A team from the TH Mittelhessen is investigating how algae can be used to protect water and recover phosphorus. The research project is entitled “Algae biotechnology in wastewater treatment plants – phosphorus recycling and energy production”. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 725,000 euros. The project leader is Prof. Dr. Ulf Theilen, spokesman for the Competence Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Technology (ZEuUS) at THM .  

Phosphorus is a valuable substance that is needed in many compounds for biological growth and thus also for the production of food. Its occurrence is limited. At the same time, it is a substance that - as a result of agricultural fertilization - pollutes our waters. This explains the scientific-technological approach of recovering phosphorus compounds from waste water so that they can be used in cycles.

In the current research project, Prof. Theilen's team can draw on its own experiences from a Hessian pilot project on “phosphorus elimination through microalgae”. A test operation at the sewage treatment plant in Rotenburg an der Fulda carried out the preliminary work in 2015-17, which is now being followed up on a larger scale and with expanded tasks. This involves studies on two main focuses: “nutrient elimination”, i.e. the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen residues contained in wastewater using algae, and the use of algae biomass in a recycling process. The aim is to develop a concept for large-scale application in this way.  

The project, which is funded for four years by the BMBF programme "IngenieurNachwuchs", is associated with a scientific qualification assignment. A graduate of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen will write their dissertations on aspects of the overall topic. The Bauhaus University Weimar is the THM partner in the doctoral process.

The research center Jülich and the engineering office "Unger ingenieure Darmstadt" are also involved in supervising the doctoral students. In addition, the Lollar-Staufenberg association and the Lauter-Wetter sewage association are involved as partners in Central Hesse in the field of operational practice. During the project, pilot systems will be installed in the Lollar and Ober-Bessingen sewage treatment plants to test the range of uses for the algae.