SUSNANO targeting
water pollution in Albania
Albania is a country rich in freshwater resources with approximately 150 streams and rivers flowing from east to west. The water of the rivers is used in urban areas, agriculture, aquaculture, recreation, hydropower, and industry. There are a number of deltas, lagoons and wetlands in western Albania, which are critical because of their tremendous biodiversity and their function as wildlife habitats.
For this reason, the wetlands have both national and international protection status. However, Albania’s water quality has deteriorated significantly over the last several decades. Water pollution due to high concentrations of N and P come from a growing number of fertilizer and pesticide storage facilities, other identified point sources, industrial or urban, and urban liquid and solid waste. Furthermore, antibiotic contamination is a pollution issue due to poor control and overconsumption of antibiotic medications in the healthcare and veterinary sectors.
Hydrographic map of Albania modified after UNEP (2000) (miho et al., 2013).
SUSNANO project will DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE NANOSENSORS and DEMONSTRATE them in Albania’s rivers and lakes. It will help to:
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Document all sources of water contamination and types of organic and inorganic contaminants
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Quantify amounts and fluxes of contaminants from sources to surface and ground waters
Project objectives
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1
Conduct exploratory research on sustainable nanosensors to detect water pollution in Albania
4
Improve UT’s management and administrative capacity for European R&D programmes
2
Transfer knowledge between experienced researchers of UT and the Twinning partners
3
Enhance career prospects of early-stage researchers of UT and the Twinning partners
5
Raise the research profile of UT and the Twinning partners
Project Team
The Principal Investigators of the partner institutions have strong research background and capacities to implement the project and achieve its objectives.
