Mechanical Process Engineering/Water Technology Active Coal with Attraction

Medicine, chemicals, supplements as caffeine and the sweetener Acesulfam: Since small amounts of those micropollutants could be indicated in waters, their elimination has become an important issue. With the use of a modified active coal, Grit Hoffmann from the field of Water Tech at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), wants to get rid of them. Active coal absorption, where the ingredients of the water settle at the fragile pores of the coal, has proven as successful in removing micropollutants. Financially supported by the CV Economic Promotion Essen, Hoffmann’s research is just at its very beginning. However, it might, for instance contribute to the improvement of the four cleaning stages in sewage treatment plants, or the drinking water production.

Topics 8 and 9 of the European Green Capital: Water Economy and Sewage Management

Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecosystem Reserach DNA-based Stream Evaluation

Vaso Elbrecht has co-developed the new method of DNA-based water evaluation at the UDE and is proud of the new possibility to practically apply this method: “It works like a barcode scanner at the supermarket, and we are even capable of evaluating the whole ‘shopping’ alltogether.” The effectiveness of the scanner proved itself in context of the testing of Finnish streams: In comparison to common water analysis methods, twice as much kinds could be detected. In the future, the number of detected kinds might even increase, Prof. Dr. Florian Leese adds: “This is the case, since the reference data bases, which are necessary for the classification and the comparison, are not yet completely filled.” The more precise the water evaluation, the better rivers and streams, which are used for drinking water, can be managed. The latest study proofs that the new method can be translated cost efficiently into practise while providing, in comparison to common kind typologisation, reliable results. Since the beginning of the year, Prof. Leese coordinates the European initiative DNAqua-net, which unifies scientists and practical partners from 43 countries, to introduce this method as large scale-standard.

Topics 4 and 8 of the European Green Capital: Biodiversity and Water Economy 

Centre for Water and Environmental Research Report „How Do We Want to Live Tomorrow? Perspectives on Water Management in Urban Regions”

The University of Duisburg-Essen's Centre for Water and Environmental Research is an interdisciplinary research centre that goes beyond the borders of research branches. In 2003, the Centre has been founded as Centre for Microscale Environmental Systems. With its focus on the topics biodiversity, urban water circles, and water quality, the centre unifies the experience and ressources of those scientists working in the field of water and environmental research as well as those of local experts. The centre is also supporting the main research area “Urban Systems”. A late publication of the Centre for Water and Environmental Research is the report „How Do We Want to Live Tomorrow? Perspectives on Water Management in Urban Regions”, published in June 28th. The report underlines the importance of a responsible handling of the essential resource water as precondition to preserving future generations and future-proof cities. The paper is the result of a workshop in context of water management, which has been attended by 26 young Brazilian and German scientists and organised by then Brazilian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Centre for Water and Environmental Research.

Topics 8 and 9 of the European Green Capital: Water Economy and Sewage Management

IWW Rhine-Westphalian Institute for Water An-Institute of the UDE MULTI-ReUse

To resuse cleansed waste water, instead of leading it back tot he streams, is goal oft he research project MULTI-ReUse of the Mülheim IWW Centre Water, an An-Institute oft he University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE). In the next three years, nine project partners, including the Biofil Centre of the UDE, are developing techniques and methods for the testing of a pilot machine in North Germany, which fosters such a process.

Topic 9 of the European Green Capital: Waste Water

Machine Engineering Projetcs of the Chair of Environmental Process Engineering and Plant Design

The chair’s main focus is set on application-based research and development work. Also, the chair contributes to other university and reserch institutions in projects, which for instance deal with the development of mobile sites for CO2 reduction. For further information, please consult the website of the chair and that which informs about its research and publications.

Topic 7 of the European Green Capital: Waste Management

Centre for Logistics and Traffic (ZLV) Project „EnviChain – Environmental and Supply Chain Management for the Water, Energy and Food Nexus“ and Erasmus Programme EnviChain – the Basis for Sustainable Development (Erasmus+)

The Erasmus+ programme, Key Action 1: Learning Mobility for Individuals, provides opportunities for foreign (PhD) students and scientific staff to improve their skills, enhance their employability and gain cultural awareness. Within the key action, organisations can run “mobility projects” which offer structured study, work experience, job shadowing, training and teaching opportunities to staff and learners. In this frame, the Erasmus+ project “EnviChain – Environmental and Supply Chain Management for the Water, Energy and Food Nexus – the Basis for Sustainable Development” is designed to assist students from Egyptian partner institutions to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on issues related to the main research field of “Water-Energy-Food Nexus” within the research area of Egypt. By opening up to academic courses at the UDE, the participants gain the possibility to attend to relevant courses and contribute within several collaborative measures. The participants stay for a period of six months,whereas scientific staff can apply for scholarships up to ten days. In addition to the scientific support by UDE-scientists from the Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) and the Centre for Logistics and Traffic (ZLV), the students will be provided with working rooms, and have the access to a wide range of literature for their individual and group works. They are expected to develop concepts and solutions according to the main context of W-E-F Nexus in Egypt and to integrate those findings into their academic dissertation. The student’s outputs will be presented and discussed in a colloquium at the end of their stay along with scientific experts and the project coordinators. Moreover, a conjointly publication is aspired. The programme is in English. The cooperation with both Egyptian institutions developed through the research network „ECoL – Emerging Concepts of Logistics“.

Topics 8, 9, and 11 of the European Green Capital: water Economy, Eco-Innovation, and Energy Efficiency

Aquatic Microbiology Group for Aquatic Microbial Ecology (GAME)

As head of the research group Group for Aquatic Microbial Ecology (GAME) at the Aquatic Microbiology at the University of Duisburg-Essen, biologist Dr. Alexander Probst’s and his colleagues’ research focuses on biological recycling in 100 meters deepness and about how microorganisms behave in groundwater.

The research takes places in context of the fourth, seventh, and tenth topic of the European Green Capital: Biodiversity, Waste Management, and Eco-Innovation

Engineer Science Waste Management and Waste Engineering

The research at the department is oriented on key elements of waste management's  current issues. In addition to classical topics in their discipline, the scientists of the department also focus on additional research topics as energetic optimization, and the ecologic evaluation of waste and water scientific sites. In the laboratory as well as in testing halls developments in laboratory- and technical scale are operated to simulate the existing processes and for further development. Intensive regional and international cooperation with companies and organizations is as much a part of the dpartment's work as numerous collaborations with universities and research institutes both at home and abroad.

For moe information, please consult the website of the department.

Topics 7, 8, and 9 of the European Green Capital: Waste Management, Water Economy, and Sewage Management

Competence Field Metropolitan Studies University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr)

In the future, the University Alliance Ruhr (Ger.: Universitätsallianz Ruhr, UA Ruhr) will put together its urban researach in the competence field Metropolitan Research. The alliance’s universities Bochum, Dortmund, and the University of Duisburg-Essen, will share their knowledge in the heterogenous topics of urban studies, which cover issues like energy efficiency, water circles, diversity, logistics, demographic change, controlling, and participation. A target of the alliance’s work will consist in developing solution strategies to recent urban challenges.

All 12 topics of the European Green Capital