Development and optimization of an innovative treatment approach for indirect potable reuse in urban water cycles
During the TrinkWave joint project, which was completed and funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Research and Education), new multi-barrier treatment processes for water reuse based on sequential managed aquifer recharge technology (SMART) were developed. The aim was to assess multidisciplinary monitoring approaches for innovative process combinations of water reuse to support the drinking water supply.
The subsequent joint project TrinkWave Transfer (funded by the BMBF), is now testing the large-scale implementation of the SMART process in collaboration with the Berliner Wasserbetriebe, the University of Oldenburg and BGS Umwelt GmbH. This is taking place at the former Berlin-Johannisthal waterworks site, where the process will be demonstrated in its optimized form with integrated high-infiltration trench technology and active hydrological control in the subsurface. The knowledge gained from the previous project and from the SMARTplus technical pilot system will be incorporated into the planning and implementation.
Since mid-2023, the Berlin demonstration plant has infiltrated drinking water to establish a local oxic redox zone in the aquifer. In 2024, the first infiltration of treated and wastewater-impaired bank filtrate occurred. The bank filtrate, previously enriched with atmospheric oxygen, flows through the subsurface and is sampled and analyzed at several depths and positions along the flow path. Analysis results for anthropogenic trace organic substances during approximately six months of operation are available and are currently being evaluated. The evaluation of the behavior of individual trace organic substances and the assessment of the performance of the demonstration field will take place in the coming months. We plan to publish the results in the spring of 2025
| Project leader | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg E. Drewes |
| Researcher | Jonas Aniol, M. Sc. |
| Collaboration | Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Brandt Gerdes Sitzmann (BGS) Umweltplanung GmbH, Carl Von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg |
| Funding | BMBF |