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09/10/2024

Closing event WavE II

On 8 and 9.10.24, the closing event of the funding measure Water Technologies: Reuse (WavEII) in Frankfurt, the results of the joint project innovatION were presented in a presentation and 3 posters. Participants were also able to see the electrodes and selective ion exchange membranes on a laboratory scale. After 3.5 years of research and development, a monovalent selective membrane-supported capacitive deionization was created, which was tested on Langeoog and in Nienburg for the partial desalination of groundwater. The innovative technology requires very little energy for partial desalination, especially for low salt concentrations. Despite the positive response, there is still a need for further research in the future, particularly in the optimization of materials and cell construction. In addition, the fact sheet on (membrane) capacitive deionization processes was presented at the closing event, which compares the different CDI processes with each other based on performance parameters and application limits. Follow the link to read the fact sheet: bmbf-wave.de/Wasserwiederverwendung/_/WavE%20Fact%20Sheet-Web_final.pdf

05/09/2024

Hybrid closing conference of innovatION at the TU Dresden

The final conference of the BMBF-funded joint project innovatION took place on 5 September 2024. Representatives of the various sub-projects and numerous guests came together for the meeting in hybrid form. After welcoming all participants by Ms Rosentreter, Dr Schwegmann from the Karlsruhe project management organisation and Ms Giebner from DECHEMA e.V., keynote speeches were given by Prof. Daniel Karthe from UNU-FLORES, among others. The results of the joint project were then presented in three sessions. In particular, the sub-projects of membrane and plant production, digitalisation, desalination and infiltration as well as the sustainable application and implementation of monovalent selective Membrane Capacitive Deionisation (mMCDI) were examined. In interviews with the water suppliers, experiences and future ideas for the application of mMCDI were exchanged. The conference ended with an evaluation of the project and concluding remarks by Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch from TU Dresden.The presentations and the minutes can be viewed below.

24/07/2024

Invitation to our onlie closing conference on 05.09.2024

As part of the BMBF-funded joint project innovatION in the funding measure Water Technologies: Reuse, we would like to invite you to our online closing conference “Selective desalination with the mMCDI - results and experiences” on 05.09.2024, to present and discuss our findings and practical experience from over 3 years with selective membrane-supported capacitive deionization for the removal of monovalent ions. Please register via hvt@mailbox.tu-dresden.de. When registering, please state your name and your professional institution. For late registrations on the day of the conference, please send an e-mail to david.schoedel@tu-dresden.de. You will then receive the password for access to the online conference. There are no costs for participation. Please forward the invitation to interested colleagues.Access link to the online conference: https://bbb.tu-dresden.de/rooms/tfp-rbw-bxt-des/join

09/07/2024

Meeting of the practice partners in Nienburg

On 9.7.24, the innovatION project partners met at the District Association for Water Management in Nienburg an der Weser. Here they discussed the latest news on the membrane and electrode materials and evaluated the results from the laboratory and the pilot plants. Thanks to the digital head start, a lot of data was collected on Langeoog as well as in Nienburg, which shows that monovalent ion selective membrane capacitive deionization can desalinate brackish water in a stable manner. Cleaning of the system has hardly been necessary to date, which speaks for the sustainability of the process. Only the longevity and electrodes still need to be optimized. Following the evaluation of the results and further planning in the innovatION joint project, the project partners then went to the pilot plant in Nienburg. Here, modified membranes from the collaboration between FUMATECH BWT GmbH and Leibniz-Institut for Polymer Research Dresden e. V. will be used to selectively remove nitrate from the groundwater until the end of August.

21/06/2024

innovatION contribution to the 5th WavE-newsletter

Big desalination plant for small ions Freshwater resources are decreasing worldwide, and coastal regions in particular are affected by the salinization of aquifers. This is why research into innovative and energy-efficient desalination processes, such as monovalent selective membrane-supported capacitive deionization, is needed in order to be able to meet the water demand. In the innovatION joint project, selective ion exchange membranes are used in an electrosorption process to remove mainly monovalent ions from saline groundwater. At the beginning of the year, the upscaling of the ion exchange membranes began. In laboratory experiments at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems at TU Dresden, these membranes demonstrated a two to ten times higher permeability of monovalent ions and thus led to a higher removal of nitrate, chloride and sodium via adsorption compared to polyvalent ions. At FUMATECH BWT GmbH and the Leibniz-Institut for Polymer Research Dresden e.V., not only did the formulation have to be expanded in terms of quantity, but the quality also had to be adapted to larger production machines and new production processes, which in turn influenced the selectivity of the membranes. With the help of the fully automated measuring and control system from elkoplan staiger GmbH, the targeted removal of specific ions can also be optimized via process parameters such as the electrical voltage, the flow rate and an electrical pulse process. The pilot plant currently desalinates 10-30 l/h continuously, with hardly any cleaning required. However, the cell geometry can also influence the selectivity. Tracer-based flow measurements and simulations were carried out at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydro Systems at TU Dresden, which can be used to improve the cell geometry in the future. With the help of optimized process settings, a water recovery of up to >70% and an energy consumption <1 kWh/m³ can be achieved. The advantages of the electrochemical process are the high flexibility of the system, which can be easily adapted to changing boundary conditions via the process settings, as well as the low cleaning effort. The pilot plant for selective desalination is currently in operation at the waterworks on Langeoog belonging to the OOWV. A real enrichment of the freshwater lens on Langeoog is not possible. However, the Hydrogeology and Landscape Water Balance working group at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is currently carrying out modeling of the enrichment of the freshwater lens on Langeoog in order to be able to estimate the influence of the infiltrated partially desalinated water on the freshwater lens and on the saltwater intrusion in terms of time and location. Soil column experiments have already shown the positive effects of partially desalinated water compared to the infiltration of fully desalinated water. Following the trials on Langeoog, the pilot plant will also be tested at the Nienburg District Association for Water Management from June in order to investigate the selective removal of nitrate. You can find the complete WavE newsletter here: bmbf-wave.de/Publications/Newsletter.html

06/06/2024

Bye-Bye Langeoog and Hello Nienburg

After more than six months of operation with the OOWV on Langeoog, the pilot plant has now moved to Nienburg. At the District Association for Water Management in Nienburg, selective ion exchange membranes will now be used to remove nitrate from the groundwater without having to carry out full demineralisation. The selectivity for nitrate has already been confirmed in laboratory tests. Now the practical tests must show whether the mMCDI can also stably remove nitrate from the groundwater under real conditions. And how much would that cost? ... Is it even sustainable? The Chair of Process Engineering in Hydro Systems and the Chair of Business Administra­tion, esp. Sustainabili­ty Management and Environmental Accounting, are analyzing the data from the pilot phase. Stay up to date and take part in the hybrid event on 5/6 September 2024. Here you can find out more about the results of the BMBF-funded joint project innovatION.

08/03/2024

Modification of the selective desalination plant on Langeoog

Four partners from the innovatION joint project met at the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesische Wasserverband (OOWV) waterworks to modify the monovalent ion-selective desalination plant. Here, the pilot plant for selective desalination has been in operation since september 2023. The modification of the plant has now doubled the desalination capacity. Based on the experience gained with the laboratory test plant with different selective ion exchange membranes at TU Dresden, FUMATECH BWT GmbH has now produced membranes on a large scale for the first time for the preferential removal of monovalent ions. Thanks to the selective properties of the membranes and the innovative control system from elkoplan staiger GmbH, mainly sodium and chloride are to be removed from saline groundwater on Langeoog using a pulse-like electrical voltage. In addition to the selective desalination performance, work is now also underway to improve energy efficiency and product yield. Sören Sommer and Yannick Tiemann from OOWV and Laura Bräunig from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg are investigating whether the German research team's innovation is suitable for drinking water production or for infiltration to stabilize the groundwater balance in the future.

04/12/2023

innovatION contribution to the 4th WavE newsletter

Pilot plant for selective desalination starts operating on Langeoog The time has finally come: the selective desalination process is now being tested under practical conditions at the waterworks of the OOWV on Langeoog. The project partners from the BMBF-funded joint project innovatION met on Langeoog to commission the pilot plant. For the practical tests, DEUKUM GmbH built a pilot plant together with elkoplan staiger GmbH, which can desalinate up to 100 l/h of water. However, this is not a conventional full desalination system, but a selective electrochemical partial desalination system. Selective desalination can be achieved using modified membranes, which have been developed by the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research Dresden e.V. and FUMATECH BWT GmbH over the last three years, as well as with adapted process parameters. With the help of selective desalination, brackish water can also be used as an alternative resource for drinking water production. In the partial desalination process on Langeoog, only sodium and chloride are to be removed from the brackish water, leaving calcium and magnesium in the water. The pilot plant on Langeoog can now also be used to analyze the long-term behavior. There have hardly been any studies on this so far, but they are crucial for product development. So far, the process has been tested on a small scale at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydro Systems at TU Dresden. The innovative membranes and various process settings were tested here on a laboratory scale and a flow and process model was set up. The laboratory tests showed that the selectivity depends on the electrical voltage, the flow rate, the residence time and the cell structure. Due to the different mobility of polyvalent and monovalent ions, Axel Staiger from elkoplan staiger GmbH has generated an innovative electrical pulse process that should further support selectivity during desalination. As the freshwater bubble on Langeoog is surrounded by saline water, the Hydrogeology and Landscape Water Balance working group at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is also investigating whether the partially desalinated water is also suitable for recharging the groundwater. The results of the soil column tests show that partially desalinated water is more suitable for infiltration than fully desalinated water due to reduced mobilization effects. Following the trials on Langeoog, the pilot plant will also be tested at the Nienburg District Association for Water Management in order to investigate the selective removal of nitrate.   You can find the complete WavE newsletter here: https://bmbf-wave.de/Publikationen/Newsletter.html

26/09/2023

Demonstration of the pilot plant on Langeoog

The time has finally come: The selective desalination process is now being tested under real-life conditions at the waterworks of the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband on Langeoog. The project partners from the BMBF-funded innovatION joint project met on Langeoog to launch the pilot plant. For the practical tests, DEUKUM GmbH and elkoplan staiger GmbH built a pilot plant which can desalinate up to 100 L/h of water. However, this is not a conventional full desalination, but a selective electrochemical partial desalination. The selective desalination can be achieved by modified membranes, which have been developed by the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden e.V. and FUMATECH BWT GmbH over the last three years, and adapted process parameters. With the help of selective desalination, brackish water can thus also be used as an alternative resource for drinking water production. In the case of partial desalination on Langeoog, mainly only sodium and chloride are to be removed from the brackish water, leaving calcium and magnesium in the water.     So far, however, the process has only been tested on a small scale at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems at TU Dresden. Hanna Rosentreter is excited to be able to put the pilot plant on Langeoog into operation: "This is the moment for which we have worked hard together as a team over the last few years. Now we can also analyze the long-term behavior. There have been hardly any studies on this so far, but they are crucial for product development." Since on Langeoog the freshwater lens is surrounded by saline water, the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg is additionally investigating whether the partially desalinated water is also suitable for infiltration for groundwater recharge.            Following the tests on Langeoog, the pilot plant is to be tested at the Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg in the future in order to investigate the selective removal of nitrate.

30/05/2023

innovatION article for the 3rd WavE-newsletter

innovatION‘s-Update If the concentration of nitrate, sodium or chloride in groundwater and surface water exeeds the limit set by the German Drinking Water Directive, total desalination is usually used. The fact that selective desalination is also possible and has many advantages is demonstrated by the innovatION joint project funded by the BMBF. In this project, eight partners are working together on a selective desalination process for monovalent ions. In this process, selective membranes are used in capacitive deionization, which allow multivalent ions such as calcium and magnesium to remain in the product water. By using the selective membranes from FUMATECH BWT GmbH and the Research Group Polymeric Membrane Materials at the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. as well as by optimizing the process parameters, it has been possible to obtain up to 10 times higher removal of monovalent ions compared to bivalent ions. This is globally unique! The experiments with the laboratory test plant at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems at the Technische Universität Dresden can be used to investigate which membrane materials and which process settings are suitable for selective desalination. The results of the experiments and simulations will be presented at the 13thESEE2023 in Toulouse and at the 10thIWA-MTC conference in St. Louis. Monovalent ion-selective membrane capacitive deionization (mMCDI) can thus be used for the selective removal of sodium chloride at water utilities such as the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband or for nitrate removal at the Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg. The evaluation of the online workshop "Requirements for selective desalination in practice" shows that innovative desalination processes such as innovatION's mMCDI contribute to securing the future supply of drinking water and can thus be a key factor in future conflicts of use. The results of the Group Hydrogeology and Landscape Hydrology of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg show that the selectively desalinated water is better suited for groundwater recharge compared to fully desalinated water, since undesired mobilization effects, such as those of arsenic, can be significantly reduced. Groundwater recharge with the partially desalinated water can be used, among other things, in coastal regions to stabilize the groundwater balance, for sustainable groundwater management and to counteract saltwater intrusion. These and other results were presented at EGU23 in Vienna. In summer, the pilot plant will be set up by DEUKUM GmbH and elkoplan staiger GmbH on Langeoog at the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband to test the innovative process under real conditions. The extent to which scaling and fouling influence the selective desalination process will also be investigated. Work is also being carried out on a stable, low-maintenance and energy-efficient process operation. In addition, the Chair of Business Administration, esp. Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting of the Technische Universität Dresden is working on the sustainable evaluation of the process. This involves evaluating not only the desalination process, but also the various material flows during the manufacturing process or when cleaning of the desalination plant. At the innovatION project meeting in May 2023 at FUMATECH BWT GmbH, the results of the subprojects were presented. The company presentation as well as the subsequent plant tour of FUMATECH BWT GmbH showed the high economic potential of the production of innovative ion exchange membranes in Germany. The ion exchange membranes produced in Bietigheim-Bissingen are used worldwide for various electrochemical processes, including hydrogen generation and storage, battery production, and CO2 storage and utilization. Monovalent ion-selective processes such as those from innovatION can play a crucial role not only in water treatment, but also in the future in the recovery of valuable materials such as lithium. You can find the complete Newsletter from WavE here:  bmbf-wave.de/Publiktion/Newsletter.html

08/02/2023

Presentation at the WavE status conference

At the WavE status conference on 07th - 08th of February 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, the mid-term results of all collaborative projects and cross-sectional topics of the BMBF funding measure "Water Technologies: Reuse" were presented. Hanna Rosentreter presented the results of innovatION to about 200 participants from science, practice and politics. Afterwards, questions regarding concentrate treatment, fouling potential of membranes and suitable solutions for desalination were publicly discussed on the podium. Further results of innovatION on membrane production, groundwater recharge and on the practical desalination pilot tests were presented on three posters. Highlights of the conference were the keynote presentations on "Wasserstress in der deutschen Industrie" ("Water stress in the German industry") by Dr. Christoph Blöcher (Covestro Deutschland AG) and "Direct potable reuse: the ultimate sustainable solution?" by Dr. Jelle Roorda (Roorda Advice, Netherlands). The status conference organized by DECHEMA was a successful format for the exchange of project partners from all 15 collaborative projects.

24/11/2022

WAVE II: Invitation to the status conference

On 7th and 8th February 2023, the status seminar of the BMBF funding measure "Water Technologies: Reuse" will take place in Frankfurt am Main at DECHEMA e.V. The funding measure aims to develop innovative technologies, operational concepts and management strategies for water reuse and desalination. Thirteen collaborative projects focus on the following topics     "Water reuse through the utilisation of treated municipal wastewater"     "Recycling of industrially used water" and     "Treatment of saline groundwater and surface water". The aim of the status seminar is to present the current results of the collaborative projects of the funding measure after two years of transdisciplinary research at various locations in Germany. In addition, the activities on application-relevant and cross-cutting issues of the WavE II cross-sectional topics will be presented. As part of the seminar results of the collaborative project innovatION will be presented. The two-day conference offers users and interested participants from industry, politics, administration, science as well as federal and state authorities the opportunity to learn more about the current findings. Participation is free of charge. To register for the status seminar, please use the following link: https://dechema.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=695

14/11/2022

innovatION article for the 2nd WavE-Newsletter

Project Updates With innovatION(s) to the east frisian island In the innovatION joint project, partners from industry and research are working together to develop a desalination process for selective retention of monovalent ions such as sodium, chloride and nitrate. The electrochemical desalination process of capacitive deionization is modified by the use of novel membranes so that smaller ions can be selectively retained and thus remineralization of the product water with calcium and magnesium is no longer necessary for further use, e.g. as drinking water. The fact that this makes sense not only financially but also ecologically is demonstrated by the Chair of Business Administration, esp. Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting of the Technische Universität Dresden. So far, various membranes and ion exchange resins have been produced by FUMATECH BWT GmbH and the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. and tested in the laboratory test plant, which was built by DEUKUM GmbH and elkoplan staiger GmbH. Now, in spring 2023, a pilot plant is to go into operation on Langeoog to selectively remove sodium and chloride from the brackish water here. The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is testing the extent to which the partially desalinated water can be used for artificial groundwater recharge. The pilot plant will then move to Nienburg to selectively remove nitrate from the groundwater. In addition to the short- and long-term practical desalination and infiltration tests, these tests will also be modeled by simulations. Among other things, these models will be used to investigate the influence of various operating and environmental parameters on desalination and infiltration performance. To evaluate the scaling and fouling of the membranes and its influence on the desalination performance, the first long-term tests were carried out in August. Now, in October, the widely distributed project partners were able to meet live in Dresden for the first time. Here, all partners were able to experience the laboratory test plant at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems live in operation and share their experiences with the innovative materials and methods.   You can find the full newsletter from WavE here:  bmbf-wave.de/Publiktion/Newsletter.html

05/10/2022

Hybrid quarterly meeting at the TU Dresden

On 4th and 5th October 2022, the 5th quarterly meeting of innovatION took place. For the two-day meeting, project leaders of the different subprojects came together in hybrid form for exchange. After welcoming the guests who had traveled to Dresden at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems of the TU Dresden, the mMCDI laboratory test plant was first presented. Afterwards, the evening ended with a walk and dinner together in Dresden. In the morning of October 5th, the presentation of the current results in the different work packages and the planning of further work steps followed. As a conclusion of the project meeting, the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. allowed an insight into the laboratories and the membrane production in the afternoon.

16/08/2022

Project meeting and sampling on Langeoog

Small project meeting on Langeoog:On 16.08.22 the project leaders of innovatION from the Technical University Dresden, the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg and the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband met on Langeoog. The installation of the pilot plant in the waterworks was discussed and further groundwater samples were taken for analysis and desalination tests with the monovalent membrane capacitive deionisation.

08/06/2022

innovatION article for the 1st WavE Newsletter

Targeted removal of monovalent ions from saline groundwaters Since 2021, nine innovatION collaborative partners from industry, research and practice have been researching selective desalination using membrane-assisted capacitive deionization (MCDI). For this purpose, selective ion exchange membranes for specific retention of monovalent salts are being developed by the Research Group Polymeric Membrane Materials of the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. and FUMATECH BWT GmbH. The membranes are characterized and tested in the manufacturers' own test rigs and in two laboratory test plants built up by DEUKUM GmbH and elkoplan staiger GmbH. The aim of innovatION is to selectively remove monovalent ions to make saline groundwater usable as drinking water or for artificial groundwater recharge. Different concentrations and operating settings for selective desalination are currently tested at the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems at the Technische Universität Dresden. In addition, a fluid model of a MCDI cell was created, which, under consideration of the spacers, calculates pressure losses for different load cases. The results were presented on a poster in March 2021 at the annual meeting of the ProcessNet-expert-groups Computational Fluid Dynamics + Mixing Processes + Agglomeration and Bulk Solids Technology. The infiltration of the selectively desalinated waters is investigated by means of soil column experiments and modeling by the Group Hydrogeology and Landscape Hydrology of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. Here, the chemical and physical processes during infiltration of partially desalinated waters were analyzed in comparison to fully desalinated water for different soil types. The results on the geochemical interactions during infiltration of a monovalent-partially desalinated water into dune sediments of the East Frisian island Langeoog were presented in two posters and flash talks at the conference of the Fachsektion Hydrogeologie e. V. der DGGV (Deutsche Geologische Gesellschaft - Geologische Vereinigung). For the economic and ecological sustainability assessment, the Chair of Business Administration, esp. Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting of the Technische Universität Dresden already conducted a survey among the project partners to derive a recommendation for future action. Within the framework of innovatION, an online workshop on the "Requirements for selective desalination in practice" was held on 07.03.2022 to ensure an exchange on the demand and implementation of selective desalination with external interested parties from water supply, research, industry, and politics. After the impulse presentations from the national and international (associated) practice partners, the participants were able to exchange information on the application, processes, and sustainability in the discussion forums. In the future, further ion exchange membranes are to be manufactured and investigated, and a pilot plant with a flow rate of 100 L/h is to be set up. The pilot plant will then be tested at the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband on Langeoog for the retention of sodium and chloride and at the Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg for the retention of nitrate.  You can find the full newsletter from WavE here:  bmbf-wave.de/Publiktion/Newsletter.html

07/03/2022

Protocol report on the online workshop "Requirements for selective desalination in practice"

On 07.03.2022, the online workshop "Requirements for Selective Desalination in Practice" took place as part of the BMBF-funded innovatION joint project in the funding measure Water Technologies: Reuse, the online workshop "Requirements for Selective Desalination in Practice" took place. After the welcome address by the moderator, Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch from the Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems at TU Dresden, the objectives of the workshop were presented. As a selective desalination plant is being developed within innovatION, further requirements and areas of application in practice as well as further questions regarding selective desalination are to be compiled together within the workshop with the 42 participants from research, industry and politics, which are to receive attention within the research project. Prof. Lerch presented the concept of selective desalination of innovatION: "In conventional desalination processes, polyvalent ions such as calcium and magnesium are removed first, or full desalination is carried out, in which case subsequent mineralisation must be carried out for treatment into drinking water or for use in irrigation. In contrast, monoselective membrane capacitive deionisation (mMCDI) aims to remove only monovalent ions, such as sodium, chloride and nitrate, from saline waters by using selective membranes." At the beginning of the workshop, Dr. Heiko Schwegmann from the project management organisation Karlsruhe and Dr. Christina Jungfer from DECHEMA gave their greetings and pointed out the importance and promotion of desalination for Germany as well as in a global context.After the introduction, the practical partners of innovatION, Dr. Jan Kolja Hesse from the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband and Joachim Oltmann from the Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg, demonstrated their need for utilisation-oriented water treatment due to increasing water withdrawals and simultaneously decreasing groundwater quality and quantity. Ron Jong from the KWR Water Research Institute as an associated partner then presented water treatment and desalination concepts in the Netherlands. The subsequent discussion once again showed the national as well as the international need for efficient solutions to remove monovalent ions such as sodium, chloride and nitrate, but also per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are difficult to degrade.In the afternoon of the workshop, discussions were held in smaller groups in three parallel discussion forums on practical applications with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lerch (TU Dresden, Chair of Process Engineering in Hydrosystems), selective process engineering and materials with Dr. Meier-Haack (Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden e.V.) and sustainability with Dr. Scope (TU Dresden, Chair of Business Administration, esp. Sustainability Management and Operational Environmental Economics). Like at a round table, the participants from the different areas were able to express their ideas, concerns and questions, which were summarised with the help of a digital pinboard.Digitally, too, with the support of a sweet motivational package and online communication tools, a joint practical exchange with many participants from different fields on selective desalination could be carried out.

03/03/2022

Invitation to the Workshop on 7 March 2022

We would like to invite you to the workshop "Requirements for selective desalination in practice" on 07 March 2022 as part of the BMBF-funded joint project innovatION to discuss the need and implementation of selective desalination. In addition to keynote speeches from practice and research, there will also be discussion forums in which you are invited to actively participate.

01/02/2022

Testing plant in operation

Finishing our testing plant in laboratory scale is one of the first greater milestones achieved. DEUKUM GmbH manufactured the electrodes and assembled the plant, elkoplan staiger GmbH provided the electrical installation. In January, the plant was delivered to Technische Universität Dresden, Chair of Process Engineering in Hydro Systems. Equipped with a preliminary test cell, the plant is now in operation. Two separate sections of measurement prior and subsequent to the cell allow the monitoring of several parameters, e. g. electrical conductivity, pH, temperature and pressure during the experiments. For a later analysis, all collected data is logged automatically. The implemented control from elkoplan staiger GmbH allows operating the plant either on site or by remote connection. Besides the laboratory experiments, new monoselective MCDI-Cells are being developed and manufactured. Those cells will be tested in future laboratory experiments to evaluate their performance. The results and findings help to develop and build the test plant in pilot scale and define operational parameters for it.

01/12/2021

WavE II-Cross-cutting issues

Overview of cross-cutting issues WavE-II:- Analytics, Monitoring, Surveillance (Ruhl/Helmecke) - first online meeting: 1 December 2021- Digitalisation (Weng/Track) - first online meeting: 18 January 2022- Technologies and processes (Lerch/Wintgens) - first online meeting: 19 January 2022- Implementation of projects (Drewes/Ante): first online meeting: 1 February 2022- Evaluation (Donner/Sievers) - first online meeting: 28 March 2022

19/02/2021

Kick-off Meeting

innovatION stands for the selective removal of monovalent ions from saline water for groundwater recharge and drinking water supply. This project is funded for 3 years by BMBF and is part of the “Water technologies: water reuse” (german: „Wassertechnologien: Wasserwiederverwendung“, WavE) network. innovatION is a joint project of nine national partners and two international associated partners. The Chair of Process Engineering in Hydro Systems (Technische Universität Dresden) is responsible for the project coordination and is collaborating close with the Chair of Business Management, esp. Sustainability Management and Environmental Accounting of the TU Dresden, to investigate the selective retention of water substances and to elaborate the efficiency and sustainability of the process. On 19 February 2021, the project started with a virtual Kick-off Meeting involving the project partner and sponsors.

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Saline surface water or saline groundwater will be filled into the mMCDI via a user-specific pre-treatment. Here, only the monovalent ions pass through the nanofiltration membrane and thus adsorb at the cathode or anode. The polyvalent ions remain in the solution, which can then be used as drinking water or for groundwater recharge. References:

Ayers, R. S. & Westcot, D. W., 1985. Water quality for agriculture. FAO Irrigation and Drainage, 29, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.

Bazargan, A. & Salgado B., 2018. Fundamentals of Desalination Technology. In: Bazargan, A. (Ed.). A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Desalination, River Publishers, 41-66.

Martens, S. & Wichmann, K., 2005. In: Lozan, J.L., Grassl, H., Hupfer, P., Menzel, L. & Schönewiese, C.-D. (Eds). Warnsignal Klima: Genug Wasser für alle? Wissenschaftliche Fakten. 126−130.

Trinkwasserverordnung – TrinkwV, 2001. Verordnung über die Qualität von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch. updated 2018.

Wiederhold H. & Elbracht J., 2013. Salzwasserintrusion – Gefahr für unser Trinkwasser? In: GEOFOKUS. Geowissenschaftliche Mitteilungen, 52.

WWAP (UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme), 2012. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2012: Leaving No One Behind. Paris, UNESCO. 1-16.

WWAP (UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme), 2019. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019: Leaving No One Behind. Paris, UNESCO. 1-9.

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25/07/2024

Article in DIE HARKE

TU Dresden tests pioneering technology at the "Blockhaus" waterworks in LiebenauNienburg/Liebenau. The Technical University of Dresden is developing a water desalination process under the leadership of Professor Dr André Lerch. The speciality: In contrast to "classic" desalination plants, only the ions that need to be removed are retained in an electrochemical process. The potential of the technology is estimated to be correspondingly high. One of the TU's partners is the District Association for Water Management.The Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft and TU Dresden have already carried out a number of projects together in the past, for example on energy optimisation in the field of municipal water supply. "Research and practice work well together in our case," emphasises Joachim Oltmann, Head of the Drinking Water Supply Department at the district association. "We are delighted to be able to support the TU again this time."When the term "desalination" is mentioned, the layman primarily thinks of seawater desalination plants, such as those used in Saudi Arabia. But that is not the point, emphasised project manager Professor Dr.-Ing. Lerch on site at the "Blockhaus" waterworks: "In the known processes, all salts are first removed. Afterwards, they have to be added back in parts with some effort so that the water remains usable or drinkable. In contrast, the core of our process is to change the composition of the water as little as possible. We only remove the salts that need to be removed in different application scenarios."While nitrates from agriculture are removed from the water at the "Blockhaus" waterworks, a second pilot plant on Langeoog deals with sodium and chloride, which enter the island's groundwater via the seawater. Targeted transport is possible using specially adapted membranes.The new technology could solve many problems, but is not available for free: Hanna Rosentreter, research assistant at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at TU Dresden, estimates the energy requirement at around 0.1 kilowatt hours per cubic metre of water to be treated. However, it is not a question of operating a plant on a large industrial scale at the Liebenau waterworks: "The water here is fine," emphasises Rosentreter. "Specialised desalination is not necessary."Water expert Joachim Oltmann agrees: "Quite apart from our technical facilities for water treatment, we have been committed to groundwater protection together with the agricultural sector for many years." The system running in the "Blockhaus" is merely intended to confirm in practice what has worked well in the laboratory so far. According to Hanna Rosentreter, the pilot project, which will run until August, will provide a basis for making concrete statements about the performance and costs of a large-scale industrial plant that could be used in areas where the salt load in drinking water is too high."For us water suppliers," Joachim Oltmann summarises the on-site visit, "it's about expanding our options for action. We don't know what the future holds and how the salt loads in drinking water will develop as a result of climate change. So it's good to have a practical solution up our sleeve." DIE HARKE (DH)

01/07/2021

Press release from OOWV

OOWV practical partner in nationwide research project Extracting salts from water - and enriching groundwater Langeoog/In Nord west. Falling groundwater levels and increasing salinization of groundwater are challenges of the present and consequences of climate change. Solutions are the focus of a nationwide research project with the participation of the Oldenburg-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) under the leadership of the Technical University of Dresden. Therefore, a pilot plant will be installed in the Langeoog waterwork for eight months from the end of 2022. In particular, it will remove sodium and chloride from the groundwater near the coast in order to subsequently infiltrate it again for the purpose of groundwater recharge. The aim is to develop special membranes for this process, through which the water can be purified accordingly. "It won't be of drinking water quality afterwards," reports Yannick Tiemann, project manager on the OOWV side, "but it can be fed into the groundwater body afterwards." It is also conceivable that the treated water could be used for industrial purposes, thus conserving drinking water resources. There is still a long way to go before the first concrete results are available - the research project entitled "innovatION" is at its beginning. Initial results are expected in 2024. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. "During the eight-month pilot phase at the Langeoog waterwork, we will be responsible for supervising the plant and taking samples of different waters - meaning groundwater, process water and water from the pilot plant. We share the samples and the results obtained from them with the project partners for laboratory tests," describes Yannick Tiemann. "Due to the globally increasing demand for water and the decreasing availability of freshwater resources, there is a worldwide interest in efficient desalination processes," states the "innovatION" project description of the TU Dresden. "We are pleased to be one of the two practical partners, along with the Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg," says the OOWV project manager.He has also already been involved in "MULTI-ReUse," a water reuse process in which treated wastewater is further processed to make it available to local industry. Here, the plans for a large-scale plant with its own supply network in Nordenham are concrete. The plant will save around one million cubic meters of drinking water per year. After all, not every industrial process requires the valuable water in drinking water quality.

22/03/2021

Press release on the "innovatION" research project

Research project develops sustainable, membrane-based water desalination processDue to the globally increasing demand for water and the decreasing availability of freshwater resources, there is a worldwide interest in efficient desalination processes. Freshwater that is influenced by the sea or by geogenic, i.e. natural, underground salt deposits often has high concentrations of sodium and chloride. High nitrate and sulphate concentrations usually result from agricultural influence. "Conventional desalination processes desalinate water completely and usually do not distinguish which salts are retained," explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch, professor of the chair of process engineering in hydrosystems and coordinator of the innovatION joint project. "However, a complete desalination of the waters is often not useful, but only a reduction of the monovalent, singly charged ions."The aim of the innovatION research project is to develop an energy-efficient selective membrane-based desalination process for the targeted removal of monovalent ions from saline groundwater and surface water, and to examine potential applications and areas of use, taking into account water chemistry, economic and ecological aspects.innovatION stands for Selective Removal of Monovalent Ions from Saline Waters for Groundwater Recharge and Drinking Water Treatment. The joint project will be funded over the next three years by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF within the funding measure "Water Technologies: Water Reuse". innovatION brings together nine national partners from practice and science as well as two international associated partners. Within the framework of innovatION, selective membranes for specific retention of monovalent salts are being developed and installed in newly designed modules for use in an electrochemical process in laboratory and pilot plants. The plants will be used to carry out investigations to identify optimised process and plant parameters depending on different raw water qualities and treatment targets. The resulting effects and challenges for the different raw waters will be examined. The developed technology will be compared with international targets such as the sustainability goals using a holistic economic-ecological sustainability assessment in order to derive recommendations for action.By choosing partners from industry, science and practice, the consortium is able to build plants and test and evaluate the innovative technology on site with practical partners. Young scientists can be involved in cooperation and exchange with international scientists at an early stage. The results thus contribute significantly to securing water resources and further education, both nationally and internationally.

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12/09/2024

innovatIONs at the EuroMembrane in Prague

We are excited to share that the results of innovatION were represented in September 2024 at the EuroMembrane 2024 conference in Prague. It was a fantastic opportunity to present the results, exchange ideas, and engage with leading experts in the field. Our BMBF funded project innovatION was represented by Tim Oddoy, Jochen Meier-Haack, David Schödel and Hanna Rosentreter, showcasing advancements in the production of selective ion exchange membranes, flow modeling, and the selective removal of nitrate and chloride with the mMCDI.

04/09/2024

Fact sheet on the WavE cross-sectional topic “TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES”

In cooperation with the joint projects WEISS_4.0, RIKovery and innovatION, a fact sheet on the WavE cross-sectional topic “TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES” was created with DECHEMA. This can be downloaded in the appendix. The different capacitive processes of the WavE joint projects are presented here.

30/05/2024

Lecture at the annual conference of the BDEW/DVGW regional group of Central Germany

At the annual conference of the BDEW/DVGW regional group of Central Germany, Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch presented the results of innovatION in Halle in a lecture entitled "Selective treatment of groundwater to reduce sodium chloride and nitrate". Around 180 participants from the energy and water industry took part in the event on May 29 and 30 and discussed energy and water policy issues at the Leopoldina National Academy.

16/05/2024

innovatIOn at the IFAT

IFAT is one of the world's largest trade fairs for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management. At the event "Water technologies for water reuse - Innovation Forum Block 2" at IFAT in Munich, Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch presented the "Selective removal of monovalent ions from saline waters for groundwater recharge and drinking water treatment" of the innovatION joint project in a presentation. Afterwards, the results and other presentations of the WavE funding initiative were discussed with DECHEMA and the expert audience.

26/10/2023

innovatION-s at the AWT

The project innovatION was presented at the "15th Aachener Tagung Wassertechnologie - ATW" with two lectures on laboratory results as well as on flow and process modeling with selective desalination. Hanna Rosentreter presented selective desalination as a function of various process and material parameters. With the help of suitable process settings and the novel selective membranes, desalination can thus be carried out preferentially for monovalent ions. David Schödel presented the tracer experiments to validate the flow model and discussed the model approaches for process modeling. Project partners from elkoplan Staiger GmbH and the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband were also represented at the AWT. The AWT was a suitable platform for discussing the results of selective desalination and modeling with national scientists and users.

08/09/2023

Presentation of the experimental results of the UOL in Lyon and Halle

Presentation of the experimental results of the UOL at the Goldschmidt Conference (Lyon) and the German Soil Science Conference (Halle) At this year's international geochemical conference Goldschmidt from 09.07. - 14.07.2023 in Lyon, Laura Bräunig presented the results obtained by means of column experiments on the mobilization of arsenic during the infiltration of a monovalent partially desalinated water in the form of a poster. The lively exchange during the poster session showed clear international interest in this targeted and more energy-efficient desalination process. The temporary reduction of arsenic transport under the influence of the ionic strength and the chemical composition of the infiltration water showed a clear advantage for the use of monovalent partially desalinated water for potential artificial groundwater recharge. The network with international scientists working on similar studies was also expanded, leading to a better understanding of the process. More information can be found here: https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2023/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/20529 The participation and a presentation by Laura Bräunig at the German Soil Science Conference in Halle from 02.09. - 08.09.2023 achieved a better understanding of the dune development and properties of the sands of the potential recharge site Langeoog, which have an impact on the geochemical reactions during artificial groundwater recharge. Interest in the approach of combining desalination and artificial groundwater recharge to ensure groundwater quality and quantity in Germany also became clear.

26/07/2023

Presentation of selective desalination results at international conference in St. Louis

From July 23th – 26th the 10th “International Water Association Membrane Technology Conference & Exhibition for Water and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse” (IWA-MTC) was held in St. Louis, USA. Hanna Rosentreter presented the desalination results of the laboratory tests from the innovatION joint project. By combining nanofiltration membranes and standard ion exchange membranes as well as selective ion exchange membranes fabricated by the project partners themselves, the capacitive deionisation experiments at the TUD Dresden University of Technology showed a up to 14 times higher retention of monovalent ions compared to the retention of divalent ions. The comparison with international studies at the conference shows that selective desalination is gaining attention for a sustainable future, especially regarding energy consumption and resource consumption. Due to the high retention of nitrate and chloride compared to the hardly existing retention of sulfate, very high selectivity values can be measured within the innovatION project compared to other studies. The abstract of the presentation can be found here:

29/06/2023

Presentation of the innovatION project and modelling outcomes at the 13th ESEE

From June 26th – 29th, the 13th European Symposium on Electrochemical Engineering ("ESEE") was held in Toulouse, France. The research areas represented range from energy storage and resource recovery to hydrogen and desalination technologies and fundamental electrochemical mechanisms at the nanoscale. In the session on electrochemical separation technology, the innovatION project was represented as a desalination technology. In his presentation, David Schödel outlined the methodology of the project-accompanying modelling and discovered outcomes, as well as some results from the laboratory experiments, which raise new questions for the modelling. In the subsequent discussion, interest was directed towards the principle of mMCDI and the membranes used, and other participants shared interesting experiences from their own projects in upscaling electrochemical desalination processes. An abstract of the presentation can be found as download:

23/04/2023

Conference visit of the University of Oldenburg at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) in Vienna

At this year's European Geosciences Union Conference in Vienna from 23 - 28 April 2023, the University of Oldenburg presented its research results to date in the innovatION project on the experimental and modeled geochemical reactions during potential groundwater recharge with a monovalent partially desalinated water using the East Frisian island of Langeoog as a case. In the form of a presentation in the session "Sustainable Groundwater Management in Water Stressed Regions" and a poster in the session "Integrating understanding across the land-ocean continuum: multidisciplinary approaches to studying saltwater intrusion and submarine groundwater discharge" the research project and its importance could be clarified, the network could be extended, and suggestions and feedback on the previous work could be obtained. Further information on the presented content can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15634 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1392

24/11/2022

Presentation of innovatION at the Aachener Membran Kolloquium

The Aachen Membrane Colloquium (AMK) traditionally takes place every 2 years. This year we were able to present our first interim results from the innovatION project on ion exchange membranes with a poster as well as in a pitch. At the AMK, in addition to membrane manufacturing methods, results on the use of membranes for water treatment and desalination were presented. Electrochemical membrane processes are becoming more and more important for desalination as well as for the recovery of valuable resources. The AMK is a suitable exchange platform for manufacturers, researchers and operators. We hope to be present again next year in Aachen - at the 15th Aachen Conference on Water Technology, which will take place alternately to the AMK - to present the latest results of innovatION.

24/11/2022

Presentation of innovatION at Euromembrane

Euromembrane is organised by the European Membrane Society (www.emsoc.eu) every three years (2021 Copenhagen; 2024 Prague (https://euromembrane2024.cz/)) and is one of the largest membrane conferences in Europe. It primarily serves the exchange of knowledge between scientists. This year's Euromembrane was a special edition on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the European Membrane Society. The Euromembrane programme was very broad and covered many topics in the membrane sector, with membrane-based desalination methods being one of the focal points. First results on membrane development from the joint project innovatION could be presented in the form of a lecture.

21/09/2022

Conference presentations at MELPRO 2022

On this years MELPRO conference, the latest findings on the membranes and electrochemical processes have been discussed. After the last conference in 2020, which had to be organized as an online event, the participants from science and industry could meet in Prague to discuss recent research and development at presentations, posters and panel discussions. Also the goals and progress of the project innovatION, as well as the current state of the modelling have been presented by David Schödel.

12/05/2022

Asked!

At POP-UP-WISSEN - Wissen schafft Dialog, a project of the Technical University of Dresden, innovatION was also presented on a poster in order to exchange information with the public and to answer questions on this topic. The aim of the project is, through POP-UP-WISSENsläden, decentralized events at POP-UP-WISSENsorten and virtual activities in the POP-UP-WISSENsnetz, to arouse the curiosity of the population in Weißwasser and Dresden, to answer questions and discover future topics. Further information on the "Wissenschaftsjahr 2022 Nachgefragt!" and "POP-UP-WISSEN - Wissen schafft Dialog"campaign is available here: https://www.wissenschaftsjahr.de/2022/ https://tu-dresden.de/kooperation/wissenschaftsjahr-2022

01/04/2022

Poster presentation at ProcessNet conference

From 16 to 18 of March the annual conference of "ProcessNet Fachgruppen Computational Fluid Dynamics, Mischvorgänge und Agglomerations- und Schüttguttechnik", which is organized with the DECHEMA, took place in Leipzig. Besides talks and presentations from attendees regarding fundamental science or industrial scale applications, the innovatION project was also represented by David Schödel. For the "Computational Fluid Dynamics" group a poster from a prior Master Thesis, describing the approaches to our mMCDI model was presented and discussed.

25/03/2022

Presentation at the conference of the Fachsektion Hydrogeologie e. V. of the DGGV

From March 23rd to March 25th 2022, the conference of the Fachsektion Hydrogeologie e. V. of the DGGV (Deutsche Geologische Gesellschaft – Geologische Vereinigung) took place online, with the main topic "Groundwater - Climate - Society", in cooperation with the Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena. In the session "Artificial and natural groundwater reacharge" the PhD student Laura Bräunig and the Master student Mareike Schloo, Carl-von-Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, could present their first results from the project "innovatION" on the geochemical interactions during the infiltration of a monovalent-partially desalinated water into dune sediments of the East Frisian island Langeoog in two posters and flash talks. Likewise, the meeting showed the increasing interest in research on methods and techniques for groundwater protection and understanding of groundwater quality, as well as processes during infiltration through the vadose zone. This reinforces the motivation of the "innovatION" project for the development of a monovalent-selective membrane and the importance of understanding geochemical reactions during artificial groundwater recharge with product water.

07/07/2021

Poster for the kick-off event of the BMBF funding measure of WavE

innovatION is a joint project which is focused on the development of a sustainable treatment and utilization of saline groundwater of the WavE-Network (https://bmbf-wave.de) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.In July 2021 all WavE-Partners came together for a launch event. The goal and content of innovatION were presented with the following three posters.

07/07/2021

Presentation at the WavE kick-off event

innovatION is a joint project which is focused on the development of a sustainable treatment and utilization of saline groundwater of the WavE-Network (https://bmbf-wave.de) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.In July 2021 all WavE-Partners came together for the WavE kick-off event. Hereby, Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Lerch presented the contents and goals of innovatION.

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