In May, Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan, Head of the Institute for Sustainable Water Systems at Hof University of Applied Sciences (inwa), and the Institute Coordinator of inwa, Dr. Julia Frank, welcomed Prof. Dr. Larysa Sabliy and Dr. Veronika Zhukova from the “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)” of the National Technical University of Ukraine and Halyna Sukhonos, head and responsible for international cooperation of the Department of Water Resources of the two rivers “Western Bug” and “San” in Ukraine. “We are united by the practical pursuit of clean water,” Prof. Sabliy remarked at the welcome coffee.
The Ukrainian researchers’ visit to Hof took place as part of the project “German-Ukrainian Strategy for Phosphorus Reduction in the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent (DeUS-Phor)”, which is funded by the BayIntAn funding program (Bavarian funding program for the initiation of international research cooperation). At the beginning of the meeting, the German and Ukrainian sides had a morning to present their research work and ideas for the future. The Ukrainians were particularly interested in the idea of using textile filters to purify wastewater in an extended purification stage. This topic formed the basis for further technical discussions. Future plans to test this technology directly at municipal wastewater treatment plants in both countries as part of new research projects were also forged.
Susanne Krause and Jörg Noldin from the International Office showed that Hof University of Applied Sciences offers much more than just research: Scholarships, language center, welcome service – all of this, they assured, could give Ukrainian students “an academic anchor in Upper Franconia”. Dr. Harvey Harbach, research group leader at inwa, then demonstrated how integrated aquaculture saves resources and at the same time provides high-quality food. Finally, Katrin Müller, EU Network Manager, drew the bow to future projects: she explained step by step how German-Ukrainian research projects can be planned, applied for and funded by programs such as Eureka or Horizon Europe.
The Ukrainians were particularly impressed by the inwa’s research containers. Modern analytical equipment in the “spon(d)tion” and the “KanabEnT experimental container” and a digital platform for data acquisition prompted Dr. Zhukova to say: “We can already see the internships of our future master’s and doctoral students taking place here. Access to such equipment could significantly accelerate their research work.” Prof. Sabliy added that within a few days, several topics for joint dissertations had emerged, from the optimization of textile filters to the testing of carrier materials with immobilized microflora.
We saw the potential to examine real wastewater directly at the Hof sewage treatment plant in a fully equipped laboratory container. The plant provides precise scientific data thanks to automated sensor technology. We were also particularly impressed by the experimental setup on campus, which simulates the processes of water collection and purification.”
Dr. Veronika Zhukova
Another item on the program was a visit to the Hof wastewater treatment plant. In front of the steady hum of the pumps, Prof. Müller-Czygan discussed with the Ukrainian guests how textile filters could be integrated into the advanced purification process in the future. The tour of the plant primarily served to compare wastewater treatment processes and operating conditions in both countries. The experts exchanged experiences, identified differences and outlined initial joint research ideas.
“The visit to Hof as part of the DeUS-Phor projectwas extremely important for us because it enables the establishment of a sustainable scientific partnership between Ukrainian and German institutions in the water sector. The direct exchange with the researchers at Hof University of Applied Sciences provides us with valuable experience for future project applications and their implementation.”
Prof. Dr. Larysa Sabliy
Dr. Julia Frank sums up the Ukrainian delegation’s visit as follows: “We have outlined the path we will take together – from the laboratory bench to the municipal sewage treatment plant to new educational opportunities for students from both countries.”
After the hands-on visit to the wastewater treatment plant, the delegation traveled to the SBR wastewater treatment plants in Waldeck and Heringhausen in Hesse with a German escort. In SBR plants, modular reactors can flexibly adapt their aeration cycles in the cleaning process to different loads. During the subsequent visit to Wilo, they discussed how pump technology and intelligent system control could be integrated into the future Ukrainian infrastructure. During the visit to Germany, the participants agreed to draw up a draft project for an exchange for internships and master’s courses and to submit a joint application to Horizon Europe or Eureka next year.
