From 4 to 7 May, FiW is present at IFAT 2026 in Munich in three ways: at the acwa joint stand together with partner institutes ISA and PIA, with the RUBIN alliance AIX-Net-WWR on decentralised wastewater reuse, and with the scientific accompanying project TransPhoR within the RePhoR funding measure of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). All three contributions can be found at the joint stand of the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA) in Hall B2.
IFAT provided the opportunity for numerous technical discussions with representatives from municipalities, engineering firms, the water sector, and research. Existing project ideas were developed further, new approaches discussed. FiW looks forward to following up on the many contacts made and would like to thank DWA for the excellent organisation and productive collaboration.
acwa Aachen Wasser: Three Institutes under One Roof
Under the name acwa Aachen Wasser, three urban water management institutes of RWTH Aachen University have joined forces: the Institute for Urban Water Management (ISA), FiW, and the Testing and Development Institute for Wastewater Technology (PIA). Together, they cover a broad spectrum - from fundamental research and approval testing of wastewater treatment facilities, environmental analytical laboratory services and flow measurements, through to organisational consulting and technology transfer in Germany and abroad. Topics such as the development of future scenarios and sustainable resource protection are also central areas of work. A significant share of projects involves international cooperation, with the three institutes bringing different technical focuses and target regions. Through acwa, ISA, FiW and PIA share several dedicated test fields and halls, an environmental analytical laboratory, and numerous specialised software applications. More at acwa-Website
AIX-Net-WWR: Wastewater Reuse at Neighbourhood Level
The RUBIN alliance AIX-Net-WWR (Aachener Netzwerk für Abwasserwiederverwendung, "Aachen Network for Waste Water Reuse") is developing pathways towards decentralised and economically viable water supply and disposal. The goal is to recover operational, drinking, or hygiene water directly at neighbourhood level - meaning at the scale of residential buildings or city blocks - from wastewater using innovative treatment technologies. At the same time, heat and further valuable materials contained in the wastewater can be recovered and reused. This form of circular economy contributes to meeting climate targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More at AIX-Net-WWR Website
TransPhoR: Scientific Accompanying Project for the BMFTR Funding Measure RePhoR
Phosphorus is a finite raw material and at the same time indispensable for the production of fertilisers. Without phosphorus, agricultural food production is not possible, yet known deposits are limited and concentrated in only a few regions of the world. The RePhoR funding measure (Regionales Phosphor-Recycling, "Regional Phosphorus Recycling") of the BMFTR supports collaborative projects that develop technologies for recovering phosphorus from wastewater and sewage sludge and transfer them into practice. FiW coordinates the scientific accompanying project TransPhoR, which provides overarching support to the individual projects within the measure, consolidates results, and promotes knowledge transfer in science and practice. More at RePhoR-Website