Drinking water is the most important source of nourishment, and it is irreplaceable. What is involved here is sweet (fresh) water with a high degree of purity, as a result of which it is suitable for use by humans. In Central Europe, drinking water is mainly obtained from ground water and transported to the user through a water distribution system.
The GECO►C team is involved, as part of a EU project, in carrying out research into the contamination of drinking water by legionella bacteria. The bacteria were recorded for the first time in Minnesota in 1957 and since then have become a worldwide health problem. They were known as the cause of the socalled legionnaires’ disease. Investigations by the EU have revealed that there has been an increase in recorded cases of legionellosis within the European Union.
The main aim of the project is the development, implementation and testing of an innovative, analytical watertreatment system that is based on new, mercury-free types of microelectrodes which are combined with a self-learning, intelligent control algorithm. In this way, those substances that cause the disease are intended to be eliminated from drinking water.
