Course detail

Wastewater as a Resource for Water, Energy and Nutrients

FAST-VPC001Acad. year: 2025/2026

The course is designed as an intensive professional programme combining theoretical lectures, student discussions, and a practice-oriented technical excursion. The content focuses on the following topics: the role of wastewater in the concept of the circular economy and sustainable development; modern approaches to the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater, including advanced and tertiary technologies; wastewater sludge management, including stabilization, drying, composting, and energy recovery; options for energy recovery (biogas, heat recovery from wastewater, pyrolysis and torrefaction of biomass and sludge); water and nutrient recycling, water reuse, and principles of closed water cycles; interactions between water management, buildings, and the urban/regional environment, including blue–green infrastructure and the Smart Cities concept; and current research projects and applied research in the field of water management. The course includes a professional excursion to the AdMaS Research Centre and selected water management facilities in Brno, where students will gain practical experience with laboratory and pilot-scale equipment, wastewater treatment technologies, sludge processing, and blue–green infrastructure solutions. 

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

2

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Jakub Raček, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Municipal Water Management (VHO)

Offered to foreign students

The home faculty only

Entry knowledge

Not applicable.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Not applicable.

Aims

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the modern concept of wastewater as a source of water, energy, and nutrients, and to the principles of its sustainable use within the framework of the circular economy and integrated water management.

 Students will gain an overview of advanced technologies for wastewater treatment and processing, including sludge and biodegradable waste management, knowledge of options for energy and material recovery from wastewater (heat, biogas, biochar, nutrients), and the ability to critically assess technological solutions from environmental, operational, and regulatory perspectives.

Emphasis is placed on linking theory with practice, understanding current research trends, and acquiring practical skills through a professional excursion and hands-on demonstrations at the research infrastructure of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, AdMaS Research Centre.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

HLAVÍNEK P., KUKCHARCHYK T., MARSALEK J., MAHRIKOVA I.: Integrated Urban Water Resources Management, SPRINGER, 2006, ISBN-10 1-4020-4684-7, 323 stran. (EN)
LEHMANN, J., & JOSEPH, S. (Eds.). (2015). Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203762264 (EN)
RAČEK, J., HLAVÍNEK, P. (2020). Stormwater Management in Urban Areas. In: Zelenakova, M., Hlavínek, P., Negm, A. (eds) Management of Water Quality and Quantity. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18359-2_2 (EN)
RADA, E.C. (Ed.). (2017). Thermochemical Waste Treatment: Combustion, Gasification, and Other Methodologies (1st ed.). Apple Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b19983 (EN)
Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technologies. (2018). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-03897-102-3 (EN)
YONG Sik Ok, Biochar from Biomass and Waste: Fundamentals and Applications. Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc. ISBN: 9780128117293. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2016-0-01974-5 (EN)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.