Rainer Stegmann
Professor
Waste Management
Why I joined IWWG
I always thought that we as waste experts need our own organisation, an organisation where we shape our “own” conferences and journals, where we meet and discuss with people from all over the world, make new connections and friends, where we further develop science and application of waste management, give also young researchers a platform, include also colleagues from economical developing countries and develop together new ideas for research and education; and give waste management a voice.
Other waste management organisations existed already but actually they were not always following my imaginations and visions; I wanted to be in an organisation that is more personal with a lean structure, flexible and more scientifically based.
And here we are, the International Waste Working Group was founded by eight “waste friends” and many colleagues and friends filled this organisation with life. And I must say that all my expectations have been fulfilled and I think that IWWG contributed a lot to expand our knowledge and to further develop waste management.
Dipl. Ing., 1968 in Civil Engineering, Dr. Ing. in 1976, both degrees from Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. Between 1969-1982 researcher at the Institute of Urban Construction, Section Water Quality Management, Technical University of Braunschweig. From June 1977 until October 1978 Post-Doc at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA. Since 1982 Professor and since 1991 Head of the Department of Waste Management at the Hamburg University of Technology(TUHH).
In the Department of Waste Management about 20 scientists and technicians are working. This research institution is equipped with an own analytical water- and gas laboratory as well as a technical laboratory for conducting experiments at different scale. This technical laboratory includes a 35 °C and 20°C heated room and a special laboratory for biofilter/bioscrubber investigations. The main research fields are landfills including leachate and gas control, anaerobic and aerobic treatment of different kinds of waste, treatment of odorous resp. contaminated off-gases by means of biofilter/bioscrubber, treatment of contaminated soil, decentralised waste and waste water treatment, alternative biological energy production. Projects that are carried out today include "long term behaviour of landfills", "Aeration of landfills", "Development of criteria for landfill closure", "Combined decentral treatment of waste water and kitchen waste using membrane technology and anaerobic treatment", "Odour management", "Biological hydrogen production". There are more activities in international projects f.e. with Russia (Incocopernikus), with Cuba (“Development of teaching and training modules for application in environmental education in Cuba”) and Asia (Asialink) in order to improve knowledge transfer and education in the field of solid waste.
External professional activities:
Consulting: Partner in the “Consultancy for Waste Management, Prof. Stegmann and Partner”, Hamburg
Other: Rainer Stegmann is lecturer in the International Postgraduate Program of the Chulalongkorn University of Bangkok, Thailand. He has participated in several training courses and acted as a guest lecturer in many countries of the world. He has presented more than 100 papers at national and international conferences and has published more than 100 papers in national and international journals. Rainer Stegmann is co-editor of several books and monographies. He is also organiser/co-organiser of several national and international conferences. Rainer Stegmann was over 12 years head of the research centre “Treatment of contaminated soils” funded by the German research foundation (DFG) and coordinated the research centre on “Composting” funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (BMBF) in Germany. He is member of several professional organisations and is head of the working group of the BWK (Bund der Wassser- und Kulturbauingenieure), “Treatment of residual municipal solid waste”. Rainer Stegmann is advisor to several research funding organisations and member of the Environmental Advisory Board of the International Waste Management Company SHANKS Group Plc. in England.
Contact information
Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
+4940428783261 +4940428782375 fax
E-Mail: stegmann (AT) tu-harburg.de
Homepage: www.tuhh.de/iue/