Professional Career
| since 2016 | Professor and Holder of the Department Resource Efficient Wastewater Technologies at the University of Kaiserslautern, from 2016 until 2020 as endowed chair of Carl-Zeiss Foundation |
| 2007 – 2015 | Professor and Holder of the Chair of Sanitary Engineering and Water Recycling at the University of Stuttgart |
Since 2007
Professor and holder of the chair of Sanitary Engineering and Water Recycling at the University of Stuttgart
Head and co-founder of the Wasserforschungszentrum (Water Research Centre) Stuttgart
2003 – 2006
Managing Director of the Center for Innovative Wastewater Technology at the University of Kaiserslautern
2000 – 2002
Head of Department Water and Environmental Technology in the Consultant´s office WPW Ingenieure GmbH, Saarbrücken
1997 – 2000
Head of Department Wastewater, Water and Biotechnology, Farmatic Anlagenbau GmbH (plant engineering company)
1990 – 1996
Research Assistant at the Institute of Urban Water Management, University of Kaiserslautern
Education
1996 Dr.- Ingenieur (Dr.-Ing.), University of Kaiserslautern
1981 – 1989 Study of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Diploma: Dipl.- Biol.
Membership and collaboration in scientific associations and honorary posts
• International Water Association (IWA)
• German Water Partnership (GWP)
• German Water Association (DWA):
− Deputy spokeswoman of the technical committee KA 1 “resource orientated sanitation”
− Member of the task group KA 1.4 “system integration”
− Member of the task group KA 1.8 “research and development”
− Member of the task group KA 6.2 “SBR –technology”
− Member of the technical committee KA 8 “advanced wastewater treatment”
− Member of the technical committee ES 2 “system oriented planning”
− Member of FA BIZ 6 “Ausbildung an Hochschulen”
− Member of the advisory committee of the German Water Association (DWA) in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg
• Society of Engineers for water resources, solid waste management and land reclamation (BWK)
• German Society for Limnology (DGL)
• Program Committee of the IWA Austrian Young Water Professional Conference 2010
• Scientific board Shanghai Chongming Eco- Island International Forum 2010
• Scientific board “Aqua Urbanica”
• Advisory editorial board “Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies”
• Editorial Board “gwf-Wasser/Abwasser”
• Editorial board „Wasser und Abfall“
• Managing Director „Research and Development Institute for Urban and Industrial Water Management and Solid Waste Management e.V. Stuttgart (FEI)
• Foundation Council Willy- Hager Foundation
• Chairperson of the technical expert board Willy- Hager Foundation
• Jury of Ernst-Kunze Preis (DWA)
• Jury of Aqua-Preis (University of Stuttgart)
• Jury Karl-Heinz Hunken Preis (University of Stuttgart)
Selected Peer Reviewed Publications
Drenkova-Tuhtan, A.; Mandel, K.; Paulus, A.; Meyer, C.; Hutter, F.; Gellermann, C.; Sextl, G.; Franzreb, M.; Steinmetz, H. (2013): Phosphate recovery from wastewater using engineered superparamagnetic particles modified with layered double hydroxide ion exchangers. Water Research 47, 5670-5677
Mandel, K.; Drenkova-Tuhtan, A.; Hutter, F.; Gellermann, C.; Steinmetz, H.; Sextl, G. (2013): Layered double hydroxide ion exchangers on superparamagnetic microparticles for recovery of phosphate from waste water. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2013, 1, 1840-1848, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C2TA00571A
Pittmann, T.; Steinmetz, H. (2013): Influence of operating conditions for volatile fatty acids enrichment as a first step for polyhydroxyalkanoate production on a municipal waste water treatment plant. Bioresource Technology, Elsevier Ltd, 148C, 270-276
Locher, Ch.; Meyer, C.; Steinmetz, H. (2012): Operational experiences with a molten carbonate fuel cell at Stuttgart-Möhringen wastewater treatment plant. Water Science and Technology (WST) 65.5 | 2012, 789-794; doi: 10.2166/wst.2012.463.
Kujawski, O. & Steinmetz, H. (2009): Development of instrumentation systems as a base for control of digestion process stability in full-scale agricultural and industrial biogas plants. Water Science and Technology (WST) pp. 66(8): 2055-2063
Awards
Zukunftspreis Re-Water Braunschweig 2013 (together with partners): prize worth 10.000 € about “Recycling, quality and global considerations” for the work “Phosphate recovery from wastewater with engineered superparamagnetic composite particles using magnetic separation”