MORPHEUS: Model Areas for Removal of Pharmaceutical Substances in the South Baltic

The background to MORPHEUS (Model Areas for Removal of Pharmaceutical Substances in the South Baltic) is the constant release of pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to the South Baltic Sea.

The project combined information on upstream pharmaceuticals consumption patterns with estimates of the downstream discharge of pharmaceuticals from a few selected WWTPs located in the coastal regions Skåne (Sweden), Mecklenburg (Germany), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Pomerania (Poland). Additionally an inventory of the status of existing treatment technologies is available.

This information will aid WWTPs and autorities in a future implementation of the moste suitable advanced treatment technology.

The main outputs of MORPHEUS are recommendations for actions on how to reduce chemical burden, roadmaps for investment in advanced treatment technologies at selected regional wastewater treatment plants, training courses on basic pharmaceutical analysis and advanced treatment technologies for target groups as well as awareness raising among consumers.

MORPHEUS  is a part of the BSR pharmaceuticals platform, a flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.