Balt-Plast-Free
The project focuses on solving the transboundary pollution problem caused by microplastics in the Baltic Sea. Finnish and Estonian wastewater treatment plants are significant sources of microplastic emissions, and the aim is to reduce these emissions by developing and testing effective technical solutions.
The Balt-Plast-Free project will tackle the highly relevant problem of cross-border microplastics (MPs) pollution in the Baltic Sea from Finnish and Estonian Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) – a major point source of emission. The motivation is the recently approved revision of the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive which will stepwise enforce advanced “quaternary treatment” and monitoring of MPs in urban wastewater and sludge by 2045 at the latest.
To assure early preparedness for this regulatory change, joint Finnish-Estonian actions will be implemented to quantify the MPs emissions from various WWTPs on both sides of the border by using jointly developed harmonized protocols for MPs analysis. Moreover, specific technical measures to reduce the MPs emissions in practice will be tested onsite at 1 Finnish and 1 Estonian WWTP.
The main result of the project is reduction in MPs emission in urban load sources, i.e., WWTPs.
The main project outputs will encompass:
- Technical measures to retain the MPs within WWTPs and significantly reduce the MPs discharge into the marine and terrestrial environment via treated effluent and sewage sludge valorisation in agriculture.
- Sampling guidebook for WWTP staff.
- Harmonized protocols for joint analysis of MPs based on know-how exchange.
- Cross-border WWTP staff training on sampling and in-situ MPs analysis using a mobile laboratory acquired through the project.
- Increased awareness of the risks from discharging MPs and hazardous additives into the environment.
- Target groups from the outputs: general public, public authorities (WWTPs), NGOs, SMEs and enterprises, scientists, students, pupils.
The novelty of the project lies in the unique collaboration between Finland and Estonia to jointly approach the MPs pollution problem in the Baltic Sea.
Various technical solutions to reduce MPs emissions will be tested within the state-of-the-art test facility in the WWTP of Blue Economy Mikkeli Center of Excellence in Mikkeli. MikseiMikkeli will provide and analyse MBR process data for the Balt-Plast-Free project purposes. MikseiMikkeli has access to a modern data platform that combines data from different sources, which perfectly serves the data sharing needs of the project. The data platform combines data from the main treatment plant process (MBR) with the data received from the pilots performed in BEM testing facility in a useful format.
MikseiMikkeli will organise together with the project partners trainings for employees of the water utilities, operators, SMEs and other stakeholders involved in the project. MikseiMikkeli will lead the work on a study on the EU and country specific regulatory constraints and limitations of MPs and perform a feasibility study and development of an investment plan on pilots. Together with the project’s scientific partners, it contributes to the development of technologies and the joint development of products and prototypes to reduce microplastics from wastewater and sludge. MikseiMikkeli will be responsible for cooperation with the central BS region stakeholders to spread project activities and results among the Central Baltic region. MikseiMikkeli will arrange international conferences/ events as well as visits to the BEM Center of Excellence/ WWTP to introduce the pilots developed in the frames of the project.
MikseiMikkeli will share the results of the project with its international networks, such as Water Smart Territories (WST), CircInWater Eurocluster and Water4All partnership, where the Blue Economy Mikkeli Centre of Excellence is designated as Water Oriented Living Lab (WOLL).
