On May 14th, the conference “WaterTalks – PFAS in the Water Cycle: Sector Innovation and Challenges” took place. The event was co-organized by the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP), IQS Barcelona, Eurecat, and ICRA to address the environmental, regulatory, and technological challenges of these emerging contaminants.

During the event, ICRA researcher Wolfgang Gernjak, together with Cristina Barberà (ACA), presented the new “Guidelines for the Removal of PFAS in Water Purification”. This document serves as a key tool to provide technical support to operators and local authorities, particularly in small and medium-sized municipalities, in the face of new regulatory requirements.

Furthermore, in the R&D session, researcher Nick Duinslaeger (GRAPHEC / ICRA) presented the institute’s progress in transferring research into market solutions, showcasing an innovative technology based on the electrochemical destruction of PFAS using graphene.

The conference concluded with a showcase of technological solutions from various companies and a panel discussion featuring operators such as Aigües de Barcelona, Aigües de Vic, EMATSA, and LABAQUA. In this debate, moderated by the CWP, practical experiences regarding monitoring, sustainability, and cost management were shared. Finally, the president of the CWP, Jordi Cros, closed the event by emphasizing the need to build shared visions to tackle this major sector challenge.

More details in the official post here.