Water management – concepts and processes for optimized water use and reuse

Water is our most important foodstuff. Global water consumption for agricultural, industrial and private use is rising steadily, even though regional measures to reduce water consumption are certainly taking effect. Nevertheless, serious supply bottlenecks are forecast – even in our highly industrialized zones. Intelligent concepts for purifying and distributing water are therefore in demand. Water management – water resources management, safe water supply, sanitation, and wastewater treatment – is a global key challenge of the 21st century. Innovations in all sectors of water management are essential – in industrialized countries and especially for the developing world, in arid and semi-arid environments.

Fraunhofer IGB has developed a toolbox of technical innovations for sustainable decentralized water management systems, which are embedded in holistic infrastructure concepts and combined with energy and waste management. These innovations can be adapted and combined to generate individually the most favorable solution for the specific needs of each country or region.

Water management: Optimized water use, water reuse, and integration with energy management

Intelligent concepts for the purification and distribution of water are more in demand than ever. In order to ensure the supply of the various sectors in which we need water (private sector, agriculture, industry), even in times of water scarcity exacerbated by climate change, Fraunhofer IGB relies on semi-centralized water and wastewater management, which is linked to appropriate energy and nutrient management in the sense of the nexus approach. We also take into account geographical and climatic conditions, such as seasonal water shortages in arid and semi-arid regions.

Integrative approach and advantages

• Cost-effective water management solutions
• Semi-centralized treatment of wastewater streams
• Resilience through coupling with waste management concepts, energy supply from renewable sources and future-oriented building technology
• Digitalization with the help of intelligent sensor networks
• Process and wastewater as a source of raw materials and energy
  • Degradation of organic matter by biological processes
  • Material and energetic utilization of organic load
    
  • Recovery of nutrients

Semicentralized water management

Fraunhofer IGB has developed technologies that enable cost-effective water management solutions and water infrastructure systems in urban as well as rural structures through decentralized or semicentralized treatment of of water and wastewater flows. The IGB approach is characterized by efficiency and cost-effectiveness and enables the economic generation and use of different water flows occurring in the settlement area.

Application areas

Systems solutions are available for future-oriented municipal water management in rural regions, for newly developed areas, urban districts in need of modernization and also for holiday resorts, tourist centers and hotel complexes. The system is especially effective for regions with no previous water infrastructure, lacking sewage networks and central sewage treatment plants. The concept is also ideal for areas where old types of infrastructure can no longer be adapted to cope with new challenges arising from climate changes or population increases/decreases.

Combined water-, waste-, and energy management providing self-sufficient infrastructure

In combination with sustainable waste management concepts, energy from regenerative sources and innovative building services engineering, the concept is a holistic solution for a self-sufficient water supply infrastructure which is completely independent of central water supplies and wastewater disposal networks.

Technological core: Anaerobic wastewater treatment

Anaerobic biotechnology, where organic carbon compounds are converted into biogas, i.e. a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane, is an attractive alternative to today's common aerobic wastewater purification treatment especially for decentralized or semi-decentralized water infrastructure systems. Biogas can be used as a regenerative energy carrier for running combined heat and power plants or, alternatively, can be fed into the existing natural gas network. Just like natural gas, biomethane can also be purified for use as fuel for automobiles.

Nitrogen and phosphorus compounds remain in the purified water and residual solids after anaerobic wastewater purification in enclosed bioreactors, which is not the case in the conventional, aerobic activated sludge process. Microorganisms are removed by microfiltration supplying water that is hygienic and safe to use for irrigating agricultural land, economizing on both clean water and fertilizers. Alternatively, the nutrients can be recovered from the purified water for fertilizing purposes. In this case, the water can then be discharged into the environment or reused.

Optimized water use and water reuse for resilient water infrastructures

The drought caused by climate change poses major challenges, especially for agriculture. In order to ensure that the world's population is supplied with sufficient food, solutions are therefore needed to use alternative water sources. In the BMBF-funded Hypowave project, we therefore investigated whether wastewater can be treated in such a way that it is suitable for hydroponic crop production – a water-saving form of cultivation without soil. In the follow-up project Hypowave+, the system will be implemented on a large scale for the first time. The aim of further, new resilient water management concepts is a water cycle economy in which wastewater is regarded as a resource and, for example, the nutrients it contains are used sensibly and efficiently.

Digitization – Sensor-based process control 

Sensors, modeling and artificial intelligence help to monitor water qualities or optimize technical systems. The main focus of the IGB is on establishing efficient data and communication infrastructures to enable the communication of sensor-based system components as the basis of smart process control.

Climate resilience through blue-green infrastructure

Due to climate change, the frequency of heavy rain events with sometimes devastating floods has increased in recent decades, as have droughts. Blue-green infrastructures, i.e. ponds or green roofs, help to store rain from heavy rain events so that they do not flood the sewage system. Fraunhofer IGB is investigating the question of how blue-green technologies can be controlled in an equally robust and efficient manner.

We study your situation and circumstances for new projects, including on-site stakeholder dialogues, and develop the best possible solution with all parties involved.