624 - Optimal management of wastewater systems

Water resources, together with air quality, are two of the most important environmental issues. Water is most vulnerable to contamination by pollutants and its contamination has a direct effect on human health. Improved management of water resources may bring a positive effect rather quickly.

Many COST Actions have been dedicated to various environmental aspects of water resources management since the beginning of COST. Action 624 was one of the largest. Its importance is demonstrated by the exceptional interest shown by participating scientists. Wastewater treatment is an important and most demanding issue of water resources management in most European countries. Therefore, coordination at international level is very important. It helps to avoid duplicity in research, increases its efficiency and improves the balance of coverage of all relevant research aspects of wastewater treatment.
COST Action 624 focused on the optimisation of wastewater management by increasing the knowledge of microbial processes and by implementation of integrated plant wide control based on a description of the entire wastewater system. This provides new concepts for dealing with wastewater in the future and moves society on its way towards sustainable society development.

COST Action 624 created a unique network in Europe within its topic. Almost all major research institutes and universities have participated. More than 300 scientists from 23 countries have attended 33 scientific events organised in the frame of the Action. The results presented at these meetings were published in various international journals. In total 29 papers with international authorship resulting from Action 624 have been published. The results achieved within COST Action 624 had a significant influence at a global scale and helped European scientists to achieve the world leadership at the field of the optimal management of integrated wastewater systems. The research network created by COST Action 624 is sustainable. A follow up of these activities is reflected in the new COST Action 636 “Xenobiotics in Urban Water Cycle”.