Elisabeth von Münch

Dr Elisabeth von Münch holds a degree in Process Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. She subsequently obtained her PhD from the University of Queensland (Advanced Wastewater Management Centre), Brisbane, Australia in 1998. Her PhD thesis was entitled "Mathematical modelling of prefermenters".

During the period of 1998 to 2003, she worked in Brisbane, first for Brisbane Water (a business unit of Brisbane City Council) and later for engineering consulting firm GHD Pty. Ltd. She worked on tasks in process optimisation, modelling and simulation of biological nutrient removal plants. In her capacity as a consultant, she worked on feasibility studies and concept designs for new wastewater treatment plants and plant upgrades, effluent reuse projects and process optimisation projects.

In May 2003 she moved to the UK where she worked for the privatised water company Wessex Water in Bath as Senior Process Engineer. Her role there included reviewing nitrogen removal options for the next 5-year plan of Wessex Water, conducting concept designs and plant assessments.

Dr von Münch joined UNESCO-IHE in Delft, The Netherlands, in July 2004 as a lecturer in wastewater treatment. Her present scope of work covers post-graduate education, and supervision of MSc and PhD research in sanitary engineering.

Her teaching and research focus is on ecological sanitation (ecosan) in the context of decentralised wastewater treatment for peri-urban or urban environments. The emphasis of this ecosan approach is on sustainable sanitation systems (with or without use of water for waste transport).

Recently, Dr von Münch obtained funding to install eleven waterless urinals and one urine-diversion dehydrating toilet in the UNESCO-IHE building with the aim to raise awareness of the possibilities of modern sustainable sanitation systems. These installations have been in use in the UNESCO-IHE building since May 2006.

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