We are pleased to announce our new project, ISWA-SMART

The ISWA-SMART project is funded under the ZIM programme (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and administered via the AiF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen). The project is carried out as a collaborative consortium between the University of Stuttgart, the ISWA – Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, Carbonit Filtertechnik GmbH, and instrAction GmbH.

Within the framework of ISWA-SMART, a modular point-of-use (PoU) filtration system will be developed based on advanced selective adsorbent materials. The system is designed to operate under standard household tap water pressure and to be specifically adaptable to varying contamination scenarios. The primary objective of the project is to address the increasing presence of critical contaminants in drinking water, including organic micropollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—for example, PFOA, PFOS, and TFA—as well as selected heavy metals.

To identify optimal filtration configurations for complex contaminant matrices, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches will be integrated into the system design and evaluation process. This enables the development of tailored, high-performance solutions for different water quality conditions.

The project commenced at the beginning of this year and will run until the end of 2027. An official kick-off meeting involving all project partners was held on 24 March at the premises of instrAction GmbH.

At ISWA, the project is led by Dr.-Ing. Behnam Askari Lasaki under the academic supervision of Prof. Harald Schönberger and Prof. Patrick Bräutigam. The outcomes of ISWA-SMART are expected to contribute significantly to the development of cost-effective, robust, and high-performance filtration technologies, ultimately supporting the provision of safer drinking water.