Projects

500°C and potassium Methods

Sewage sludge produced during waste water purification contains not only biomass and pollutants but also precipitated phosphorus. By law, starting in 2026 this important component of fertilisers must be recovered, making Switzerland less dependent on phosphorus imports. In this context, HLS researchers are using pyrolysis to turn sewage sludge directly into fertiliser. This oxygen-free thermal process produces high-quality fertilisers, can easily be integrated into existing sewage treatment plants and will shortly begin a pilot phase.

A water filter for emergencies

Clean drinking water is a luxury. In many parts of the world water is polluted and full of harmful bacteria; the problem is particularly acute during humanitarian crises, such as in refugee camps. A simple short-term solution is a domestic water filter. There are many different types on the market, but their quality varies widely, so HLS researchers tested filters in three disaster areas. Working with the local population, they have made suggestions for product improvements.

Abfall und Klima - Dominikanische Republik

Im Bereich klimafreundliche Wirtschaft ist das Ziel Deutschlands, Partnerländer bei dem Aufbau einer Wirtschaftsstruktur zu unterstützen, die den Ausstoss von Treibhausgasen möglichst weitgehend vermeidet.

Accompanying the monitoring of the ozone test procedure with bioassays

ACTIWATE

ACTIWATE - Advanced concentrate treatment for integrated membrane based water reuse systems.

Agriloop

Pushing the frontier of circular agriculture by converting residues into novel economic, social and environmental opportunities

Aktifilt

Entfernung von Mikroverunreinigungen mit Adsorption und Tiefenfiltration

AquaNES

Demonstrating synergies in combined natural and engineered processes for water treatment systems.

Auswirkungen von Abwassereinleitungen

Rumänisch-schweizerische Forschungsstudie zu den Auswirkungen von Abwassereinleitungen im unteren Einzugsgebiet der Flüsse Bega und Timis.

Bacterial super-resistance decoded

Scientists and politicians agree: antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major challenge for medicine, both now and in the future. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050 more people will die as a result of infection by multi-resistant bacteria than from cancer. A team of researchers at the HLS have shed light on a particularly alarming mechanism by which bacteria not only survive antibiotics but even use them as nutrition.

Biowaste to energy

Optimisation of Organic Waste to Energy Systems in India.

Coroado

This international project analyses in four pilot regions the water reuse practices and opportunities.

Demoware

Innovation and Demonstration for a Competitive and Innovative European Water Reuse Sector

Ecomanindustry

Förderung der industrielle Symbiose und Öko-Effizienz in der Industrie (LEAD ERA Schweiz-Türkei, finanziert durch BAFU und TUBITAK).

EcoWater

Meso-level eco-efficiency indicators to assess technologies and their uptake in water use sectors.

eDNA detection of aquatic diseases based on DNA fragments in environmental samples

Effects of pesticides and other environmental chemicals on the behavior and gene expression of gammarids

Effects of pesticides on the microbiological community in soils of agroecosystems

Effects of plant protection products on honey bees

Electra

Electricity driven low energy and chemical input technology for accelerated bioremediation.

Evaluating household water filters in emergencies

Our project evaluates 420 filters of five manufacturers in three different humanitarian contexts in Palestine, Somalia and Kenya.

GIZ Strategic Alliance for Waterloss Reduction

Drinking water supply demands new, future-oriented approaches to make optimum use of the scarce water resources. The strategic alliance has provided fundamental contributions toward the improvement of water loss reduction in and for its partner countries.

Gravit`eau Handwashing System

Handwashing system recycling water for emergencies.

Gravit`eau Water Kiosks in Uganda

Decentralized water treatment in schools and communities in Uganda usinig gravity-driven membrane technology.

Hotel Environmental Excellence Tool

HEET (KTI und Wirtschaftspartner)

Ingreen

Production of functional innovative ingredients from paper and agro-food side-streams through sustainable and efficient tailor-made biotechnological processes for food, feed, pharma and cosmetic.

INSPIREWater

Innovative solutions in the process industry for next generation resource efficient water management.

LbL membrane modification for resource recovery

Layer-by-layer modification of membranes can render them suitable for phopshorous recovery.

Lithuanian Swiss Programme „Research And Development“

Significant reductions in non renewable resources consumption and environmental impacts and a shift to renewable resources are still required to achieve the goals of a green and circular economy.

Madforwater

Development and application of integrated technological and management solutions FOR wasteWATER treatment and efficient reuse in agriculture tailored to the needs of Mediterranean African Countries.

Mar2Protect

Preventing groundwater contamination related to global and climate change trough a holistic approach on managed aquifer recharge

Membrane Filtration for critical raw material recovery

Mikroverunreinigungen in Abwasser

Schweizer Kläranlagen können mit Pulveraktivkohle auch Mikroverunreinigungen wie Medikamentenrückstände aus dem Abwasser entfernen.

Minotaurus

Microorganism and enzyme immobilisation: novel techniques and approaches for upgraded remediation of underground-, wastewater and soil.

nextGen

Unterwegs zur nächsten Generation von Wassersystemen und -dienstleistungen für die Kreislaufwirtschaft.

NEXUS

Nowelties

Joint PhD Laboratory for New Materials and Inventive Water Treatment Technologies. Harnessing resources effectively through innovation.

NYMPHE

New system-driven bioremediation of polluted habitats and environment

Online toxicity monitoring of industrial influents for the protection of wastewater treatment plants

ORRAP

Optimales Recycling von Ausbauasphalt auf verkehrsschwachen Strassen

OUI Biomasse

Innovationen für eine nachhaltige Biomassennutzung in der Oberrheinregion.

Oxibieau

Mikroverunreinigungen in Trinkwasseraufbereitung entfernen - ein Verfahrensvergleich

PertPV

Pesticide monitoring

Phos4you

Phosphorrückgewinnung aus dem Abwasser für Ihr Leben

Prolific

Integrated cascades of PROcesses for the extraction and valorisation of proteins and bioactive molecules from Legumes, Fungi and Coffee agro-industrial side streams.

Pyrophos

Weiterentwicklung der Alkalipyrolyse zur Abtrennung von Schwermetallen und Herstellung eines marktfähigen Phosphor-Kalidüngers aus Klärschlamm

Reffnet

Re­ffnet.ch, das Netzwerk Ressourceneffizienz Schweiz, zeigt Unternehmen, wie sie Material, Energie und Kosten einsparen können. Die Reffnet Experten vom Institut für Ecopreneurship beraten diese bei der Potenzialanalyse, der Ausarbeitung eines Massnamenplans zur Steigerung der Ressourceneffizienz und bei dessen Umsetzung.

Saph Pani

Enhancement of natural water systems and treatment methods for safe and sustainable water supply in India.

Scale

StopUP

Protecting the aquatic environment from urban runoff pollution.

Sunflower

Sustainable Novel FLexible Organic Watts Efficiently Reliable.

Tailor-made membranes

Economic efficiency and environmental protection are often perceived as conflicting goals. Nevertheless, research shows that they can be combined if scarce resources are used efficiently or if raw materials are recovered. In the case of phosphorus, researchers at the HLS are already on the way to achieving this with the help of a multi-layer membrane that can be customised for specific objectives. In laboratory tests they have recovered 90 per cent of the phosphorus from acid waste solutions. The new technology will be used to extract phosphorus from sewage sludge.

Terminus

In-built Triggered Enzymes to Recycle Multi-layers: an INnovation for USes in plastic-packagin.

Treasures in production waste

Researchers at the School of Life Sciences FHNW (HLS) have developed a process for recovering the rare earth metal scandium from acidic industrial wastewater by means of filtration. The promising laboratory method was tested for its industrial suitability in a pilot trial at the GETEC PARK.SWISS AG.

Trust

Transitions to the Urban Water Services of Tomorrow, an integrated research project driven by the need of transformation and the wish to protect natural resources, 30 partners in 11 countries research innovations and tools for a more sustainable water future.

UNIDO RECP Centre - Ukraine

The Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre (RECP) of Ukraine aims at enhancing the resource productivity, competitiveness and environmental performance of industry in Ukraine. FHNW is leading a consortium supporting the Ukrainian activities.

Use of bioassays for the assessment of industrial wastewaters

Use of online biomonitoring systems in wastewater treatment plants

Using bacteria against crude oil spills

Crude oil spills are one of the greatest risks to the industrialised world. Oil spills in the sea are not only difficult to contain but also highly resistant to natural decomposition. HLS researchers have taken up the fight. As part of the EU Kill Spill project, they are working with more than 30 partners from science and industry, developing biotechnology techniques to clean up oil-polluted waters.

Water4India

Smart, Cost-effective Solutions for Water Treatment and Monitoring in Small Communities in India. Decision Support System Integration.

Water4Injection

Online water quality and integrity control in membrane-based Water for Injections production systems.