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Solutions
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Water analysis Conducting and evaluating physical-chemical and microbiological water testing in accordance with the German Drinking Water Ordinance and other relevant legal regulations.
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Testing of products and devices Initial testing of products and materials in contact with drinking water. Our Test Centre is accredited for more than 200 different product standards according to DIN EN ISO 17025. Test and develop UV technology.
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Treatment technologies Develop sustainable water supply concepts. Implement, monitor and optimise new technologies. Test and further develop existing treatment methods.
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Micropollutants and microorganisms Develop and improve the method of determination using cutting-edge equipment. Investigate the presence, behaviour and retention of inorganic and organic micropollutants in the water cycle and drinking water treatment.
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Network management and drinking water installation Microbiological quality change, deposit formation and cleaning and optimisation of the distribution network operation. Evaluate and analyse corrosion damage.
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Risk management Support for water supply companies to establish a Water Safety Plan. Benefit from our extensive expertise.
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Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites Evaluation of the decomposition potential at contaminated locations. Development of sustainable ways to eliminate pollutants from the environment. Employ a combination of microbiological and technical methods.
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Research
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Resource protection Protection of water resources, risk management in water catchment areas
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Environmental biotechnology Technical and biological methods for the elimination of microorganisms, microbiological degradation processes
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Microorganisms Developing and applying reliable and sensitive detection methods, evaluating disinfection and treatment measures
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Micropollutants Determination of micropollutants, transformation products and microplastics reliably and sensitively, investigate behaviour in the water cycle, qualified risk assessment
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Waste water and water cycle Use of biological decomposition, developing integrated water supply and waste water management concepts
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New technologies and products Testing and optimizing processes and products to treat, disinfect and post-process drinking water for efficiency, security and robustness
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Asset management and infrastructure Development of management strategies and innovative tools to evaluate the condition of the supply network and its components
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Safety and security, digitalisation and management Digital transformation in public drinking water supply, increase the safety and security of drinking water supply
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- Projects
- About TZW
- Information

Sustainable concepts
We research, advise and test. Those are the basis for future-proof solutions. As a qualified partner, we support our customers from the water supply sector, industry, authorities and universities and jointly develop concepts for the future. Learn more about our involvement in national and international networks of water experts.
Our profile
Mission and tasks
At TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (German Water Centre) water is the focus of all activities. The sustainable protection of water resources and innovative solutions for drinking water supply and waste water disposal are core elements. In cooperation with leading international water research institutes, TZW considers itself as a driving force in the development of sustainable concepts for the future of water supply. Our expertise is based on the results of almost 50 research projects annually that are funded by national or international funding bodies and agencies.
The mission statement reflects the essential values of our activities.
Our more than 1,000 customers come from the water supply sector, industry, authorities and universities. We develop new and sustainable concepts for them in close interaction between science and practice. Our interdisciplinary teams are experts working in the areas of water chemistry, water microbiology, water supply, water distribution and the test centre. Approximately 180 highly qualified staff members from the specialist fields of chemistry, biology, physics, environmental science, process engineering and materials science work in application-oriented research and scientific consultation.
Facts and figures
The annual budget of approx. 18 million euro comes primarily from research funding, practical research contracts and technical and scientific studies. TZW is part of DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) and a non-profit and independent institution. TZW emerged in 1991 from the DVGW Research Centre at the Engler-Bunte Institute of today's KIT of the University of Karlsruhe. The founding fathers were Prof. Sontheimer, Prof. Ulmer and Prof. Kühn, who headed the TZW for many years.
We have compiled the most important steps in the past 30 years in the chronicle “TZW’s history”.
All essential information about TZW, figures and data, fields of activity and projects can be found compactly in the current TZW Annual report. You can read, dowlnoad or order the Annual report and other publications online here.
We are accredited according to the international standard DIN EN ISO 17025 for our extensive analysis and testing work.
TZW is part of the DVGW group
TZW is an institution of the DVGW – German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water. The DVGW sets the benchmark for the future of Germany’s gas and water sector – as a recognised legislator, innovative designer, sponsor and service provider. It undertakes the following core tasks:
- Technical guidelines and standardisation
- Research and development
- Testing and certification
- Professional training and qualification
The journal “energie wasser praxis” reports on all topics from the gas and water industry.
DVGW Cert GmbH meets all the necessary certification procedures in the gas and water sector. The Test centre at TZW works closely with DVGW Cert GmbH on all product certification matters.