Small wastewater treatment plants play a crucial role in protecting water; utp Umwelttechnik Pöhnl GmbH, utp Umwelttechnik Pöhnl GmbH
Small wastewater treatment plants play a crucial role in protecting water bodies in regions that are not connected to a centralized sewer network. To date, maintenance has generally been carried out at fixed intervals, regardless of whether action is actually required. This creates additional workload, ties up skilled personnel, and limits the efficient use of resources.
This is where the newly launched “BIK3I” project comes in. The researchers aim to assess the actual condition of treatment plants more accurately in the future. To achieve this, operational and measurement data will be collected, linked, and analyzed using artificial intelligence methods. The goal is to detect changes and potential malfunctions at an early stage. In the long term, maintenance activities could be planned more precisely, system failures avoided, and operational reliability enhanced.
AI as Support for Operators and Technical Personnel
The project addresses a key future challenge in the water sector: How can existing infrastructure be sustainably developed in the face of increasing demands, limited human resources, and ongoing digitalization?
“We want to demonstrate how the experiential knowledge of employees can become an important component of digitalization in the water sector and make a significant contribution to solving practical challenges. Using the example of operations and maintenance support, we are developing, together with our industry partner, a transparent and reliable digital solution that effectively combines practical expertise, sensor data, and AI methods to achieve meaningful results,” explains Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan, Head of the Water Infrastructure and Digitalization Research Group at inwa, Hof University of Applied Sciences.
Practical Expertise Meets Scientific Data Analysis
utp Umwelttechnik Pöhnl GmbH contributes its many years of experience in the development and support of small wastewater treatment plants to the project. With solutions such as the “klärofix” SBR wastewater treatment system and the “klärcontrol” control unit, the company already possesses extensive expertise in remote monitoring and telemetry.
The new project builds on this experience and expands it through scientific methods of data analysis and artificial intelligence. The primary objective is not to automate decisions, but to gain a better understanding of plant operating conditions. The research will identify which information can already be utilized today, what additional data is required, and how reliable recommendations for action can be generated from this information.
Acceptance and Trust as Part of the Research
In addition to technical issues, Hof University of Applied Sciences is also investigating the acceptance of AI-supported systems. Digital innovations can only realize their full potential if they are understandable, transparent, and practical for operators, maintenance companies, and technical personnel.
Kick-Off for a Forward-Looking Research Project
The kick-off meeting was attended on behalf of Hof University of Applied Sciences by Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan, Paola Acosta Carrascal, and Pavel Timofeev. utp Umwelttechnik Pöhnl GmbH was represented by Thomas Parchent, Roland Pöhnl, and other members of the project team.
“As an industry partner, we contribute our extensive experience in the operation, maintenance, and remote monitoring of small wastewater treatment plants. Digital transformation is an important step toward securing the future of our industry,” emphasizes Thomas Parchent of utp Umwelttechnik Pöhnl GmbH.
The project, which started on April 1, 2026, is funded under the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM). It combines scientific research with practical application and serves as an example of how digital technologies can help make rural water infrastructure fit for the future—improving operational reliability, enabling more efficient use of resources, and ultimately supporting the sustainable protection of our water bodies.
Contact for scientific information:
Prof. Günter Müller-Czygan
Hof University of Applied Sciences
