Research Projects – Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management

AKIZ - Integrated Wastewater Concept for Industrial Zones (German-Vietnamese joint research project)

Using containerized pilot plants for different branches in Tra Noc Industrial Zone, high-tech solutions for pre-treatment of wastewaters, generation of energy from wastewater and recuperation of valuable substances are adapted and verified by on-site pilot systems, taking into consideration the local conditions. Concepts for sewage sludge management are investigated. Monitoring surveys create the database for control mechanisms especially in terms of toxic wastewaters. Furthermore, sociological and ecological aspects are researched. The sustainable implementation of AKIZ shall be supported through capacity building for stakeholders and local partners.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Dipl.-Ing. Niklas Trautman

Year: 2010

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)

Duration: 2010 -2014

The development of a deammonification treatment to remove nitrogen from recirculated water used in aquaculture (DeamRecirc)

DeammRecirc aims at the development of a deammonification treatment to remove nitrogen from recirculated water used in aquaculture.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Klaus Nelting, M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing. Yvonne Schneider

Year: 2011

Funding: European Union

Duration: 01/2011 - 12/2012

Reduction of N2O emissions from wastewater treatment plants - measurements, modeling and process optimization (RENEMO)

Recently, a more integrated view of greenhouse gas emissions from WWTPs has gained more and more attention. Preliminary studies indicated that apart from indirect emissions from electricity production the direct emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) from biological processes at WWTPs might also play a major role in the CO2-footprint and should be included in life-cycle assessments. Lacking reliable scientific quantification of nitrous oxide from specific treatment processes, currently standard factors (developed by the IPCC) are used to estimate N2O emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants for the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories required by the United Nations‟ Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol. For this purpose it is important to close the current research gaps of reliable quantification of N2O and improving the understanding of the biological processes.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: M. Eng. Celso Cristino da Silva, Dipl.-Ing. Benjamin Vogel

Year: 2012

Funding: BMBF within the context of promoting bilateral research projects in the field of sustainability in cooperation with Poland

Duration: 05/2012 - 04/2014

INHAND - Integrated Water Management Concept for Craft Villages in Vietnam

The project Integrated Water Management Concept for Craft Villages in Vietnam (INHAND) focuses on a food processing craft village in Vietnam - main product is wine from cassava and rice. Wastewater from this production and households is currently drained untreated into the surrounding rice fields. The objective of INHAND is to develop a wastewater management system and a pilot plant for the village. The pilot plant will be designed as a three step pilot plant: aerobic treatment of the wastewater, anaerobic treatment of the waste streams and a digester drying facility.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Dipl.-Ing. Sebastian Meier

Year: 2012

Funding: BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Potential and limitations of phosphorus recovery for wastewater treatment plants with enhanced biological phosphorus removal in Lower Saxony

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Dr.-Ing. Yvonne Schneider; Christian Lorek, M.Sc.

Year: 2016

Funding: Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie und Klimaschutz Niedersachsen

Duration: 05/2014 – 01/2016

Vergleichende CO2- Bilanzierung der Abfallwirtschaft in der Region Hannover für die Jahre 2004, 2006, 2012 und 2015 mit Prognose für den Standort Lahe

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Dipl.-Ing. Charlotte Goletz

Year: 2017

Funding: Aha Abfallwirtschaft Region Hannover

Duration: 04/2016 – 02/2017

Smart Technologies for Sustainable Water Management in Urban Catchments as KEY Contribution to Sponge Cities

In close coordination with local implementation partners, the KEYS joint project in the capital Beijing addresses the "sponge city concept" that is being pursued with great energy in China. Another wastewater technology focus is being pursued in the metropolis of Shenzhen.

Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Köster

Team: Manig, N.; Feng, T.; Elsner, K.; Kabisch, N.; Itani, H.; Feldkämper, I.;

Year: 2018

Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) im Rahmen der Initiative "CLIENT II - Internationale Partnerschaften für nachhaltige Innovationen"

Duration: 08/2018 - 01/2022

MoHaOrg - Ertüchtigung von vorhandenen dezentralen Regenwasserbehandlungssystemen am Beispiel des Nassschlammfangs Modell Hannover unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Einflusses von Organik

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Kristina Elsner, M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing. Franziska Verworn

Year: 2018

Funding: DBU

Duration: 02/2017 – 11/2018

EXPOPLAN - Development and implementation of a planning tool for the application of EXPOVAL results in plant design abroad

In EXPOPLAN, the design algorithms developed in the previous EXPOVAL project are transferred to a planning tool and methods for economic and ecological evaluation are supplemented. The aim is to develop a planning tool for process chain evaluation.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Nils-Kristof Kabisch, M.Sc.

Year: 2019

Funding: BMBF

Duration: 08/2017 - 07/2019

Development of an Capacity Building Program International certificate course for Circular Economy & Waste Management

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Shivali Sugandh, M.Sc.; Leo Fuhrmann, M.Sc.

Year: 2019

Duration: 01/2019 - 10/2019

RESERVES - Resource and energy reliability by co-digestion of veg-market and slaughterhouse waste

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Moni Mondal, M.Sc.

Year: 2019

Funding: BMBF, IGSTC Indo German Science & Technology Center

Duration: 11/2015 - 12/2019

WaReIp - Water-Reuse in industrial parks

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Dagmar Pohl, M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing. Alicja Yogendran

Year: 2019

Funding: BMBF - Fördermaßnahme WavE

Duration: 10/2016 – 09/2020

EEWBrueden: Scientific concept study for the treatment of exhaust vapour condensates from the thermal drying of municipal sewage sludge

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Dipl.-Ing. Alicja Yogendran, Dagmar Pohl, M.Sc.

Year: 2019

Funding: eew Energy from Waste GmbH

Duration: 09/2018 - 11/2019

AMIRA

Led by: Prof. Regina Nogueira

Team: Somayeh Bahmanabad Narsiri

Year: 2020

Funding: DFG

Duration: 09/2018 - 08/2020

Production of biopolymer from wastewater

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable polymer, which are naturally produced by many different bacteria and algae as an intracellular storage material. They have thermoplastic properties comparable to those of petroleum-based polyolefin and can substitute conventional plastics

Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Regina Nogueira

Team: Pravesh Tamang, M. Tech.

Year: 2021

Duration: 01/2018 - 12/2021

MiNzE: Minimization of the CO2 footprint through adapted process development in process water treatment - Testing of the MiNzE process in submerged fixed beds

Process development and semi-technical testing for the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions from deammonification in the sidestream of municipal WWTPs.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Arne Freyschmidt, M. Sc.

Year: 2021

Funding: BMBF / KMU-innovativ

Duration: 12/2018 - 05/2021

SCREENING

Led by: Prof. Dr. Ing. Regina Nogueira

Team: Dr. Urda Düker, Estefania Carpio

Year: 2021

MABIKU

Led by: Prof. Regina Nogueira

Team: Aniruddha Bhalerao

Year: 2022

OSCAR - Online Modeling, Simulation and Remote Control System for environmental technologies on-board (Cruise) Ships (OSCAR)

OSCAR aims to take a decisive development step towards improving the quality of environmental protection on board (cruise) ships by extending maritime digitalisation to on-board environmental process technology. The aim is to develop and test a system that will enable monitoring and, in perspective, remote control of the complex, mainly biological treatment processes from the relevant environmental segments of waste water and organic waste on board (cruise) ships. Initial point for a later centralized fleet management of the treatment processes. Furthermore, the supply of an additive based on digestate for the direct de-NOxing of ship exhaust gases is included in the overall consideration.

Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Köster

Team: Dagmar Pohl, M. Sc. & Kai Schumüller, M. Sc.

Year: 2022

Funding: BMWi - Maritimes Forschungsprogramm

Duration: 07/2019 - 06/2022

PYRASOL - Smart Cities integrated energy supply, carbon sequestration and urban organic waste treatment through combined solar sludge drying and pyrolysis

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Moni Mohan Mondal, M.Sc., Rahul Ramesh Nair, M. Eng

Year: 2022

Funding: BMBF, IGSTC Indo German Science & Technology Center

Duration: 04/2018 - 6/2022

TransMiT - Resource-optimised transformation of combined and separate drainage systems in existing quarters with high population pressure

Increasing heavy rainfall events and growing urban quarters bring major challenges for urban drainage systems. The example of three districts in the cities of Braunschweig, Hanover and Hildesheim shows how urban planning and water management aspects can be linked in the long term.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Jessica Gerstendörfer, Kim Zieseniß, Nils Kabisch, Estefania Carpio

Year: 2022

Funding: BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Duration: 04/2019 - 03/2022

KompaGG-N - Complete Treatment of Manure and Digestate: Process Developement in Consideration of Regional Substance Flow Concepts for Nutrients and Pollutants

The goal of KompaGG-N is the development of a robust and economically viable process chain for a complete treatment of manure and digestate. The regional and case specific nutrient flows (mainly nitrogen) play an important role in this regard, for the process chain is to be locally embedded. Additionally the influence of treatment on the remain of pollutants such as genes and bacteria resistant to antibiotics is investigated.

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Johannes Reiter, M. Sc.

Year: 2023

Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) im Rahmen des Förderprogramms "KMU-Innovativ"

Duration: 09/2019 - 02/2023

Daumen 3.0 - Practical implementation of the DAUMEN process for the use of raw fibre-rich substrates in biogas plants; sub-project 1: Process engineering implementation and practical evaluation

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Lukas Illi, M.Sc.

Year: 2023

Funding: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL), Projektträger: FNR (Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe)

Duration: 10/2020 - 09/2023

CLEAN - Cruise Liners: Efficient onboard Anaerobic digestioN of organic wastes for energy recovery

Anaerobic digestion onboard of cruise ships

Led by: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Köster

Team: Kai Schumüller, M. Sc., Dagmar Pohl, M.Sc.

Year: 2024

Funding: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) - Maritimes Forschungsprogramm

Duration: 08/2017 - 12/2024

TransKOM - Integration of Resource-Optimised Separate Drainage through Transformation of Municipal Planning Processes for Existing Neighbourhoods

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier

Team: Greta Hadler

Year: 2024

Funding: BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Duration: 09/2022 - 08/2025

Oxi-Loc - Sustainable and exemplary treatment of residual gas emissions from landfills in the aftercare phase using the example of the old landfill Loccum

Led by: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Tim Kappmeier, M. Sc.

Year: 2024

Funding: Land Niedersachsen – Umweltbundesamt (Klimaschutzinitiative Niedersachsen)

Duration: 07/2022 - 06/2024

SeWAGE PLANT H -SeWAGE PLANT H - Sector-coupled production of hydrogen, oxygen and waste heat at the large-scale waste water treatment plant in Hannover-Herrenhausen, Germany

Led by: Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier, PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe

Team: Sara Zahedi Nezhad, Arne Freyschmidt

Year: 2025

Funding: Land Niedersachsen (niedersächsische Wasserstoffförderrichtlinie)

Duration: 09/2021 - 12/2025