Berliner Wasserbetriebe
We visited the “Berliner Wasserbetriebe” (wastewater treatment plant of the city of Berlin), in
Ruhleben, at the beginning of our project. We wanted to see, learn and experience with our
own eyes the processes that wastewater goes through once it reaches the treatment plant. For
us this was a key step in our project because it provided insights about the possibility of
including our research and solutions in already established facilities. We were extensively
informed about the history, and the construction of this wastewater treatment plant. We were
allowed to see every purification step and were enlightened about the technical structures.
Also, we discussed about necessary changes for the future and about a changeover of the plant.
Moreover, we acquired an overview about current problems and basic approaches for the
optimization of the plant. We consulted with employees of the plant and talked about current
research works about microplastics and others, including drug residues present in water.
Another subject we brainstormed about was the form, the size, and the place of action of our
project called Enzymatic Flagellulose, that aims to eliminate microplastics through degradation.
It was a nice experience to see how the plant actually works and to see how complexly the
whole plant is constructed. They kindly offered to test our prototypes in the future and to
provide additional guidance about the possible logistics to implement a microplastics
degradation unit in the system. Additionally, they offered us to link us to other research groups
in the wastewater treatment field and some possible contacts for funding. We thank the
“Berliner Wasserbetriebe” for the time they offered us and are very grateful for their help in
our project. Here are some impressions of this awesome day at BWB:
