Bachelor's degree programmes

• Physical Chemistry Lecture and internship (all Bach.)
• Mathematics I + II ( for B.Eng.)
• Wastewater Treatment Technology Lecture and internship (B.Eng., Technical Chemistry)
• Water analysis (B.Sc., Instrumental analysis)

Master's degree programmes

• Module Surface Science: Lecture Surface Analysis
• Methods of Biophysical Chemistry (Chemistry and Biotechnology M.Sc. )

The research of Prof. Hoffmann-Jacobsen explores the interdisciplinary field of biophysical chemistry and wastewater treatment. Our main research interest is the investigation and application of enzymes in technical environments.

Enzymes are nature's catalysts that increase the rate of virtually all the chemical reactions within cells. Nowadays, the enzymes are developed as biocatalysts in various important industrial processes as pharmaceutical synthesis and can be found in many products of daily life, e.g. laundry detergent. Enzymes are intrinsically green catalysts as they are biodegradable and work under ambient conditions. We aim to develop new enzymatic biocatalysts for new technological applications including a mechanistic understanding of the biophysical processes taking place within biocatalysis. The main analytical technique is fluorescence spectroscopy.

Currently, we are working on the following projects

- Enz4Water (EFRE). Enzymatic filtration for the removal of trace contaminants

- ChemZymeCoat (FHProfUnt, BMBF): Chemo-enzymatic Synthesis of Functionalized Polymers for Innovative - Green Coatings

- Analysis of textile biocatalysts, i.e. lipases immobilized on textile carriers, for the production of intermediates for the pharmaceutical industry (ZIM, cooperation Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH)

- Investigation of the structure and dynamics of lipases in organic media

- Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy near surfaces

- Removal of trace contaminants from sewage

- Valorization of industrial sewage by enzyme catalysis

We have a fully equipped laboratory for biophysical chemistry including synthesis and spectroscopic analysis. This includes fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime analysis and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The equipment for wastewater technology comprises a model sewage plant, lab ozonation reactor and the relevant analysis equipment, e.g. TOC, ion chromatography, atom absorption spectroscopy.

There are always Bachelor and Master thesis projects available. Please contact Prof. Hoffmann-Jacobsen.

Enz4Water research project launched: Enzymatic filters for the 4th treatment stage of wastewater treatment plants

Active substances that people ingest or use in the home are now found ubiquitously in European surface waters and even in drinking water. Although these substances, such as pharmaceuticals, hormones or biocides, only occur in low concentrations as anthropogenic trace substances, they demonstrably pose a threat to the aquatic ecosystem and to drinking water as a living resource. Since many trace substances can pass through today's wastewater treatment plants unhindered, intensive work is being done in Europe on the development of an additional fourth treatment stage. Ozonation is considered a promising technology for the elimination of these trace substances. However, ecotoxicologically relevant secondary products can also be generated in this process, which require the development of suitable post-treatment techniques. Therefore, the aim of the Enz4Water research project is to develop an effective, safe and resource-saving post-treatment process for ozonation. Natural organisms possess enzymes that convert reactive species into mostly harmless products. Enz4Water takes advantage of this principle by developing a filter for post-treatment of ozonation. The filter is loaded with fungal enzymes. Within the project, the enzymatic degradation processes are elucidated in a laboratory model, a technical enzymatic filter is realized and tested in a wastewater treatment plant.

The project leader of the joint project is Prof. Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann-Jacobsen of the Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Chemistry and ILOC Institute. Her laboratory for biophysical chemistry and wastewater technology and Prof. Dr. Martin Jäger's laboratory for organic trace analysis and spectroscopy are researching the transformation and elimination of trace substances. Other partners are the German Textile Research Center North-West gGmbH and the companies ASA Spezialenzyme and HST Systemtechnik &Co KG.

The project is funded by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the lead market competition EnergyEnvironmentEconomy.NRW.