The LIFE GENESYS project will develop a pioneering purification system to remove antibiotics and resistant bacteria from hospital effluents

The LIFE GENESYS project will develop a pioneering purification system to remove antibiotics and resistant bacteria from hospital effluents 1080 608 Mireia Córcoles
  • The European project team will design and implement at the Parc Taulí University Hospital an innovative and unique wastewater treatment system in Spain
  • LIFE GENESYS will allow the development of a preventive resistance risk warning platform one of the main challenges facing medicine todaywhich will help manage the environmental impact derived from the prescription of antibiotics in hospitals and health centers

Currently, Spanish hospitals and health centers do not have the obligation to have a system for the elimination of antibiotics and resistance genes in their waste water treatment stations. LIFE GENESYS aims to get ahead of future legislation and propose systems that have the capacity to eliminate this pollution from the environment, thus prevent aquatic ecosystems from being affected and, therefore, protecting people's health.

In fact, the scientific community and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that the pharmaceutical products, in particular antibiotics, are one of the most alarming pollutants, as their presence in the environment promotes the proliferation of antibiotic resistance and multi-resistant bacteria that are difficult to treat.

An innovative solution in Spain

With the aim of eliminating resistant bacteria from hospital wastewater and avoiding its environmental impact, the European project LIFE GENESYS will promote an innovative solution in Spain consisting of treatment at the source, namely at the Parc Taulí University Hospital (Sabadell).

Specifically, this solution will be based on the implementation of a new generation treatment train to treat wastewater in a decentralized manner and remove drugs, resistance genes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, thus ensuring that wastewater leaving hospitals is free of substances that can alter aquatic systems.

Besides, LIFE GENESYS will develop a digital resistance risk preventive warning platform using the data collected from the city's sanitation network. This tool will determine antibiotic levels in hospital effluents, enabling healthcare professionals to make informed decisions when prescribing antibiotics.

Commitment to European guidelines

This project has obtained funding from the call LIFE 2023 for the Environment and Climate Action, within the "Circular Economy and Quality of Life" subprogramme of the European Union, and will be carried out by the consortium formed by Cetaqua, as coordinating entity in collaboration with Aigües Sabadell CASSA, Apria Systems, LABAQUA, the Parc Taulí University Hospital i the Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT).

"The collaborative work of these institutions will make it possible to integrate different areas of knowledge that include the management of biological waste, the management of infections by resistant bacteria, the drainage network of the city, the treatment of waste water and the treatments water innovators, with the aim of launching a pilot solution", highlighted Òscar Quijada, researcher at Parc Taulí, at the project start meeting that was held recently.

Thanks to this innovative and reproducible solution, as explained by the I3PT team of researchers, it will contribute to promoting the objectives proposed by the EU in the framework of the development of innovative strategies to combat antibiotic resistance, offering decentralized and more efficient solutions.

Project reference

Decentralized solution to remove pollutants of emerging concern from hospital effluents
Call: LIFE-2023-SAP-ENV. (Circular Economy and Quality of Life – Standard Action Projects (SAP))

0 comments
  • Glenda Kreutler

    Good morning,

    I would like to know if they have information regarding the implementation of EQS for APIs here in Spain or in Catalonia.

    There is a draft of the SCHEER report on ibuprofen that establishes, for that substance, a proposed Environmental Quality Standard expressed as an annual average of 0,022µg/L for continental waters.
    I would like to know if this type of measure for APIs has already been implemented here in Spain.

    Thank you very much for your answer and the information you can give me.

    Cordially,
    Glenda

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