Decontaminate and bioremediate aquatic pollution

Expected Outcome:Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:competent authorities and the water sector have access to effective solutions – particularly based on life sciences and biotechnology – to bioremediate and decontaminate aquatic (marine and freshwater, including groundwater) pollution and improve the resilience of aquatic ecosystems to climate change and biodiversity decline;local authorities have improved monitoring and management tools for the protection of marine, surface and groundwater ecosystems, against contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), especially PFAS, antimicrobial substances and microplastics;the impact of CEC, especially PFAS, antimicrobial substances and microplastics on marine, freshwater and groundwater ecosystems are better understood including the interlinkages of these systems. Scope:Chemical pollution of aquatic environments from contaminants and pollutants poses risks for human and environmental health. As recent assessments of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and of the Water Framework Directive have shown, large parts of Europe’s groundwater bodies, rivers, lakes, coastal, transitional and marine waters have not reached good status and often exceed regulatory threshold levels set to avoid potential risk to human health and the environment. Continued inflow of pollutants into the aquatic environment, coupled with their ubiquity and persistent nature is increasing the risk of accumulation and long-term exposure of organisms and human beings. While pollution prevention is the most effective measure to tackle aquatic pollution, more effective action and novel solutions are needed to bioremediate and decontaminate European waters from particularly harmful and persistent substances.Aquatic microorganisms and their communities have developed various molecular mechanisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions enabling them to degrade a wide range of pollutants. The kinetics of commun