This area of research involves developing innovative methods and concepts for wastewater treatment from the laboratory to the industrial scale and their technological implementation. Under the coordination of Karl Svardal und Norbert Kreuzinger, methodologies are developed and assessed in order to optimize municipal and industrial wastewater treatment processes technically and operationally.

To improve the system awareness under variable process conditions, dynamic models for the simulation of different operating parameters and treatment targets are introduced that help develop optimised strategies for different system conditions.

As a sink for a wide range of wastewater constituents, sewage sludge is gaining in importance not only as a resource of nutrients (as in phosphorus recycling), but also as an energy source. The focus of research is concerned with making advancements in the production of energy from sewage sludge, also in combination with organic waste, in order to achieve energy self supply.

In addition to projects on process optimisation in wastewater treatment systems for the industrial sector, we also work on developing new treatment processes that are designed for specific, usually industrial, needs and problems.

The main focus of the research group is on Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the urban water cycle.

The behavior of

• organic trace compounds
• engineered nanoparticles
• microplastics
• antibiotic resistance

in wastewater treatment processes and the aquatic environment is examined. The group also adresses practical implementation issues.