Minister Manol Genov launched the first quaternary wastewater treatment plant in Bulgaria in the village of Benkovski, Maritsa Municipality - an innovative pilot project. The facility is an impressive result from the interaction between the state, the business, local authorities, and scientific circles, demonstrating the power of modern partnerships for the implementation of high-tech environmental solutions.

"Today we launch a pilot project that marks the beginning of a new stage in water management in Bulgaria. A project that allows the purification from the so-called ‘micro-pollution’, some of the finest and most difficult to detect pollutants in nature. We all know that hormones, antibiotics, cholecins, pesticides, microplastics get into the water. These are substances that are not visible, but can cause serious environmental and health problems. That is why this project is so important, it is a real barrier to a new type of pollution,” emphasized Minister Genov.

He noted that in a number of European countries such as Germany and Switzerland, quaternary treatment is already a standard, and the European Commission is preparing new requirements in this direction. Bulgarian legislation is also about to be updated to meet modern standards.

Minister Genov emphasized that what until recently seemed like an unattainable step for the purification of micropollutants is now a reality. He explicitly congratulated the teams that implemented the project. “I want to congratulate the team of Professor Mandaliev, the Plovdiv Water and Sewerage Company, and everyone who participated in the implementation of the project. This is a true top achievement, uniting institutions, science, and the business. It is an example of what modern innovation projects in Bulgaria should look like. I hope that this experience will be shared and built upon throughout the country.”

The project represents a successful public-private partnership between the municipalities of Maritsa and Plovdiv, the scientific community and the business – Trakia Economic Zone, the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, and the Water and Sewerage Company–Plovdiv. The technology was developed by the Center for Clean Technologies and Resource Efficiency of Biomass at the Agrarian University under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Petar Mandaliev.

The Minister announced that work is underway to establish a specialized laboratory. “The Environment Executive Agency is preparing a laboratory that will be the first in Bulgaria accredited for the analysis of micropollutants. With the support of our colleagues from Pleven, we are building a team that will be able to carry out these studies. This will be a huge step forward for our country,” he expressed conviction.

The ceremony was attended by the regional governor of Plovdiv Prof. Dr. Hristina Yancheva, the mayor of Maritsa Municipality Dimitar Ivanov, the manager of the Water and Sewerage Company–Plovdiv Julian Kovachev, Prof. Dr. Petar Mandaliev, and Eng. Plamen Panchev – co-founder of the Trakia Economic Zone.

What is quaternary treatment?

Modern wastewater contains not only organic pollutants, but also the so-called micropollutants – traces of drugs, hormones, cosmetics, pesticides and microplastics. They can pass through the standard stages of purification and return to nature.

Quaternary purification is a high-tech process that removes precisely these difficult-to-clean substances and improves the quality of the effluent, explains Prof. Dr. Petar Mandaliev. Similar solutions are already widely used in Switzerland and Germany.