“The river Ruhr is the region’s central lifeline”

Daniel Gronert: As Innovation Manager at RWW, I see myself as the link between our operational units and our activities in product development and research and development. I identify the needs of the business and explore the market for innovative, practical solutions. If no viable solution exists, I initiate development projects in collaboration with partners from academia and industry. If a suitable market solution already exists, I support its implementation within the company, for example through pilot projects or appropriate change management.

People in Germany can rely on a safe and reliable supply of drinking water at all times. This is particularly evident in an international comparison when looking at water losses in the piped network. Many neighbouring countries in southern Europe face significantly greater challenges in this regard. However, there are very significant regional differences, particularly in terms of the availability and quality of raw water.

The Ruhr region is also unique from a water supply perspective: on the one hand because of its population density and, on the other, because of the region’s history. We still have to factor in contamination left over from the Second World War when carrying out construction work, which in some cases incurs considerable costs. Added to this is structural change. Major consumers, such as the coal and mining industries, have disappeared, yet our supply networks are designed to meet historically high demand. We therefore assess, for every construction project, whether the network is still suited to current consumption levels or needs to be adapted. On the other hand, we are seeing very high peak demand during periods of drought and heatwaves due to climate change. Both of these developments must always be taken into account in our projects.

The Ruhr region is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe, and the River Ruhr is the region’s central lifeline. It is the most important source of drinking water for almost five million people, supplies process and cooling water to industrial and commercial areas, and also serves as a local recreational area. Local water suppliers and the Ruhrverband demonstrate that public services, industry, nature conservation and tourism are perfectly compatible. This makes the Ruhr region a suitable model for many similar conurbations around the world.

However, further major challenges lie ahead. These include adapting to climate change and, consequently, to extreme events such as flooding and drought, reducing the input of pollutants, and protecting against invasive species, particularly in our reservoirs. These tasks must be taken to a new level. The region’s very high water demand during the hot summer months must also be met through suitable, flexible structures, without creating overcapacity in winter.

The potential for innovation in drinking water supply lies, in particular, in areas that enable real-time decision-making on resource and asset management. These include AI-supported tools for forecasting water demand and supply, adaptive network control and leak detection. For integrated water resource management, it is also essential to establish a data and information management system in the form of a central, digital data platform (Smart Data Management). This platform should store all water management information – such as water levels, water abstraction, groundwater recharge, as well as climatic and quality data – in real time.

Furthermore, persistent and, in some cases, toxicologically relevant pollutants in our raw water resources – such as PFAS – are increasingly pushing existing drinking water treatment processes to their limits, meaning that new technologies must be researched, developed and evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Start-ups can support water supply companies, particularly in key technologies such as ‘Smart Water’ – which refers to IoT sensor technology for networks and facilities, smart water meters and real-time monitoring; the use of artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance, demand and supply forecasts, and leak detection; and water treatment for the removal of micropollutants. At this year’s IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies in Munich, numerous start-ups were given a platform to present their ideas and solutions to a wide audience of industry professionals.

Start-ups usually get in touch with us by email or in person, present their solution and enquire about our requirements. Together with the relevant specialist departments, we decide – based on clear criteria – whether the solution is relevant to us, effective and economically viable. If the decision is positive, we invite representatives of the start-up to give a presentation and engage in further in-depth discussions. We also actively approach start-ups at trade fairs or conferences and seek to engage in dialogue with them.

The delegation’s visit was a resounding success. I was particularly impressed by the close collaboration between teaching, research and the creation of new businesses. It is not only the physical proximity of the start-ups to the institutes that demonstrates how closely interlinked these activities are, but also the fact that business start-ups are already factored into teaching and research – I have not seen this approach anywhere else in this form. This is evident in everything from the flexible laboratory spaces to support programmes such as our delegation trip.

A particular highlight for me was the sewage treatment plant, where space has already been set aside for the installation of pilot plants. This means that any innovation can be tested directly in practice with minimal effort. Such an opportunity would also be desirable for waterworks. After all, when it comes to food, testing innovations in real time would massively accelerate the acquisition of new knowledge.

Collaboration with water research institutes and universities is of paramount importance to RWW. It enables us to identify trends more quickly and respond to challenges promptly and appropriately. Since the IWW was founded on RWW’s initiative in 1986, numerous research projects led by the IWW have resulted in practical innovations in the fields of resource management, drinking water treatment and distribution, analytics and digitalisation. We apply the results directly to optimise our operations and to safeguard the drinking water supply.

We have provided scientific support for a large number of projects at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Münster. Furthermore, RWW has been and continues to be a regular industry partner in many funded projects run by the DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water), the Federal Ministries of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), and the German Research Foundation. In addition, RWW supports academic teaching and, as an industry partner, has supervised numerous bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral theses.