Research

The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) also require the estimation of the carbon footprint (or CO2 equivalents) – at least for large companies and, starting in 2026, for all publicly listed SMEs or capital market-oriented SMEs (tradable bonds). In Austria, not many companies will be directly affected (ESRS reporting obligation), but indirectly, many more companies will be impacted due to the trickle-down effect: companies as part of the value chain of reporting-obligated enterprises. Additionally, media inquiries or inquiries through the banking sector are expected or are already taking place. Therefore, a simple estimation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or CO2 equivalents will be useful for many companies and will become an important communication tool.

The aims of the project D-CLEAN (Improving Water Quality in the Danube River Basin: Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Wastewater and Stormwater Management in Small Settlements) are to: • improve water quality with special focus on organic and nutrient pollution from municipal wastewater and stormwater, using robust nature-based solutions/technologies like treatment wetlands for small settlements. • develop climate change-adapted regional wastewater management strategies that stimulate the use of reclaimed water for agriculturale irrigation, further reducing nutrient pollution of surface waters and contributing to the circular economy. • improve local water availability in agriculture under climate change conditions by demonstrating the use of reclaimed water from treatment wetlands for irrigation of nearby fields.

The main objectives of the project are: + to further develop and demonstrate the principle of retentive construction methods as elements of climate change adaptation in settlement areas, transport routes and for the prevention of pluvial floods (passive flood protection) + to gain insights for numerical simulations and to utilise these for the planning and operation of passive flood protection systems + optimising the use of synergies with carbon storage and biodiversity The central research topics are: + thesis: with the exception of high-ranking transport routes, retentive construction methods can be used everywhere where there is a need to adapt the components of the water balance (infiltration, evaporation and runoff) to local requirements (incl. groundwater management) + How can synergies in climate change adaptation of the water balance, carbon storage (in the soil) and conservation or reactivation of biodiversity be optimised with the use of nature-based methods (blue-green-brown infrastructure)? Description and evaluation of ecosystem services + nature-based retentive measures are to be developed, tested and modelled for the areas of windbreaks, viticulture, peri-urban settlements, housing estates, traffic route drainage and car parks + What influence do soil additives and/or soil organisms have on improving the properties of retentive construction methods, e.g. in terms of cleaning performance or plant vitality? The various elements of the technical substrates need to be analysed with regard to their effect on geotechnics, hydrology/hydraulics or filters and cleaning performance, especially by means of soil life and plants. + Scaling, dimensioning and test methods It is therefore necessary to develop dimensioning procedures, test parameters and test procedures for different construction methods to ensure their functions. These test procedures and parameters serve to ensure that they can be used in hydraulic construction methods in hydrological-hydraulic calculation and simulation procedures. Representative demonstration objects are used for the reliable validation of the water flows, which are to serve as the basis for simulation programmes in small and large areas. The data should be usable for open source or licensed modelling programs. + Integral modelling and monitoring