The LFKW – Also a Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant
The Initiative
The Treatment Plant for Education and Research is affiliated with the Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management (ISWA) at the University of Stuttgart. The origin of the LFKW is ultimately owed to Franz Pöpel, the founder to the Institute. His demands for a new institute with associated research facilities, (in what was then the emerging university in Pfaffenwaldring) coincided with the negotiations between the State of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Stuttgart on the construction of a new municipal wastewater treatment plant in Brüsnau. Pöpel’s proposal, that this sewage treatment plant should also be used for research and education in the then very underdeveloped field of water protection, was finally realized. The developer and the land owner bore the brunt of the relatively high production costs.
The operation of the treatment plant was handed over to the Technical University, represented at that time by Pöpel’s Institute. The fiscal contribution of the City of Stuttgart with maintenance and operation costs of the LFKW was defined in a contract. The LFKW is unique because it is today, at least in Europe, the only treatment plant owned by a university institute.
Take a virtual video tour of the Büsnau Wastewater Treatment Plant
History of the LFKW
The Teaching and Research Wastewater Treatment Plant (LFKW) is affiliated with the Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management at the University of Stuttgart (ISWA).
The LFKW owes its establishment ultimately to Professor Franz Pöpel, the founder of the Institute. His calls for a new institute building with associated research facilities in the Pfaffenwald campus area, which was then under development, coincided with negotiations between the State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart concerning the construction of a new municipal wastewater treatment plant in Büsnau.
Professor Pöpel’s proposal to use the plant for teaching and research in the then still relatively underdeveloped field of water protection ultimately prevailed. The State of Baden-Württemberg became the client and owner, bearing the greater share of the comparatively high construction costs. Responsibility for operating the plant was assigned to the Technical University of Stuttgart, represented by Professor Pöpel’s Institute. The City of Stuttgart’s contribution to the LFKW’s maintenance and operating costs was established by contract.
To this day, a university institution operating its own wastewater treatment plant remains virtually unique, at least in Europe.
A Forward-Looking Concept
The original concept for the overall facility, as well as the design of its individual installations, was based on the following principles, which have also been observed during subsequent modernisation projects:
-
Reliable wastewater treatment must be ensured at all times. This is the plant’s absolute priority.
-
The facilities must be flexible enough to support research and development at both full technical and pilot-plant scales.
-
Individual plant components should serve as demonstration and training facilities, thereby supporting the Institute’s practice-oriented teaching.
Location and Performance
The University of Stuttgart’s Teaching and Research Wastewater Treatment Plant (Lehr- und Forschungsklärwerk, or LFKW) is located in the western part of Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, below Büsnau, on the edge of the “Rot- und Schwarzwildpark” nature reserve.
In addition to the district of Büsnau, its catchment area includes the residential area of Lauchhau-Lauchäcker, the popular excursion destination of Bärenschlössle, and almost the entire university campus in the Pfaffenwald area of Vaihingen.
Its name reflects the fact that the LFKW has certain distinctive features in terms of its functions and technical equipment. Nevertheless, it should first and foremost be regarded as a conventional wastewater treatment plant, whose primary task is to treat incoming wastewater properly.
The plant has been in operation since early 1965. Between 1989 and 1992, it was gradually converted and expanded to meet significantly stricter regulatory requirements concerning the quality of treated wastewater.
The pollutant load entering the LFKW is equivalent to that generated by approximately 10,000 inhabitants. On average, the plant treats around 2,000 cubic metres of wastewater per day.
Its hydraulic capacity is 35 litres per second. When inflows exceed this capacity, the excess wastewater is diverted into the Stuttgart valley basin via the Pfaffenwald tunnel. Completed in 1978, the 2.7-kilometre-long tunnel also serves as a stormwater retention basin.
The treated effluent is discharged into the Bandtälesbach stream, which flows into the Glems after a short distance. From there, the water continues via the Enz and the Neckar rivers into the Rhine.
What Sets the LFKW Apart from Other Wastewater Treatment Plants?
One of the LFKW’s key distinguishing features is its multi-line treatment system. All structures and mechanical equipment across the various treatment stages are provided at least in duplicate. By diverting partial flows from the main stream and appropriately interconnecting the flow paths, individual plant components can be used for research at a technical scale independently of normal operations and without adversely affecting the quality of the treated effluent. Unlike conventional wastewater treatment plants, the LFKW therefore does not follow a fixed flow scheme.
Most of the pipes carrying wastewater and sludge are installed in underground, accessible pipe and cable ducts. Since wastewater must, in principle, be transportable from any point in the process flow scheme to any other point for research purposes, more than 10 kilometres of piping have been installed in total.
Film – Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour
Contact
Peter Maurer
Dipl.-Ing.Technical Operations Manager of the Treatment Plant for Education and Research at the University of Stuttgart (LFKW)