A mobile pilot treatment plant has commenced operations at the site of the Ljubljana Central Wastewater Treatment Works in Zalog; the Water Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (IzVRS) will use for research and the preparation of technical documentation as part of its public service provision for the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (MOP). These activities are linked to the implementation of the revised Directive (EU) 2024/3019 on the treatment of urban waste water, which introduces new requirements in the field of waste water treatment and the protection of the aquatic environment.
The installation and operation of the pilot plant are taking place in collaboration with VO-KA Snaga Ljubljana, which has facilitated its installation at the Ljubljana Central Wastewater Treatment Plant. This collaboration represents a significant contribution to the development and testing of advanced solutions for the treatment of municipal wastewater under real operating conditions.
The pilot plant is designed as a mobile, highly automated unit and currently comprises:
- ultrafiltration (UF) for the removal of suspended solids,
- reverse osmosis (RO) for the removal of dissolved substances and micropollutants.
As part of our research, we at IzVRS will be testing the effectiveness of individual technologies in removing micropollutants from municipal wastewater and optimising their performance. In addition to the technological units currently installed, we will also gradually test other advanced treatment technologies at the pilot plant, thereby obtaining comparable data on their effectiveness and suitability for use in Slovenian conditions.
The mobile pilot treatment plant represents a significant step towards establishing the technical basis for the implementation of the revised European legislation and towards developing effective solutions for the removal of micropollutants, reducing pressures on the aquatic environment and improving water quality in the long term.
