Processes and concepts for water and wastewater treatment and the recovery of valuable substances
We investigate innovative technologies and processes for reducing emissions and removing harmful substances from water, wastewater and waste. This also includes recovery and reuse of materials. Collaboration with industry and utilities allows transferring our lab-tested processes into practice in pilot-scale or technical scale.
Research focus areas
Advanced water and wastewater treatment
Membrane processes
Resource recovery and recycling
Adapted and near-natural treatment concepts
Facilities
Thermal Separation Process Plant and Biorefinery
Solvent extraction and recovery, and purification of biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials
- Institute
- Institute for Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Institute for Ecopreneurship
Environmental Technology Plant
Developing and optimising wastewater treatment processes and converting waste to energy
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
Stories
Story
Clean water for the world: research beyond frontiers
Prof. Dr. Michael Thomann on sustainable water management in Muttenz and the Philippines.
- Date
- 5.5.2026
Story
Minimising combined sewer overflow
Michael Thomann’s team is using online sensors and modelling to exploit existing wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure.
- Date
- 30.4.2025
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
Story
500°C and potassium methods
Sewage sludge produced during waste water purification contains not only biomass and pollutants but also precipitated phosphorus.
- Date
- 12.12.2019
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
Projects
Aktifilt
Removal of micropollutants using adsorption and depth filtration
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
- Research field
- Environmental and water technologies
AquaNES
Demonstrating synergies in combined natural and engineered processes for water treatment systems.
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
- Research field
- Environmental and water technologies
Demoware
Competitive and innovative European water reuse sector
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
- Research field
- Environmental and water technologies
INSPIREWater
Innovative solutions for resource-efficient water management in process industries
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
- Research field
- Environmental and water technologies
Layer-by-layer membrane modification for resource recovery
Making membranes suitable for phosphorus recovery
- Institute
- Institute for Ecopreneurship
- Research field
- Environmental and water technologies
Publications
Contact
Prof. Dr. Michael Thomann
Team leader and lecturer, environmental and water technologies
- Phone
- +41 61 228 53 34
- michael.thomann@fhnw.ch
