Inaugural lecture
Jochen Türk (Universität Duisburg-Essen und Ruhrverband, Emschergenossenschaft und Lippeverband)
The increasing relevance of micropollutants in aquatic environments poses major challenges for water quality management and wastewater treatment. The inaugural lecture of Prof. Türk bridges environmental monitoring and tertiary wastewater treatment, covering the transfer from laboratory-scale studies to pilot applications and full-scale implementation, with a focus on ozonation.
The assessment of tertiary wastewater treatment under the UWWTD (urban wastewater treatment directive, EU 2024/3019) requires a comprehensive evaluation of both receiving waters and wastewater effluents, particularly regarding micropollutants and hormonally active and (eco)toxic substances. To this end, advanced instrumental methods and effect-based tools have been developed and applied. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is used to characterize transformation products, while a broad battery of bioassays enables the assessment of biological effects.
This combined approach allows for the evaluation of treatment efficiency as well as the demonstration of a safe operation of ozonation without the formation of relevant adverse effects.