Raw materials from wastewater - 21/12/2022 Wastewater treatment plants as biorefineries: the RoKKa project RoKKa, a joint project coordinated by the Fraunhofer IGB, is testing methods for recovering raw materials such as phosphorus and nitrogen compounds to produce fertiliser from municipal and industrial wastewater in a climate-neutral way. These new methods are being investigated under real conditions at wastewater treatment plants in the Ulm area with a view to developing them into sustainable biorefineries.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/wastewater-treatment-plants-biorefineries-rokka-project
Büsnau biorefinery - 05/10/2022 KoalAplan: municipal wastewater as a source of recyclable materials Our wastewater not only contains dirt and excretions, but is also rich in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, which can be recovered. A sewage plant can thus become a source of raw materials. In the KoalAplan project, a new type of biorefinery will be used to convert the carbon recovered from wastewater into sustainable products.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/koalaplan-municipal-wastewater-source-recyclable-materials
Press release - 02/03/2022 Biorefinery project KoalAplan is extracting raw materials from wastewater The Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector is funding the KoalAplan project, which extends the functional scope of a wastewater treatment plant. The project, based in the Stuttgart district of Büsnau, aims at recovering raw materials from wastewater and is therefore making a positive contribution to climate neutrality, as the products obtained replace fossil raw materials and energy-intensive processes.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biorefinery-project-koalaplan-extracting-raw-materials-wastewater
Press release - 02/03/2022 Pilot project RoKKa uses wastewater to produce fertiliser and raw materials The Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector is funding the new research project RoKKa which is used to prove the viability of recovering raw materials from wastewater. This adds a crucial function to the scope of a conventional sewage treatment plant. Together with the operators of the sewage treatment plants in Erbach and Neu-Ulm, the project partners demonstrate the positive contribution towards climate protection…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/die-klaeranlage-der-zukunft-heisst-bioraffinerie
Press release - 21/12/2020 How Do We Want to Run Our Economy and Production? The wastewater treatment plant is turned into a vegetable farm, bio-based substances recovered from waste are being utilized to prevent oxidative spoilage in food packaging or provide environmentally-friendly and safe water-repellent coatings on functional textiles. In the EVOBIO project coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, 19 Fraunhofer Institutes are working on solutions for a sustainable economy.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/How-Do-We-Want-to-Run-Our-Economy-and-Production
Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge - 21/10/2020 Bacteria help to recycle phosphorus Biotechnology for the bioeconomy: in something known as the P-bac process, sulphur bacteria extract phosphorus from sewage sludge ash. Phosphorus is one of the key building blocks of life and an essential nutrient for plant growth. When there is not enough phosphorus in the soil, farmers apply it via organic or mineral fertilisers.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bacteria-help-recycle-phosphorus
Article - 24/01/2019 Scientists to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater In Germany, around 1,500 tonnes of antibiotics per year are administered to humans and animals. As a result, more and more bacteria are developing resistance to common antibiotics. As part of HyReKA, a cooperative project funded by the BMBF, scientists led by Professor Thomas Schwartz from the KIT are investigating how antibiotic-resistant pathogens spread and how they can be prevented from doing so.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/scientists-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-in-wastewater
Article - 25/01/2018 Ö-Klo: recovering valuable materials by composting toilets The Freiburg-based start-up company Ö-Klo leases composting toilets and is committed to the recovery of human urine and faeces. The young Ö-Klo entrepreneurs believe that reviving natural material cycles of soil, plants, food and excreta is crucial in times when natural resources such as phosphorus are dwindling. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/oe-klo-recovering-valuable-materials-by-composting-toilets
Press release - 18/01/2018 Wood for clothing, reducing microplastics in our seas: VAUDE participates in the TextileMission research project Together with various partners from environmental associations, the scientific community and the textile industry, VAUDE has launched the TextileMission research project. The goal is to find solutions that will reduce the environmental impact of microplastics released when synthetic apparel is washed. VAUDE is excited about the initial successful developments. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/wood-for-clothing-reducing-microplastics-in-our-seas-vaude-participates-in-the-textilemission-research-project
Article - 11/10/2016 Nanofur for cleaning up accidental oil spills in water Accidental oil spills such as those following oil disasters need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible. Researchers from the KIT in Karlsruhe have now developed an environmentally friendly process that can eliminate oil spills effectively. Nanofur is a material that imitates the fine hairs of aquatic ferns and is capable of absorbing large amounts of oil within a relatively short time.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nanofur-for-cleaning-up-accidental-oil-spills-in-water
Article - 29/02/2016 Biopower made from wastewater Researchers worldwide are working to develop new technologies for producing clean energy. A team of researchers led by Sven Kerzenmacher at the University of Freiburg's Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) is interested in combining wastewater and bacteria, an approach that is both unusual and promising.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biopower-made-from-wastewater
Article - 01/02/2016 Phosphorus recycling – valuable materials from sewage plants Modern agriculture relies on phosphorus in the form of chemical fertilisers to provide plants with vital nutrients. However, huge amounts of this valuable raw material end up in our sewage plants. Two new methods to recover phosphorus from wastewater could potentially contribute to the sustainable use of phosphorus in the not-too-distant future. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/phosphor-recycling-wertstoffe-aus-der-klaeranlage
Article - 11/11/2015 A metal enzyme that can cleave benzene rings Aromatic rings are extremely stable and very difficult to break apart. Prof. Dr. Matthias Boll from the University of Freiburg’s Faculty of Biology and his team work with Geobacter metallireducens, a bacterium that can completely degrade aromatic compounds under strictly anaerobic conditions. While the biological degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons is of global relevance, the chemical resulting from the reduction of benzene rings could also be…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/a-metal-enzyme-that-can-cleave-benzene-rings
Article - 13/07/2015 Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge The chemical element phosphorus, which is mainly used as a fertiliser in agriculture, is a key building block for all life forms. Phosphorus cannot be substituted by other elements or produced synthetically. In addition, it is scarce on Earth and the majority of phosphate rock preserves are located in just a handful of countries. A European-wide research project on phosphorus recycling now presents ways of producing the precious raw material from…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/recovering-phosphorus-from-sewage-sludge
Article - 14/04/2014 WEHRLE Umwelt GmbH: Smart process water treatment reduces operating costs Reducing energy consumption by 8,000 kWh and being able to generate 15,000 kWh of electrical power per day can save 500,000 euros operating costs in a year, as a project carried out by WEHRLE Umwelt GmbH on behalf of a pharmaceutical company found. WEHRLE Umwelt has been working with environmental technologies for over 30 years, principally focussing on plants for industrial wastewater treatment. The company offers intelligent solutions that are…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/wehrle-umwelt-gmbh-smart-process-water-treatment-reduces-operating-costs
Article - 03/12/2012 Early pollutant warning system for sewage plants Technologies that can help identify pollutants in the wastewater treated in sewage plants are urgently needed. LimCo International GmbH might have a solution. The Konstanz-based company has developed a fully-automated early warning system for monitoring the quality of water and sediment in sewage plants and waterworks. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/early-pollutant-warning-system-for-sewage-plants
Press release - 03/08/2012 Using wastewater as fertilizer Sewage sludge, wastewater and liquid manure are valuable sources of fertilizer for food production. Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a chemical-free, eco-friendly process that enables the recovered salts to be converted directly into organic food for crop plants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/using-wastewater-as-fertilizer
Article - 07/05/2012 Wastewater is not just boring old waste – it is an alternative source of energy In view of the changing climate and the finiteness of fossil resources, research into renewable energies is gaining in importance. One of the things that researchers have been looking into for quite some time is different possibilities to use organic wastewater compounds as sustainable energy sources. Carsten Meyer from the University of Stuttgart works on the generation of alternative energy sources. Together with his team of researchers, Meyer…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/wastewater-is-not-just-boring-old-waste-it-is-an-alternative-source-of-energy
Article - 28/11/2011 Wastewater treatment plants produce more than just clean water The German city of Stuttgart purifies 27 million litres of wastewater every hour thus eliminating up to 95 per cent of the organic compounds. Scientists are now trying to find ways to use wastewater treatment plants for purposes other than the purification of wastewater. Besides making the purification of water more effective and complete the scientists are investigating whether fertilisers and hydrogen can be produced during the reclamation…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/wastewater-treatment-plants-produce-more-than-just-clean-water