Namibia Conference and Workshop
Ministry of Fisheries and Resources, Swakopmund 29 - 30 April 2013

Presenter Biographies

PROF BLAHOS MARSALEK
Centre for Cyanobacteria, Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Lidicka 25/27, 65720 Brno, Czech Republic   marsalek@recetox.muni.cz  

Environmental technologies, with extensive experience of the water industry, water treatment and recycling and related technologies. Experienced in heading multi-national, multi-discipline research teams in RTD programmes, e.g. CYANOTOX, BIOFILMS. He published more than 70 IF scientific Papers, he has 5 accepted patents and has several technological realisation of innovative technologies in real pilot-scale conditions.

PRESENTATION ABSTRACT

Topic: Waste water treatment – energy demanding, or energy beneficial process?

Current wastewater treatment technologies are highly energy demanding. Moreover, the greenhouse gasses produced by these systems represent strong point source of nitrogen oxides, methane and carbon dioxide. Running costs for all pumps, water transport, aeration, cooling, and lighting represent an unsustainable amount.    That is why there are several groups of scientists around the globe which works on the new designs of wastewater treatment. New systems count with the saving of energy and harvesting energy from organic compounds.  Released gases are harvested (methane) and sequestrated (carbon dioxide by algae cultivation).  The aim is to establish situation, where wastewater became a perspective source of energy (biogas) and raw materials (phosphorus, sulphur, recycled water etc.).