Forskning og utvikling

Wastewaterderived Data

Data from municipal wastewater treatment plants: An exploration of the utility to public health, environment, climate and security.

Prosjektbeskrivelse

Municipal wastewater is said to mirror society. The water contains a mixture of most that occurs in a city. The food we eat, the medicines we take, the chemicals used in our homes and at work, bacteria, viruses and everything that washes off the streets when it rains, ends up at the local municipal wastewater treatment plant.

As Norway's largest wastewater treatment plant, Veas cleans wastewater corresponding to delivery from 770,000 people in Oslo, Bærum, Asker and Nesodden. Daily data from this water could provide near real-time data and trends that can be useful in managing the community.
Examples of data that can be extracted from wastewater are:

  • Health observatory based on trends of drug use or chemical exposure
  • Communicable disease tracking system (i.e. COVID-19)
  • Environmental surveillance system: release of pollutants in our environment
  • Defence and security: trace organic explosives detection in wastewater

NIVA and Veas are working on the development of an ecosystem consisting of members from multi-disciplinary sectors to exploit wastewater-derived data funded by the Regionale Forskningsfond Hovedstaden. At this stage, our main purpose is to show the potential of sewage chemical information monitoring (SCIM) technology to engage the potential partners from the public sector or research institute area (aim 2). Find below the aims of the ongoing project:

  1. Collect a selection of demonstration wastewater-derived datasets.
  2. Engage in targeted meetings/interviews with potential partners
  3. Identify unanswered questions for which wastewater may provide solutions
  4. Provide “ad hoc” analysis with demonstration dataset
  5. Work with the partner to formulate future collaboration and/or innovative research

Prosjektvarighet

15.11.2019–14.03.2021

Økonomisk prosjektstøtte

Wastewaterderived Data er støttet med forprosjektmidler fra RFF HOVED på inntil 750 000 kroner.

Samarbeidspartnere

Norsk institutt for vannforskning, NIVA.