An institution of DVGW
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    • Labormitarbeiter an einem LC-MS-Analysegeräte
      Water analysis Conducting and evaluating physical-chemical and microbiological water testing in accordance with German Drinking Water Ordinance and other regulations.
    • Test centre and product testing
      Testing of products and devices Initial testing of products and materials in contact with drinking water. The test centre is accredited for more than 200 product standards.
    • Two employees in front of a test facility
      Treatment technologies Develop sustainable water supply concepts. Implement, monitor and optimise new technologies. Test and further develop existing treatment methods.
    • Employee next to a bio-analyser
      Micropollutants and microorganisms Development and improvement of determination procedures. Investigating occurrence, behaviour and fate of inorganic and organic trace substances.
    • Flushing the drinking water network, starting from a car
      Network management and drinking water installation Advice on safeguarding the quality of drinking water in the distribution system, support in the development of specific network management strategies.
    • Well for drinking water production
      Risk management Supporting water supply companies in setting up continuous risk management for water supply facilities, based on our comprehensive expertise.
    • Employees in front of screens with graphics
      Drinking water catchments and resources Protection of drinking water resources by assessing potential hazards in water catchment areas, catalogues of measures, monitoring concepts, databases.
    • Employee at test columns
      Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites Environmental biotechnology to improve water quality. Degradation processes for water purification. Concepts and studies for pollutant contamination.
    • Hände arbeiten an Laptop
      Digitalisation Solving complex questions and problems of water supply companies in digitalisation through technical support or practical research projects.
    • Water pipes
      Practical projects Research and practice, water supply, scientific and technical expertise, technology concepts, resource protection, distribution network, digitalisation.
  • Research
    •  Employee measuring field
      Resource protection Sustainable resource protection as an important factor for safe drinking water supply, management of hazards and risks in water catchment areas.
    • Employee works on test columns
      Environmental biotechnology Technical and biological methods for the elimination of microorganisms, microbiological degradation processes, risk assessment of microbial contamination.
    • Sample is placed in a bioanalyser
      Microorganisms Application and development of reliable detection methods for microorganisms in drinking water, evaluation of disinfection and treatment measures.
    •  Employee works on analytical column and liquid chromatograph
      Micropollutants Reliable and sensitive determination of trace substances and microplastics, investigation of the behaviour in the water cycle, qualified risk assessment.
    • Employee fills samples on test columns filled with sand
      Waste water and water cycle Development of integrated water supply and waste water disposal concepts, Utilisation of biodegradation processes to eliminate persistent substances.
    • Employee in front of a computer using a colony counter
      New technologies and products Technologies and products for the treatment, disinfection and post-treatment of drinking water, testing for performance, safety and robustness.
    •  Two employees at a test stand for water distribution
      Asset management and infrastructure Development of asset management strategies to ensure a stable supply of high-quality drinking water, assessment of the condition of pipeline networks.
    • LAN connector with fibre optics
      Digitalisation and Management Digitalisation in the areas of data collection, data management, data-driven applications and AI for the water supply.
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An institution of DVGW
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  • Microorganisms

Microorganisms

The basis for avoiding the transmission of diseases through drinking water is to ensure it is microbiologically safe. We therefore work to detect and establish the activity of microorganisms, looking at all aspects from water catchment and treatment to distribution. The issues range from developing and applying reliable and sensitive detection methods, to evaluating disinfection and treatment measures, to risk management.

Besides traditional cultural methods, modern molecular biological methods are a crucial part of biological research. The use of these methods also offers possible solutions in the water sector. By thinking outside the box, TZW endeavours to identify key developments early on. As part of research projects, findings are obtained using new technologies and their application for water analysis are tested and relayed.

Research areas

Hygienically relevant and pathogenic microorganisms

Reliable and sensitive detection methods for indicator organisms and pathogens are critical to reliably monitor drinking water quality. Besides traditional detection methods, molecular biological methods are becoming increasingly important to detect bacteria, viruses and parasites. Findings on the presence, propagation and removal of hygienically relevant microorganisms in the water cycle are needed to be able to offer solutions to microbiological problems.

Molecular biological tools for root cause analysis and identifying contamination sources

Microbiological problems in drinking water can have a variety of causes. Modern and innovative methods to identify bacteria (MALDI-TOF-MS, sequencing and PCR-based methods) have the potential to help with causal research. These include microbial source tracking tools. These help to determine possible sources of origin in the catchment area for faecal contamination.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes

The long-term and extensive use of antibiotics has not only encouraged the development and dispersion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in the clinical realm but also in the aquatic environment. For this reason, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are the subject of increasing discussion as new parameters in the evaluation of hygienic water quality. A series of completed and ongoing research projects has given TZW long-standing experience on the detection of antibiotic resistance in the environment.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA)

Holistic risk management is a pre-requisite for safe drinking water supply and includes both risk analysis and risk minimisation. TZW therefore works on practical and research projects on the effectiveness of treatment methods in the context of the quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) concept.

Materials in contact with drinking water

Materials that come into contact with drinking water can have a negative impact on the microbiological water quality. We have addressed these aspects in a series of practical research projects.

Projects

Possible input pathways for TFA and its precursors into groundwater and surface water
Possible input pathways for TFA and its precursors into groundwater and surface water
Microbiology
Development of a source identification of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)

Innovative source identification of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) using isotope signatures is intended to identify TFA sources and thus contribute to a…

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Stimulation of aerobic TCE, cDCE and VC degradation with oxygen
Stimulation of aerobic TCE, cDCE and VC degradation with oxygen
Microbiology
Bioaugmentation and biostimulation for the remediation of chloroethene-contaminated groundwater (ChloroBioRem)

Together with experts in metagenome analyses from China, the functional biodiversity of chloroethene degradation under oxidising conditions is…

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Invertebrates from water distribution - Water isopods
Invertebrates from water distribution - Water isopods
Microbiology
Invertebrates within drinking water distribution systems

Climate change is altering the operational conditions of drinking water distributions, which will affect reproduction and distribution of inhabiting…

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[Translate to English:] Landkarte Afrika
Microbiology
Sustainable and climate adapted Water Management in Mining in Southern African Regions (WASA)

As part of WaMiSAR, TZW is investigating microbial processes in groundwater contaminated by mining activities in Southern African regions. The focus…

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Roads flooded with water
Flooded roads, RRR-project
International-2024
A transnational strategy extending the role of roads to support rural water systems (Rural Roadwater Rescue)

Roads and highways are crossing the north-west-european (NEW) territory abundantly. They usually drain the runoff water from rainfall events swiftly…

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Detection of E. coli/coliform bacteria on CCA-plates
Microbiology
Aeromonads in the drinking water supply (Aeromonads)

Aeromonads as presumptive colonies in the detection of E. coli/coliform bacteria can cause discussions with health authorities about their possible…

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More projects
Publications

TZW Publication Series
Volume 76: Verhalten von Antibiotikaresistenzgenen bei der Trinkwasseraufbereitung [Behaviour of antibiotic resistance genes in drinking water treatment]
Volume 77: Identifizierung und Bewertung von Eintragsquellen mikrobiologischer Belastungen [Identification and assessment of contamination sources of microbiological pollution]
Volume 81: Molekularbiologische Lebend/tot-Unterscheidung [Molecular biological live/dead differentiation]

Volumes from the TZW publication series can be purchased here.

     

Hügler M., Reitter C., Hambsch B.: Falschpositive E. coli-Nachweise in Trinkwasserproben [False-positive detection of E. coli in drinking water samples]. DVGW energie/wasser-praxis 70(1):44-46 (2019)

      

Hügler, M., Stange, C., Ho, J., Hambsch, B., Tiehm, A.: Molekularbiologische Methoden – Trends und Entwicklungen. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Technologiezentrum Wasser [Molecular biological methods – trends and developments. Publications from the Technology Centre Water], Vol. 80, p. 45-63 (2017).

     

Schäfer, C., Ho, J., Lotz, B., Armbruster, J., Putz, A., Zou, H., Li, C., Ye, C., Zheng, B., Hügler, M., Tiehm, A.:  Evaluation and application of molecular denitrification monitoring methods in the northern Lake Tai, China. Sci. Total. Environ. 663:686-695 (2019).

    

Stange C., Yin D., Xu T., Guo X., Schäfer C., Tiehm A.: Distribution of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes in Lake Tai, China. Science of the Total Environment 655: 337-346 (2019)

     

Ho J., Seidel M., Niessner R., Eggert J., Tiehm A.: Long amplicon (LA)-qPCR for the discrimination of infectious and noninfectious phiX174 bacteriophages after UV inactivation.
Water Research 103: 141-148 (2016)

    

Stange C.,Sidhu J.P.S.,Tiehm A.,Toze S.: Antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in coliform water isolates. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 219: 823-831 (2016) DOI 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.07.015

Contact

Prof. Dr. Andreas Tiehm +49 721 9678-137 Send email
 
Dr. Michael Hügler +49 721 9678-222 Send email
 
Solutions
  • Water analysis
  • Testing of products and devices
  • Treatment technologies
  • Micropollutants and microorganisms
  • Network management and drinking water installation
  • Risk management
  • Drinking water catchments and resources
  • Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites
  • Digitalisation
  • Practical projects
Research
  • Resource protection
  • Environmental biotechnology
  • Microorganisms
  • Micropollutants
  • Waste water and water cycle
  • New technologies and products
  • Asset management and infrastructure
  • Digitalisation and Management
About TZW
  • Profile
  • Organisation
  • Team
  • Locations
  • Partners
Projects
  • Projects
Information
  • News
  • Publications
  • Annual report 2024
  • Videos
  • Press

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