Effect-based Monitoring demonstrates Efficiency of Electrically-driven Water treatment Processes to Remove Salts and Micropollutants from Process Water (EfectroH2O)

Project duration: 2020–2023


Funding: BMBF, Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC)


Princinple investigators
  • Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Henner Hollert, Goethe University, E3T (COORDINATOR)
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Wessling, RWTH Aachen University, Chemical Process Engineering
  • Dr. Viktoria Urban née Schiller, Eurofins Agroscience Services Ecotox GmbH (EUROFINS)
  • Prof. Indumathi Manivannan Nambi, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Department of Civil Engineering/Environmental and Water Resources/Engineering Division
  • Sajid Hussain, Tamilnadu Water Investment Company Limited (TWIC)

Coordination of the subproject at E³T
  • Dr. Sabrina Schiwy
  • Dr. Sarah Crawford
  • Mira Goβen, MSc

Project partners
  • Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)
  • Tamilnadu Water Investment Company Limited (TWIC)
  • Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH)
  • EUROFINS

Project description

This project aims to improve process water treatment in the textile industry to reduce harmful toxicological effects in the environment. In the process, process streams are to be recycled and resources recovered. The technology used for desalination and dye removal is capacitive deionization (CDI), which can be used especially for highly concentrated brines. In addition, advanced oxidation processes are used to remove micropollutants. The novel treatment technologies are being tested in a pilot plant in the textile industry in India after development in the laboratory. To verify water quality and treatment efficiency, effect-based methods (EBM) specifically adapted to textile wastewater are used to complement the chemical target analyses. The advantage of toxicological screening by EBM is that it allows a holistic statement on toxicological effects of complex mixtures typical for process waters, including unknown oxidation by-products and synergistic effects. For this purpose, a variation of bioassays will be adapted to the specific requirements of textile wastewater and transferred from Germany to India as a test battery. The project includes the Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the United Nations Environment Programme to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for "all", as recycling of process water can reduce water consumption in water scarce regions like India.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Henner Hollert

Goethe University Frankfurt
Biologicum, Campus Riedberg
Max-von-Laue-Str. 13
60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Room: 3.319
Phone: +49 (0)69 798 42171
Fax: +49 (0)69 798 42161
Email: hollert(at)bio(dot)uni-frankfurt(dot)de

Former Affiliation:
http://www.bio5.rwth-aachen.de