, China) as a case study. The overall objective of the project was to assess the suitability of urban stormwater and other non-conventional recharge sources for groundwater recharge, with a specific focus on microplastics and antibiotics, while improving the understanding of contamination pathways and controlling processes in urban aquifers. As a final outcome, the project concludes that urban groundwater systems cannot be assumed to be naturally protected from emerging contaminants and that site-specific hydrogeological conditions play a fundamental role in controlling contamination risks.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
SPONGE aims at contributing to improve safe recharge of urban aquifers expanding the Sponge city strategy, in which runoff water could be collected not only to reduce waterlogging but also to foster the recharge of stressed aquifers. In this framework, great attention must be paid to water quality by focusing on microplastics contamination and its relationship with other organic and inorganic emerging contaminants. SPONGE will increase the global scientific know-how on emerging contaminants and unconventional aquifer recharge nexus in urban environments, impacting both in terms of improved water management and environmental protection. The project will open new frontiers for research on runoff and wastewater management to increase the resilience of urban aquifers to climate changes. The main expected results are: (i) quantification of microplastics contamination in rain and runoff water, assessment of their variability in time and evaluation of the relationship between microplastics and other contaminants; (ii) definition of microplastics and emerging contaminants occurrence in groundwater through the realization of experimental models; (iii) evaluation of the stored runoff water as a source to increase the resilience of the urban aquifer to the groundwater scarcity. Outcomes will be assembled in guidelines defining the best practices to manage the urban runoff and evaluate its suitability for aquifer recharge in a sponge city. In the first two years at SUSTech University (China), the researcher will perform field activities and analysis, improving his knowledge of emerging contaminants; in the third year of the project, at the University of Pisa (Italy), the fellow will finalize the elaborations and the set-up of a numerical model of the aquifer recharge. Communication and dissemination actions will be realized in English and Chinese in order to guarantee the maximum diffusion, not only to researchers but also to the civil society and relevant stakeholders.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз