Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

In October 2009, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was established by a merger of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH and Universität Karlsruhe (TH).

The KIT pursues both the mission of a university with teaching and research tasks and the mission of a national research centre of the Helmholtz Association conducting program-oriented provident research. Within these missions, KIT is operating along the three strategic fields of action; research, teaching, and innovation. With 24,500 students and about 9,400 employees, including 6,000 staff members in the science and education sector, KIT is one of the biggest research and education institutions in Europe.

Since its foundation, the KIT Climate and Environment Centre has been acquiring fundamental and applicable knowledge on climate and environmental change with 500 scientists from 30 institutes. From this knowledge, they derive strategies and technologies to secure the natural basis of life. The advantage of an already existing large scope of expertise in natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences is used to develop multidisciplinary cooperation in a centre of outstanding international visibility.

The Green Talents will primarily gain insights on the Water Resources and Water Management department of KIT.

In this department, KIT researchers focus on the basic processes in cycles of water and matter, which play a major role in the renewal of water resources and extreme events. The scientists develop highly sensitive technologies for trace gas analysis, as well as adapted models for the balancing of the water cycle, mass transport, and mass transformation. Moreover, they study extreme events and their impacts on the quantity (floods, droughts) and quality (nutrients, organic trace substances) of water.

Water management plants influence the water cycle and water resources on a local or regional level. In line with changing global framework conditions, KIT scientists develop flexible dimensioning concepts and management strategies for complex networks. They then optimize the concepts in terms of energy efficiency, climatic compatibility, and environmental compatibility. Work in the field of water technologies focuses on the development and use of efficient methods, new materials for the removal of pollutants, as well as for storage and distribution systems. Particular attention is paid to the processing of drinking water, process waters, and wastewater treatment.

Concepts of integrated water resources management consider meteorological, hydrological, hydraulic, hydrochemical, and biological processes as well as socioeconomic and cultural aspects. In threshold countries in particular, there is an acute need for action. KIT staff members operate all over the world, developing regionally adapted concepts and technologies for a sustainable management of vital water resources.

Short summary of the visit at KIT, 28. October 2014

On the second day of the Green Talents´ journey through Germany, a stop in Karlsruhe was on the schedule. Karlsruhe, a city with around 300,000 inhabitants, is located in the south-west of Germany next to the French border and accommodates the seat of two of the highest courts in Germany: the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Court of Justice.

Another important “landmark”, is the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which the Green Talents visited on 28. October 2014. KIT, as part of the Helmholtz Association, is operating along the following three strategic fields of action: research, teaching, and innovation. With 24,500 students and about 9,400 employees, including 6,000 staff members in the science and education sector, KIT is one of the biggest research and education institutions in Europe.

The visit of the Green Talents at KIT was divided into two sections. First the group was welcomed by Prof. Nestmann, Head of the Institute of Water and River Basin Management. This was followed by talks about „Aspects of sustainable water management in the urban environment“ (Dr. Lehn, KIT-ITAS), “Arsenic contamination in Asia” (Prof. Neumann, KIT- IMG) and a presentation about the “South German Climate Office” by Dr. Schipper (KIT-IMK). With this theoretical basis the Green Talents were well equipped for their visit to the Theodor-Rehbock-Laboratorium, where hydraulic constructions are designed and tested. A lunch with several KIT-researchers marked the end of the first part of the programme at the Campus South.

The visit continued at the Campus North with a visit of the Bioliq-Pilot-Plant. The facility has been designed for a four-step process developed at the KIT which allows producing valuable and engine-compatible design fuels for diesel and Otto engines. After this tour guided by Prof. Jörg Sauer of the Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology the Green Talents said goodbye to the KIT for now and headed on to Freiburg.