{"id":194913,"date":"2026-09-03T06:59:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T04:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/?post_type=news&p=194913"},"modified":"2026-09-03T07:14:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T05:14:24","slug":"a-new-era-in-wastewater-treatment","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/news\/a-new-era-in-wastewater-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Era in Wastewater Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Believe in what you do: <\/strong>Engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul will receive the 2026 German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) for his innovations in hollow-fiber membranes for wastewater treatment in sewage treatment plants. He shares the award, worth a total of 500,000 euros, with environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen.
© Markus Gro\u00dfe Ophoff\/DBU <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Osnabr\u00fcck\/Aachen. This year, the German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU<\/em>) is awarding the German Environmental Prize<\/a> to membrane filter engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul<\/strong>, founder and CEO of Membion<\/a>. \u201cWith perseverance and ingenuity, he has pioneered a technology that already meets tomorrow\u2019s standards today\u2014ushering in a new era of wastewater treatment at sewage treatment plants,\u201d says DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde<\/strong>. Vossenkaul shares one of Europe\u2019s most highly endowed environmental awards, totaling 500,000 euros, with Hamburg-based environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen<\/strong>. The DBU will present the 2026 German Environmental Prize for the 34th time on October 25 at a ceremony in Aachen. The award will be presented by Federal President Frank-Walter<\/a> Steinmeier<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Union Urban Wastewater Directive: Wastewater Treatment Plants Facing Radical Change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thin tubes <\/strong>that <\/strong>look like spaghetti and are hollow like macaroni. The photo shows a bundle of hollow-fiber membranes produced by the company Membion, based in Roetgen near Aachen. The company\u2019s founder and CEO, engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul, will receive the German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) in 2026.
© Klaus Jongebloed\/DBU <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bonde speaks of \u201cnew standards for wastewater treatment: optimal water quality, minimal energy consumption, and maximum space savings. This makes wastewater treatment plants future-proof.\u201d These plants in the European Union<\/a> (EU)\u2014including hundreds in Germany\u2014are facing a radical transformation: To better protect water bodies from micropollutants, the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive<\/a> (Kommunale Abwasserrichtlinie, KARL<\/em>), which took effect in 2025, must be implemented across the EU by the end of July 2027. It requires a highly efficient fourth treatment stage in addition to the three conventional mechanical-biological-chemical steps used to date. According to Bonde, Vossenkaul\u2019s innovations make this technically and ecologically superior membrane technology cost-competitive with conventional wastewater treatment technology in both production and operation\u2014now a bonus for many facilities that must retrofit due to KARL<\/em>. \u201cVossenkaul\u2019s membrane technology is a flexible modular system\u2014and an elegant solution in the new KARL<\/em> era, especially where space is limited,\u201d said Bonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollow-fiber membrane filters: as thin as spaghetti, as hollow as macaroni, and 1.60 meters long<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bonde, Vossenkaul has demonstrated \u201cremarkable courage\u201d through his various startup ventures in membrane technology. What sets Membion apart: After launching the company in 2012, CEO Vossenkaul and his partner, process engineer Dirk Volmering<\/strong>, focused exclusively for years on further developing membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology<\/a>. The result is hollow-fiber membrane filters: \u201cThin tubes that filter crystal-clear water from sewage sludge. They look like spaghetti, are hollow like macaroni, and are about 1.60 meters long,\u201d says Vossenkaul. They\u2019re made of four types of plastic and, most importantly, have pores so fine that the membranes filter problematic substances out of the wastewater\u2014including microplastics, pathogens, and multidrug-resistant bacteria, as well as drug and cosmetic residues using activated carbon. These are just a few examples of pollutants that burden the sewer system and wastewater. They come from manufacturing, cooking, washing dishes, showering, and flushing toilets\u2014in other words, everything that is disposed of down the drain. A new wastewater treatment system using sewage treatment plants is indispensable, according to Bonde. \u201cIt protects humanity\u2019s most important resource. Without water, there is no \u2018us.\u2019” According to Bonde, this is the best form of water recycling and the foundation that ensures, among other things, that crystal-clear water reaches reservoirs\u2014the basis for subsequently producing vital drinking water in several steps. Vossenkaul\u2019s achievement is \u201cof enormous significance,” says Bonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Founder and CEO Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul<\/strong>, an engineer, has <\/strong>secured ten patents to date <\/strong>for his membrane filter company, Membion, based in Roetgen near Aachen. In total, he is the inventor of 28 patents. In 2026, he will receive the German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) for his innovations in hollow-fiber membranes for wastewater treatment in sewage treatment plants. He will share the award, totaling 500,000 euros, with environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen.
© Membion GmbH <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sludge and Bacteria: A Staple of Wastewater Treatment Plants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before Vossenkaul\u2019s ideas, MBR technology was already producing water quality that was many times better than that of conventional wastewater treatment plants. However, the high energy consumption required to flush the membranes\u2014to prevent clogging by sludge\u2014often deterred wastewater treatment plant operators from installing the system. Sludge and bacteria are a constant feature of wastewater treatment plants: Bacteria break down the constituents of the wastewater, making the water biologically clean. At the same time, they multiply, and the sludge grows along with them. Excess sludge is disposed of, while the rest remains in the treatment plant for the next cycle. Circular tanks, such as those found in conventional treatment plants, where sludge settles to the bottom and separates from the water, are no longer needed. Instead, membrane modules are submerged in the sludge, and the water\u2014purified by bacteria\u2014is extracted from the membranes, crystal clear. While it is not suitable for drinking, it can be used, for example, for agricultural irrigation. This conserves groundwater reserves, which are essential for drinking water treatment. The heat wave of 2026 demonstrated why this protection is becoming increasingly important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vossenkaul’s ideas will form the core of Germany’s largest membrane wastewater treatment plant in Wolfsburg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For nearly five years, a pilot wastewater treatment plant in the Eifel village of Konzen near Monschau\u2014equipped with both conventional plate-module membrane filters and Membion technology\u2014has been demonstrating what is possible: a reduction of more than 90 percent in energy consumption for membrane backwashing and a 75 percent reduction in space requirements. Vossenkaul: \u201cThe wastewater treatment plant operator stands to save a six-figure sum in electricity costs per year.\u201d Membion technology is now used by Collini, Europe\u2019s leading electroplating company, as well <\/strong><\/a>as by McCain<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest producer of French fries, for treating potato wastewater. And: It will be the centerpiece of Germany\u2019s largest membrane wastewater treatment plant in Wolfsburg-Stahlberg, currently under construction: More than 1,600 \u201cmacaroni\u201d membranes are anchored in a base element and float freely like seaweed in enclosed, man-sized housings submerged in the sludge. In Wolfsburg, 3,000 such base elements are in use. Vossenkaul\u2019s ingenious solution: so-called \u201cGeyser\u201d elements clipped beneath the base element, from which pulses of air propel the sludge upward in a matter of seconds\u2014thereby keeping the membrane pores clean for a long service life. Vossenkaul calls this \u201cJetSplash<\/a><\/em>\u201d (water splash)\u2014one of his 28 patents in total. The father of three was born in Roetgen in 1965 and earned his doctorate at the Institute of Process Engineering at RWTH Aachen University<\/a>. Music and exercising almost every morning are his passions, including the a cappella quartet \u201cLovely Mr Singing Club<\/em><\/a>\u201d. His motto: \u201cBelieve in what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Precious Water: <\/strong>Approximately 8,700 public wastewater treatment plants across Germany treat about 8.3 billion cubic meters of wastewater annually. Worldwide, the situation is dire: Up to 80 percent of global wastewater flows untreated into the environment. Engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul, founder and CEO of the membrane filter company Membion in Roetgen near Aachen, will receive the 2026 German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) for his innovations in wastewater treatment. He will share the award, totaling 500,000 euros, with environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen.
© Membion GmbH <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Longtime partners: <\/strong>Membrane filter engineer <\/strong>Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul (left) and process engineer Dirk Volmering have been working together for more than 25 years to improve membrane technology. In 2026, Vossenkaul will receive the German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) for his innovations. He will share the award, worth a total of 500,000 euros, with environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen.
© Klaus Jongebloed\/DBU <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Up to 80 percent of the world\u2019s 360 billion cubic meters of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide, about 130 liters of water are used per person per day in Germany\u2014and as much as 7,000 liters when imported food, clothing, and other goods are taken into account. This results in wastewater that needs to be treated\u2014in Germany, by approximately 8,700 public wastewater treatment plants, totaling 8.3 billion cubic meters each year. Worldwide, the situation is dire: Of the approximately 360 billion cubic meters of wastewater globally\u2014four times the volume of Lake Geneva\u2014up to 80 percent flows untreated into the environment. Bonde: \u201cThere is a huge need for action on wastewater.\u201d Highly efficient treatment of this wastewater is increasingly becoming a lifeline for both people and the environment: Only about 0.3 percent of the world\u2019s total water volume\u2014roughly 120,000 cubic kilometers out of a global total of 1.4 billion cubic kilometers\u2014is freshwater available for human use. The rest is largely the saltwater of the oceans or, in the form of freshwater, locked up in the ice of the Arctic and Antarctic, among other places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A membrane module <\/strong>from the Roetgen-based company Membion, which is transparent for demonstration purposes. The company\u2019s founder and CEO, engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul, will receive the 2026 German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The membrane modules are submerged in the sludge at wastewater treatment plants.
© Klaus Jongebloed\/DBU <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pinpoint precision: <\/strong>The ends of the membrane fibers\u2014which later float freely within a membrane element, much like seaweed\u2014are fully automatically sealed with UV resin at Membion, a membrane filter company. The company\u2019s founder and CEO, engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul, will receive the German Environmental Prize from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) in 2026.
© Klaus Jongebloed\/DBU <\/i><\/a><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Media & Information<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/i><\/div>
German Environmental Award 2026: Summary<\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DBU German Environmental Award Presented to Dr.-Ing. Klaus Vossenkaul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":194912,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2481],"tags":[3325],"class_list":["post-194913","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dbu-en","tag-german-environmental-award"],"meta_box":{"dbu_headerimage_cover":"0","dbu_submenu":"0","dbu_submenu_position":"middel","dbu_submenu_entry":[{"dbu_submenu_entry_link_size":"normal","dbu_submenu_entry_link_weight":"big"}],"dbu_news_mail":"0","dbu_news_mail_status":"Eine Mail wurde nicht verschickt"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/194913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/194913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195071,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/194913\/revisions\/195071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dbu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}