Ralf Otterpohl has studied Civil Engineering at with specializing in Water-, Wastewater and Solid Waste Management at RWTH Aachen University; before studying he became a bricklayer to learn the practical side of engineering as well. After his studies he was offered a position at the Institute of Environmental Engineering. Over a period of 6 years he did research work in the field of dynamic mathematical modelling of wastewater treatment processes and interaction with the sewerage network.
After the research position Ralf Otterpohl in 1994 he founded his own consultancy (today Otterwasser GmbH owned by Martin Oldenburg and Andrea Albold), specialized in studies on computer-simulation of large wastewater treatment plants (e.g. Bremen, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg), distribution of the software Simba (co-developed with ifak Magdeburg, today distribution with them) and the development of innovative wastewater concepts with a major project in Lübeck Flintenbreite, Baltic Sea Region, Germany. This settlement has a vacuum-blackwater system connected with a biogas plant. In Addition the consultancy developed low-cost on-site sanitation systems that where implemented in some countires in Africa.
In 1998, Ralf Otterpohl became director of the Institute of Wastewater Management and Water Protection at TUHH Hamburg University of Technology, Northern Germany. The institute has a focus on high-tech recycling systems for water, nutrients and soil conditioners, like the Blackwater Loop System of Ulrich Braun. Reuse systems on the low cost end that are under R&D at his institute are Terra Preta Sanitation systems, designed to produce highly fertile soils e.g. for reforestation. This is linked to energy production through pyrolysis in simple stoves or as high-tech heat, power and charcoal co-generation. Such systems are part of his latest research activity on rural development with a focus on local added value production including soil improvement for long term water and food security.
Rural Development teaching in the international Master-Programm „Environmental Engineering“ at TUHH and research has led Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl to the collection of an extensive rural development toolbox. Combining these tools can upgrade many degraded areas in very different climatic conditions. New Town development is the latest focal points of the research findings of the institute alongside with great and proven approaches from around the world. Studierende aus aller Welt unterrichtet.
| ABWASSER -Handbuch zu einer zukunftsfähigen Wasserwirtschaft Jörg Lange & Ralf Otterpohl 301 Pages, 105 Figures, 58 Tables Second Edition 2000 ISBN 3-9803502-1-5  Price € 26,- incl. VAT MALLBETON, Donaueschingen (0771) 8005-0 or booktrade Sorry, only in German |
Agroforestry pilot project food production in agroforestry (NAAG) | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Scientific director: Dr.-Ing. Tavseef Mairaj Shah | |
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Others involved with the project: Claas Boysen | |
Safeguarding Water Supply from Catchment Area to Treatment on community level | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Communicating Water Security | |
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Others involved with the project: Amanda Conklin | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Restoration of eutrophic water bodies | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Building resilience to climate change induced extreme weather events through agriculture with a focus on the system of rice intensification | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
GIS-Based Decision Support System in Integrated Water Resource Management: With a Focus on Soil and Water Conservation Scenarios | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt, Christopher Azaah Buzie-Fru | |
The epidemiology of protozoan parasites: Entamoeba, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium along the rivers Elbe and Rhine – The Wastewater Nexus | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Treating wastewater with microalgae, integrated with biofuel production | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Conceptual Stable for Reduction of Emissions of Ammonia in Livestock Breeding (KERAT) | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Sustainable Urban Sanitation Alternatives for Mexico. Case
study in Tepic Nayarit (SUSAMeN) | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Low -Cost Plant Nutrients and Organic Matter Recovery from Human Urine in Terra Preta Sanitation | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Combined Lactic Acid Fermentation and Vermi-humification Processes for Safe and More Efficient Recycling of Human Excreta in Terra Preta Sanitation | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Global Water Crisis -Policy transfer in Integrated Water Management considering the Virtual Water Trade of Net exporting countries with water scarcity | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Energy as a Key Element of an Integrated Climate Protection Concept for the City Region of Gauteng, South Africa (EnerKey) | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts and monitoring of their persistence at various stages in Hamburg wastewater treatment plant by molecular methods | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr. rer. nat. Holger Gulyas, Christopher Azaah Buzie-Fru | |
Innovative dry sanitation for climates with cold winters | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Decentralized wastewater treatment in the water protection zone Süderelbmarsch / Harburger Berge - Support to operators of small sewage plants and design of innovative sanitation concepts | |
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Others involved with the project: Niklas Stoll, Joachim Behrendt | |
Potential for large-scale implementation of low-tech sustainable sanitation options in urban areas in Ghana and Ethiopia | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Resource-Oriented Sanitation concepts for peri-urban areas in Africa (Rosa) | |
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Others involved with the project: Sarah C. Schreiner | |
Bamboo Plantations for Wastewater Management | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Introduction of ecological sanitation for large scale housing programs in Ethiopia | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Development of a continuous single chamber vermicomposting toilet with urine diversion for on-site application | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Dezentrale Abwasserbeseitigung in dem Wasserschutzgebiet Süderelbmarsch / Harburger Berge - Unterstützung bei Umsetzung der erforderlichen Modernisierungen und Begleitung von Sonderlösungen | |
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Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Martina Winker, Joachim Behrendt | |
Further treatment of digested blackwater for extraction of valuable components and conversion to dry matter | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Network for the Development of Sustainable Approaches for Large Scale Implementation of Sanitation in Africa (NETSSAF) | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Franziska Meinzinger | |
Towards resource efficient urban water systems - assessing possibilities and developing implementation strategies | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Investigating the feasibility of implementing vermicomposting and
earthworm-assisted constructed wetland as an ecological sanitation principle in
tropicle countries | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Component analysis of incrustations in vacuum-piping systems of airplanes | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Reuse of nutrients from blackwater | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Efficient management of wastewater, its treatment and reuse in the Mediterranean countries (EMWater) | |
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Others involved with the project: Stefan Deegener, Joachim Behrendt | |
Treatment and usage of source separated urine with focus on pharmaceutical residues | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt, Holger Gulyas | |
Lagerung von ursprünglichem und aufkonzentriertem Urin sowie bei der
Bestrahlung mit sehr kurzwelligem UV-Licht (185 nm) | |
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Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr. rer. nat. Holger Gulyas, Susanne Eggers | |
Sustainable sanitation system for low-income densely populated urban areas in Indonesia (Case study: Kali Rungkut Sub-District, Surabaya, East Java) | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Developing a model for sustainable water and waste management for rural areas in Bulgaria | |
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Others involved with the project: Stefan Deegener | |
Development of a tool for cataloguing of measures to reach the aims of the EU water framework directive | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Franziska Meinzinger, Joachim Behrendt, Ralf Otterpohl | |
Grey water treatment in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Industrial style urine treatment for utilization | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Potentials and constraints of the link of agriculture and ecological sanitation | |
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Project leader: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl | |
Selective Absorption of Odour Compounents - Selction and Application of Selctive Solubilisers | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Co-operation for sustainable rural development - improvement of sanitation in rural Ukraine | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Franziska Meinzinger | |
Vermicomposting of brown water sludge using the Rottebehälter system as acomponent of ecological sanitation with urine diverting flush toilets | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt, Holger Gulyas | |
Untersuchung zur anaeroben Behandlung von Schwarzwasser und Bioabfällen im labortechnischen Maßstab | |
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Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Development of training material on low-cost and sustainable sanitation | |
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Others involved with the project: Dr.-Ing. Felix Tettenborn | |
Case study in Garla Mare, Romania: Ecological sanitation (EcoSan) toilet house in a primary school | |
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Others involved with the project: Stefan Deegener | |
Schwarzwasserkreislauf - Entwicklung von Techniken zur Aufbereitung von Schwarzwasser zur Wiederverwendung als Toilettenspülwasser | |
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Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Innovative Methoden zur Erfassung und Verminderung von umweltbelastenden Geruchsemissionen aus Landwirtschaft und Lebensmittelindustrie | |
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Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr.-Ing. Joachim Behrendt | |
Dezentrale Abwasserbeseitigung in Wasserschutzgebieten - Erstellung eines Konzepts für einen Überwachungskreis-Kleinkläranlage & Begehungen von rund 40 Grundstücken im WSG Süderelbemarsch/Harbuger Ber | |
Kontakt: | |
Weitere Projektbeteiligte: Dr.-Ing. Felix Tettenborn | |
