One treatment fits all? Not quite
That's the main message our team conveyed to the wonderful crowd joining the Long Night of Research 2026.

We showed how organic micropollutants (pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, personal care products) can be removed from wastewater via quaternary treatment — using oxidation and adsorption.
We used coloured solutions to demonstrate substance-specific removal:

• Blue (substance A) resisted ozonation
• Magenta (substance B) resisted adsorption
• Yellow (substance C) was only partially removed.

The takeaway? A multi-barrier system combining ozonation AND activated carbon works best, BUT there can always be some residuals.
Our young visitors especially loved the hands-on experiments.

Big thanks to Heidi SCHAAR, Norbert Kreuzinger and Liad Weisz!