Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste ...

Waste Water Technology AWT
Wastewater engineering
Main research topics:
• Membrane processes for wastewater
treatment and water reuse
• Elimination of persistent organic
pollutants
• Use of fuel cell technology at
wastewater treatment plants
• Biogenic hydrogen production
• Process and plant optimisation
• Nutrients recovery from sewage
sludge
• Treatment of process water from
sludge treatment
• Biological wastewater treatment
in fixed-bed reactors
• Infiltration water in municipal
wastewater treatment plants
• Methods for wastewater disinfection
• Decentralized wastewater treatment
processes
• Concepts of integrated urban water
management
Our working department „Wastewater Engineering” teaches, researches and advises on the diverse
field of municipal wastewater treatment.
Main focus of our activities is the academic training of
students in the field of sanitary environmental engineering,
the research on current issues in wastewater
technology, education and training of personnel for
wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks,
as well as independent consulting of plant operators
and engineering companies regarding all aspects of
the operation and planning of wastewater treatment
plants. The aim of our training, consulting and research
activities is to achieve a sustainable water resources
protection, by taking economic aspects into
account as well.
Our department contributed to significant developments
in the wastewater treatment field in Germany.
For example, in 1982, the first experiments on the separation
of activated sludge by membranes took place
here. This method has considerably increased its importance
later on. In research projects we deal with
the application of membrane technology for the retention
of pathogens and persistent organic pollutants.
Besides improvement of the treatment efficiency of
the sewage treatment plants, we are developing and
testing strategies for the future use of energy and material
flows in settlement areas. The feasibility of closing
energy and material flow circuits are both subject
of fundamental, as well as applied research. Current
research topics include the production of secondary
fuels, such as hydrogen from wastewater and the recovery
of resources, such as phosphorus from sewage
sludge.
But we also deal with problems related to the daily
wastewater practice, such as the impact of infiltration
water on the operation of wastewater treatment plants
or the optimisation of phosphorus elimination. Therefore
we provide concepts and solutions.
In addition, the department has a certified test field for
small wastewater treatment plants according to DIN
EN 12566-3 and the requirements of the Deutsches
Institut für Bautechnik.
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