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      Water analysis Conducting and evaluating physical-chemical and microbiological water testing in accordance with German Drinking Water Ordinance and other regulations.
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      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.
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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 Development and improvement of determination procedures. Investigating occurrence, behaviour and fate of inorganic and organic trace substances.
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      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.
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      Risk management Supporting water supply companies in setting up continuous risk management for water supply facilities, based on our comprehensive expertise.
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      Drinking water catchments and resources Protection of drinking water resources by assessing potential hazards in water catchment areas, catalogues of measures, monitoring concepts, databases.
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      Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites Environmental biotechnology to improve water quality. Degradation processes for water purification. Concepts and studies for pollutant contamination.
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      Digitalisation Solving complex questions and problems of water supply companies in digitalisation through technical support or practical research projects.
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      Practical projects Research and practice, water supply, scientific and technical expertise, technology concepts, resource protection, distribution network, digitalisation.
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      Resource protection Sustainable resource protection as an important factor for safe drinking water supply, management of hazards and risks in water catchment areas.
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      Environmental biotechnology Technical and biological methods for the elimination of microorganisms, microbiological degradation processes, risk assessment of microbial contamination.
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      Microorganisms Application and development of reliable detection methods for microorganisms in drinking water, evaluation of disinfection and treatment measures.
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      Micropollutants Reliable and sensitive determination of trace substances and microplastics, investigation of the behaviour in the water cycle, qualified risk assessment.
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      Waste water and water cycle Development of integrated water supply and waste water disposal concepts, Utilisation of biodegradation processes to eliminate persistent substances.
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      New technologies and products Technologies and products for the treatment, disinfection and post-treatment of drinking water, testing for performance, safety and robustness.
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      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.
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      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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  • Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites

Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites

We specialise in microbiological environmental aspects to improve water quality and use biological decomposition process to purify water and keep it clean. Natural and stimulated biological degradation processes in the subsurface can contribute significantly to the cost-effective, environmentally friendly and sustainable elimination of these substances.

In the event of contamination, TZW develops concepts and feasibility studies to clean up the affected resources. We use environmental biotechnology lab and microbiology and molecular biology detection methods when assessing the hazards of their biodegradability and ecotoxicity.

What do we offer?

Microbiological decontamination concepts at contaminated sites

Using molecular biological investigations and laboratory studies in our biotechnology pilot plant, we develop the necessary framework conditions to stimulate and optimise pollutant degradation as part of our assessment of the biological degradation potential on contaminated sites. In addition, we use suitable aerobic or anaerobic and saturated and unsaturated lab systems depending on the investigated matters, to develop key site-specific parameters to dimension and upscale on-site and in-situ remediation work (e.g. Funnel-and-gate with bioreactor, iron(0) reaction walls, use of nanoiron).

Concept formulation for monitored and enhanced natural attenuation

The monitored and enhanced natural attenuation (MNA/ENA) requires in-depth knowledge of the process as well as, for example, the quantification and prediction of load reduction. Using deficit analyses, we formulate MNA/ENA concepts and determine the success factors for its implementation. Evidence for the natural attenuation is provided by assessing the pollutant profiles, redox zoning (redox-sensitive parameters, microbiological and molecular biological screening) and microcosms.

Degradability of new pollutants

For new substances, we identify the framework conditions for microbial degradation and conduct hazard analyses on degradability and ecotoxicity, based on literature searches and targeted laboratory testing. As part of feasibility studies we support the site owner or the engineering consult and support the implementation of the developed decontamination concepts with pilot field trials.

Innovative decontamination concepts by using new degradation pathways

Our practical research is particularly important in view of implementing innovative decontamination concepts. TZW uses its knowledge specifically for site-specific testing of new microbial degradation pathways, which enables us to derive new concepts for microbiological remediation practice.

Combination of technical and biological methods

Biological degradation processes are often unusable or inadequate for persistent and/or toxic substances. Using technical methods such as electrochemistry, ISCO or ozonation, the substances are exposed to microbial decomposition. Combining this with subsequent biological degradation makes it possible to develop cost-effective and sustainable concepts to effectively eliminate persistent substances.

Methods and equipment

Environmental biotechnological methods

  • Microbial pollutant degradation in pilot scale
  • Batch microcosms, column tests (saturated, unsaturated)
  • Redox conditions: aerobic, nitrate/iron(III)/sulphate-reducing, methanogenic
  • Oxygen consumption (Oxitop system), biological oxygen demand (BOD)

Molecular biological methods

  • DNA extraction from water and solid samples
  • Quantitative real-time PCR:
    • anaerobic-reductive dechlorinating bacteria e.g. of dehalococcoides, desulfomonile, dehalobacter, desulfitobacterium and desulfuromanas
    • Anaerobic-reductive dechlorinating enzymes e.g. of dehalococcoides PceA, TceA, VcrA and BvcA
    • Faecal markers (microbial source tracking)
    • Nitrate, iron(III), sulphate reducers and methanogens
  • Fingerprinting with DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis)
  • Flow cytometry

Microbiological methods

  • Microbial count (Most-Probable-Number (MPN) method): Total aerobic microbial count, nitrate/iron(III)/sulphate-reducers, pollutant degraders
  • Biomass determination
  • Ecotoxicity in the luminescent bacteria inhibition test

Chemical analytics

  • Pollutant analysis
  • Analysis of metabolism-related parameters
  • Extensive equipment for organic and inorganic analytics (also at trace level)

Equipment list

  • Anaerobic chamber
  • Lab-scale columns (500 ml – 50 l), with sampling and measuring sites, temperable
  • Climate chambers (4 °C and 12 °C) to perform batch and column experiments
  • Respirometer
  • PCR-thermocycler (quantitative real-time, gradient function)
  • DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis)
  • Flow cytometer
  • Pipetting robot
  • Gas chromatographs with EC, FI, WL, MS and MS-MS detectors
  • Ion chromatograph
  • HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography)

Contact

Prof. Dr. Andreas Tiehm +49 721 9678-137 Send email
 
Dipl.-Geol. Axel Müller +49 721 9678-223 Send email
 
Dr. Lara Stelmaszyk +49 721 9678-1915 Send email
 

Projects

Experimental Setup to determine the electrokinetic mobilisation of aerobic chloroethene degraders
22.09.2021
Enhanced and innovative in-situ Biotechnologies for Contaminated Land Remediation (EiCLaR)

With EiCLaR, an EU/China consortium, scientific and technical innovations for in-situ bioremediation processes were promoted. As part of the project,…

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Sensitive Kinetics System: Continuous measurement of biomass growth via light scattering
30.07.2020
Reactive transport modeling for aerobic metabolic trichloroethene degradation

A new biologically productive degradation pathway of trichloroethene is promising for the elimination of pollutants in groundwater. To determine the…

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Van und Ausstattung für Gewinnung von kontaminierten Grundwasserproben
Taking contaminated groundwater samples for molecular biological analysis
22.11.2019
Molecular biological detection of the anaerobic degradation of BTEX

Using molecular biological methods, additional information can be obtained to assess the microbial degradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and…

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More projects

 

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
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  • Organisation
  • Team
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Projects
  • Projects
Information
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  • Annual report 2024
  • Videos
  • Press

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