14, Environmental Process Engineering

The resarch group of Environmental Process Engineering is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Sven Kerzenmacher and represents the interdisciplinary research of fundamentals, materials and processes of sustainable environmental as well as biotechnology.
A focus is placed on new processes of (electro-)biotechnology and membrane separation, such as those relevant for energy-efficient wastewater treatment, bioproduction and recovery of valuable substances. For example, biological catalysts (enzymes, microorganisms) are used for production and remediation processes such as electrolytic H2 production or the removal of pharmaceutical residues from wastewater.
The technological implementation of new processes often requires tailor-made functional materials. A focus of materials science research here is the development of hierarchically organized nano-fiber structures by means of electro-spinning. These materials can serve as (bio-)electrochemical electrodes, as carriers for enzymatic and abiotic catalysts and as host material for technically usable biofilms. In addition, electrically conductive filtration membranes are being developed, for example to integrate electrochemical processes in membrane bioreactors.
In fundamental research, the cross-scale investigation of mass transport processes is another focal point in the research field. This primarily involves the experimental analysis, modelling and calculation of local effects in multiphase flows with and without superimposed biological or chemical reactions. Complemented are those activities by methodological work on applied (bio-)electrochemistry.