Development of new filter systems made of waste fibres from textile production to reduce hormone-active substances (endocrine disruptors) in water

Clean drinking water is our most important food. From a national perspective, the water supply in Lower Austria is currently of a very high standard. In order to guarantee this standard also in the future, not only the groundwater resources themselves must be protected, but also the associated supply structures must be maintained and further expanded. In large parts of Lower Austria, groundwater is of drinking water quality, so that it can be used as drinking water without the need for costly treatment measures. In some regions, however, the drinking water quality of the groundwater is endangered by contamination from various sources. Hormone-disrupting chemicals, so-called endocrine disruptors, are a known hazard. These hormone-like substances are found in many plastics and also in cosmetics and are therefore unfortunately omnipresent. They enter surface waters through sewage treatment plant effluents. It has already been sufficiently proven that these substances in environmentally relevant concentrations have negative effects on the reproduction of vertebrates. In areas where drinking water is obtained as bank filtrate, these water-soluble substances also enter the wells for drinking water production. This means that the contamination of surface waters with endocrine disruptors is relevant to humans and affects their health. It is known from the literature that polyamide fibres are particularly well suited to absorb endocrine active substances. A filter stand is to be designed from polyamide fibres (e.g.: waste from the textile industry) to test how effectively endocrine disruptors can be removed from the water.