The planned actions of the LIFE BIOAs project will contribute to the implementation of the following EU directives:
- Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive): this directive describes a framework for the development and implementation of programs aimed at enhancing the quality of any water source. The project will furnish a new water treatment technology that can be applied for the safeguard of every water body.
Directive 98/83/EC (Drinking Water Directive): the main objective of this Directive is to protect human health from the adverse effects of any contamination of water intended for human consumption. The project will contribute by the development and demonstration of innovative technology for the reduction of arsenic concentration in tap water at levels lower than the EU limit.
Directive 96/61/CE (integrated pollution prevention and control): the main objective of this directive is to prevent or to reduce emissions in the air, water and land from several different industrial activities. This project will furnish a new and cheaper technology able to facilitates the removal of arsenic and other pollutants from industrial effluents, allowing a further minimization of pollutants emission in the environment.
On 16th December 2020, the European Parliament formally adopted the revised Drinking Water Directive (Directive 2020/2184 - Quality of water intended for human consumption (recast)).
Key features of the revised Directive are:
- Reinforced water quality standards;
- Tackling emerging pollutants, such as endocrine disruptors and PFA’s, as well as microplastics;
- A preventive approach favoring actions to reduce pollution at source by introducing the “risk-based approach”;
- Measures to ensure better access to water, particularly for vulnerable groups;
- Measures to promote tap water, including in public spaces and restaurants, to reduce (plastic) bottle consumption;
- Harmonization of the quality standards for materials and products in contact with water, including a reinforcement of the limit values for the lead;
- Measures to reduce water leakages and to increase the transparency of the sector.
For instance, the revised Directive introduced the limit for Bisphenol A = 2.5 µg/L.
The planned actions of the LIFE BIOAs project will contribute to the implementation of the following ONU objectives for a Sustainable Development for the Agenda 2030: