In the water treatment of biologically designed systems such as natural pools and aquacultures, the focus is increasingly on nature-oriented water treatment solutions to ensure sustainable water quality. The focus here is on biological cycles that are specifically controlled in order to effectively bind nutrients such as phosphorus and control them biologically. As phosphorus is a key factor in water eutrophication and the associated deterioration in water quality (e.g. uncontrolled algae growth), there is a great need for this.

Swimming pools and fish farming systems with biological water treatment face the challenge of removing phosphate in a targeted and spatially limited manner.

As part of the PACMAN project, a modular filter unit is to be developed that enables efficient phosphate absorption using only biological process engineering. The principle is based on the spatially limited absorption of phosphate in bacterial biomass by polyphosphate-accumulating microorganisms (PAO), whereby a specifically designed filter medium ensures optimum biofilm growth. In addition, technical solutions are to be developed to remove the biofilm and thus the bound phosphate from the filter system.