In Germany, more than 70 % of the water used for drinking water production comes from groundwater reservoirs. Due to intensive livestock farming and usage of fertilizers high concentrations of nitrate are leaching through soils into the groundwater reservoirs.
In my thesis I deal with the removal of nitrate from groundwater using bioelectrochemical systems. In such a system the nitrate is reduced in an electrochemically active biofilm established at the cathode. Harmless elementary nitrogen and water are the products of this reaction.
Another problem is the high concentration of ammonia in municipal waste water. In order to remove the ammonia a bioelectrochemical system will be established where the ammonia will be oxidised to elementary nitrogen and water in a biofilm attached to the anode.