Working priorities of this Department are:
Resource and Energy management
- Sewage and waste as an energy source
- Anaerobic technology (co-digestion, biogas, hydrogen production)
- Nutrient recovery
- Hybrid systems
- Energy optimization
- Life Cycle Assessment
River Basin Management
- Entry modeling
- Water quality
- Pollutants
- Matter Transport and Reactions
- Development measures
Urban Water Management
- Citydrainage
- Stormwater management
- Urban waters
- Matter transport, -retention and transformation in catchments
- Modeling
- Process development
Adepted Technologies
- Decentralised systems
- Rainwater harvesting
- Customized Water Supply
- Customized Sanitation
- Wastewater reuse
- Anaerobic systems
- Biogas technology
- Biofilm systems
Division 1: Process Technology
Process Technology within Wastewater, Water and Solid Waste Treatment
- Nutrient Recovery ( Phosphorus: Crystallisation Technology, MAP Precipitation; Nitrogen: Ion Ex-change using Zeolites)
- Enhanced Wastewater Treatment (Precipitation, Flocculation, Phase Separation, Chemical Oxidation Processes)
- Application of Sophisticated Measurement Tools (Zeta Potential, Particle Size Distribution (PSD) and Settling Velocity)
- Concept Development for Industrial Wastewater and Leachate Treatment
- Characterisation of Organic Substrates for their Suitability as External Carbon Sources and their Gas Production Potential within Co-Digestion
- Quantification of the Co-digestibility of Solid and Liquid Organic Wastes
- Sewage Sludge Treatment, Conditioning and Valuable Matter Recycling
- Optimisation of Wastewater Chemical’s Application
- Energy Optimisation
- System Analysis, Supervision and Consulting of Plant Operators, Industry and Water Authorities
Left: Pre-treatment of biowaste for co-digestion (screens to separate floating and light density matter out of the pulper); Right: Zeolites of different proveniences and different particle sizes for the ammonia exchange process)
Biofilm Technology
- Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) for Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment
- Suspended Carrier Media (MBBR) to increase the Capacity of Activated Sludge Systems and to Unload the Secondary Clarifiers
- Biofilm Characterisation (Biofilm Thickness, Oxygen Profiles, Activity Tests)
- Simulation of Biofilm Systems
Left: RBC plant for municipal wastewater treatment; Right: Suspended carriers with and without biofilm growth (Moving bed biofilm technology: Kaldnes carriers ® with a specific surface of 500m2/m3).
Division 2: Water Quality Management
River Basin Management
- Application of Physical Based Models for the Description of Relevant Transport and Retention Pro-cesses
- Development of Conceptual Models for the Quantification of Emissions into Surface Waters
- Investigation of Transport and Retention Processes in Catchment and in Water Bodies
- Identification of Source of Anthropogenic Pollutants
- Data Collection, Analysis and Management
- Formulation of Efficient Mitigation Measures to Reduce Water Pollution on the Scale of River Basins
- Freshwater Ecology
Left: Scheme of river basin model refined by deterministic and/or physical approaches; Right: Exemplary presentation of the results of the specific copper emission in river basins of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Storm Water Treatment / Storm Water Management
- Scientific Support and Examination of Large-Scale Plants Treating Storm Water Runoff
- Laboratory and Field Trials / Monitoring
- Establishing the Physical, Chemical and Microbiological Basis of Treatment Processes
- Development of New Tools for the Treatment of Storm Water
- Modelling of Storm Water Runoff and Quality
- Storm Water Reuse and Infiltration
- Support of Organisations and Authorities
Left: Components of soil filter system for secondary treatment of storm water: The interaction of filtration, sorption and microbiological turnover provides permanent high efficiency for dissolved and particulate pollutants;
Right: Components of a sedimentation tank with increased sedimentation efficiency: Lamella plates reducing surface load and improving flow conditions.
Division 3: Semi- and Decentralised Systems
Process Technology within Decentralised Wastewater, Water and Solid Waste Treatment
- Anaerobic Treatment Systems and Biogas Production
- Operational Optimisation of Small Wastewater Treatment Plants (especially under discontinuous and seasonal loading conditions)
- Black, Yellow and Brown Water Treatment
- Degradability Investigations of Various Grey Water Components
- Wastewater Reuse
Left: Wastewater treatment and production in Morocco; Right: Site optimisation for decentralised wastewater treatment systems (settlement 1 and 2: decentralised solution; settlement 3: centralised treatment)
Concept Development and Site Optimisation
- Concept Development for Waste and Wastewater Treatment Systems in Developing Countries
- Site Optimisation
- Rainwater Treatment, Rainwater Harvesting and Infiltration
- Operator Models for Wastewater and Waste Management in Rural Areas
Left: Sanitation and waste management of a municipality in Indonesia; Right: Sketch of a waste and wastewater concept for nutrient and energetic reuse of waste constituents