In research and teaching, we deal with

• Urban Water Management,
• Circular Economy,
• Hydrochemistry and
• Technical Environmental Microbiology

Our special focus in teaching and research is on the topics of water quality management, water supply, industrial water technology, waste water technology, recycling and waste management, biological exhaust air purification, emissions, analysis and elimination of pollutants and trace substances in water and drinking water, nutrient recovery and the use of microbiological process technology for the purification of water and air.

The institute's teaching and research sewage treatment plant (LFKW), which is unique in Europe, offers excellent opportunities for practice-oriented research on a semi-industrial and large-scale scale.

The Competence Centre Trace Substances (KomS) investigates highly relevant issues in connection with medication  residues, hormones and pesticides etc. in the environment.

The core competences of the institute lie in technical environmental protection, in particular in the fields of water, waste water, waste, soil and exhaust air. The research of the fundamental chemical and microbiological interrelations and the collection of data with modern methods of environmental analysis are essential activities of the institute. The monitoring, optimisation and further development of technical facilities as well as processes for industrial and municipal supply and disposal are central activities of the scientists.

In addition, systems and methods of quality assurance and quality management are optimised and further developed.