Waste Treatment and Resource Management
The research group "Waste Treatment and Resource Management" focuses on various issues of waste prevention, waste recycling and the sustainable use of resources in order to aid climate protection. We emphasize a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach as well as the development of integrated solutions. Thereby particular focus is laid upon the application of technology in various practical engineering tasks. This key aspect in our work is further supported by the fact that several of our staff members have worked in the private sector for a representative number of years. Also, we are proud of cooperations with several industrial partners.
Our project involves contributions from bachelor and master students. In this way the working group benefits from qualified students and at the same time students gain a practical training.
Research group "Waste Treatment and Resource Management" (from left to right): Julika Knapp, Christian Ebner, Jacqueline Winkler, Anke Bockreis, Thomas Lichtmannegger, Alice do Carmo Precci Lopes, Marco Wehner, Sabine Robra, Dominik Kornthaler
Research activities
Waste Treatment and Resource Management
National and International Waste Management
Mechanical and Biological Waste Treamtent (MBT)
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and Composting
Pyrolysis
Environmental Monitoring
Urban/Landfill Mining
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Projects
| Project | Start |
End |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlpinHanfHarvester2 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| FFG Innovationscamp | 2022 | 2024 | |
| Raiqa | 2021 | 2021 | |
| Organic cotton | 2020 | 2021 |
Investigation of the biological degradation of textiles made from organic cotton |
| 2strategies4AD | 2020 | 2023 | |
| Audi Nines | 2019 | 2019 |
Assessment of the environmental impacts of the "Audi Nines" event |
| FAFODI | 2018 | 2021 |
Optimized Concept for the Maintenance of Grease Traps to reduce Pollutants and recover Resources |
| CIRCE | 2017 | 2020 |
Expansion of Circular Economy concept in the Central Europe local productive districts: |
| COMITO | 2018 | 2019 | |
| ENARA | 2017 | 2018 | |
| MehrWert for Innsbruck | 2016 | 2019 | Reusable Cups for Coffee to go |
| Biopot | 2016 | 2018 |
Bio-energy made from cooking fat – potential of mixed fat wastes as resource for biodiesel |
| AraFerm | 2012 | 2017 | Pretreatment of Substrates and Co-Ferments; Production of renewable energy from organic food waste in water purification plants – investigation of the impact on the technical and economical viability |
| Organic fraction from MSW | 2014 | 2016 | Evaluation of treatment processes for the separation of a organic fraction from mixed household waste for the utilisation in the digestor of a waste water treatment facility |
| Treatment of dry biowaste | 2015 | 2015 |
Assessment of treatment options for dry biowaste;
Feasibility study - technical and economical aspects
|
| Biowaste for Co-Digestion | 2015 | 2015 |
Process options for the amendment of an existing composting facility with a separation of the wet organic from biowaste for the utilisation in the digestor of a waste water treatment facility;
Feasibility study - technical and economical aspects
|
| Benchmarking in the Waste Management Sector |
2013 | 2015 | Comprehensive assessment of the Austrian waste management infrastructure regarding the targets of the austrian waste management regulation (Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz). Development of scenarios for further improvement; Joint project of the universities TU Wien, BOKU Wien, TU Leoben und LFU Innsbruck |
| GastroFuel | 2013 | 2015 | Biogenic Waste Potentials - GastroFuel; Assessment of a newly developed system for the collection and preparation of food waste and grease separators from canteens for the direct utilisation in C-digestion plants; quality of the prepared food waste, logistics of collection, life-cycle analysis; in cooperation with Institute of Microbiology and developing company “MEIKO” |
| "Bioenergie aus der Küche" | 2013 | 2014 | Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and lifecycle costing of different options of the collection and utilisation of used cooking grease from households; e.g. biodiesel, combined heat and power, biogas plant |
| Pyramet | 2013 | 2014 | Potentials of Biogenic Residual Materials - Pyramet; Development of an novel pyrolysis technology for the treatment of metal-rich wastes and biomass; investigation of the process efficiency, emissions, energy balance, life-cycle analysis; cooperation project with the developer of the pyrolysis technology |
| MBT demonstration plant Tunisia | 2013 | 2014 | Assessment of the viability of Mechanical-Biological Treatment for the treatment of tunisian waste; Supervision of MBT demonstration trials in Mjerda (Tunisia) |
| Biowaste treatment plant Roppen | 2013 | 2014 | Assessment of different biogas systems for the biowaste treatment plant Roppen – Feasibility study - technical and economical aspects |
| Landfill Mining | 2013 | 2013 | Determination of the inventory of a landfill in Tyrol with valuable materials. Assessment of the economic feasability of a landfill mining |
| AshTreaT | 2012 | 2014 | Wood Ash Recycling in Alpine Forest; Utilisation of biomass incineration bottom ash. Life-cycle analysis (LCA) on different treatment options and impact of the application in forests to the environment |
| BioGAP | 2012 | 2014 | Biogas and Ash Processing; Potential of biomass incineration bottom ash for the upgrading of biogas |
| BioKasEn | 2012 | 2013 | BioKasEn - Cascading Approach of Biogenic Waste through Converting into Lactate up-front a Digestion Plant and the Assessment of the Impact on the Energy Efficiency |
|
Ecological evaluation waste treatment (Karlsruhe) |
2012 | 2013 | |
|
Waste analysis Rhein-Lahn-Kreis |
2012 | 2013 | Compositional analysis of the residual and packaging waste of the district of Rhein-Lahn Kreis |
|
Ecological evaluation biowaste treatment (Starnberg-AWISTA) |
2012 | 2012 | Life cycle anylsis of different treatment options of biowaste (source separated kitchen and garden waste) |
| Waste Management concept Wörgl | 2012 | 2012 | Development of a waste management strategy for the city of Wörgl |
| Eco Emballage (France) | 2012 | 2012 | Development of a process concept for the separation of plastics and metals from mixed household waste |
|
Ecological evaluation compost plant (Würzburg) |
2011 | 2012 | Ecological evaluation of different options for the biowaste treatment of the City of Würzburg |
| Symevad (France) | 2011 | 2012 | Technical due diligence of several propals for a mechanical-biological waste treatment plant (MBT) in France |
| South Africa | 2011 | 2012 | Development of a waste treatment concept for a treatment facility in Cape Town (South Africa) |
| Handbook waste characterisation | 2011 | 2012 | Development of a waste characterisation handbook with focus on analyses in developing and emerging countries and for the assessment in terms of recycling and production of refuse derived fuels |
| Reduction of chlorine in RDF | 2011 | 2012 | Investigations on options to reduce the chlorine content in refuse derived fuels (RDF) |
| MBT concept Tunisia | 2011 | 2012 | |
| MBT Norway | 2010 | 2012 | Consultancy on the design execution and evaluation of a trials on the treatment of MSW in Norway |
| MBT worldwide (Voith) | 2010 | 2011 | Study on the world-wide potential of mechanical biological treatment plants |
| Mechanical treatment pant Ahrental | 2010 | 2010 | Investigations on the performance of the mechanical waste treatment facility Ahrental (Innsbruck) with respect to mass balance and quality of the different products |
| Refitting of a biological waste treatment plant (Quarzbichl) | 2009 | 2012 | |
| Removel of contraries (Quarzbichl) | 2009 | 2011 |