Building trust and expanding networks
“These can result in new products, services, or technologies,” Liebig summarizes. “We seek synergy effects between the university and companies.” In a way, Potsdam Transfer represents a bridge between industry and research institutions – benefitting both. The collaboration particularly enables small and medium-sized companies to use the University of Potsdam's infrastructure and expand their own product portfolio, while the university has significantly more funding opportunities to create positions. “If a small or medium-sized company is involved, you can better exploit the funding landscape,” he explains. “In the long term, however, we primarily want to gain their trust and build networks.”
Through comprehensive technology scouting, Ferenc Liebig has identified intersections at the Faculty of Science on the subject of water treatment. “Last year, we invited suitable research groups to take part in our From Lab2Net event,” he reports. Visiting the various labs allows scientists to showcase their field of work, exchange ideas, and network with others. “We look at where we can work together and how we can create synergies,” Liebig says. Two main topics emerged: sensor technology and filtration. “First of all, we want to be able to determine more precisely which pollutants come from industry,” he summarizes the area of sensor technology. “The water should be clean again when it is returned, which is where the filter systems come into play.” In order to learn about and discuss the technological challenges of water treatment, the researchers visited the Nedlitz waterworks of network partner Energie- und Wasser Potsdam GmbH.
Preserving natural resources
The maintenance and purification of water filters are cost-intensive. Typically, expensive activated carbon is used to remove pollutants, whereas coffee grounds are an abundant and cheap raw material. For this reason, Prof. Dr. Andreas Taubert’s Supramolecular Chemistry working group is investigating the production of a filter material from coffee grounds for water treatment. Another research project on the separation and analysis of microplastics from wastewater by Dr. Marek Bekir provides a key concept for the development of a demonstrator.
Prof. Katja Arndt and her team investigate the enzymatic inactivation of antibiotics in agricultural waste. Plasmonic filter systems, which Prof. Ilko Bald and his team investigate, will also be used to decompose harmful compounds with visible light. In addition, antimicrobial polymers from Dr. Matthias Hartlieb’s junior research group will be used to functionalize filter materials in order to remove specific harmful substances. All these research approaches therefore offer various solutions for effective water treatment.
The network consisting of external companies and research groups of the University of Potsdam focusses on innovative filter materials that provide an environmentally friendly alternative for cleaning wastewater. “Our goal is to provide solutions for a more sustainable use of water and at the same time to bring together the growing challenges of drinking water treatment with the needs of companies,” Liebig emphasizes. Pollutants that occur as a company’s waste products can potentially be used to generate energy, which in turn can be used to produce filter materials. Using waste as a valuable raw material to preserve natural resources is a promising approach for a sustainable circular economy.
Ferenc Liebig is an innovation manager at Potsdam Transfer, the central scientific institution for start-ups, innovation, and knowledge and technology transfer at the University of Potsdam.
This text (in german language) was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2024 „Europa“ (PDF).