Max Maurer: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2024

Name Prof. Dr. Max Maurer
FieldUrban Water Systems
Address
Institut für Umweltingenieurwiss.
ETH Zürich, HIF D 26.1
Laura-Hezner-Weg 7
8093 Zürich
SWITZERLAND
Telephone+41 44 633 30 67
E-mailmax.maurer@ifu.baug.ethz.ch
DepartmentCivil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
RelationshipFull Professor

NumberTitleECTSHoursLecturers
102-0004-00LIntroduction into Environmental Engineering Restricted registration - show details 3 credits2GP. Molnar, R. Boes, I. Hajnsek, S. Hellweg, J. P. Leitão Correia , M. Maurer, S. Pfister, J. Slomka, J. Wang
AbstractIn this course students are introduced to how environmental problems in the areas of water quantity and quality, waste production and recycling, air pollution control, are formulated and solved with engineering methods. The course makes a connection between the theoretical Bachelor foundation classes and practical topics of environmental engineering in six main thematic areas.
Learning objectiveAfter completing this course, the student will be able to:
- formulate key global environmental problems
- develop a systems perspective and solutions to the problems (critical thinking)
- identify and solve simple numerical problems in the domain areas
- understand why/how we use data/models in environmental engineering
- develop own interest in the domain areas and see career opportunities
ContentTopics of study:
0. Introduction – description of the Earth System, main stressors, global warming, introduction into the methods and goals of environmental engineering.
1. Water Science & Engineering – definition of the global water cycle and hydrological regimes, surface/subsurface flow equations (advection, diffusion), water resources management, climate change.
2. Resource Management & Recovery – waste management, recycling, resource recovery, lifecycle assessment, water and carbon footprints.
3. Urban Water Technology – water quality parameters, municipal water and wastewater treatment processes and technologies, urban water systems (infrastructure).
4. River and Hydraulic Engineering – utility hydraulic engineering (hydropower production), protective hydraulic engineering (flood protection), waters protection (river restoration, ecological measures at hydropower plants).
5. Air Quality – air quality parameters, main air pollutants, air quality in cities/indoor, emission control, the plume dispersion model.
6. Earth Observation – satellite observation of the Earth System from space, methods, environmental applications (glaciers, forest, land surface change)
Lecture notesCourse will take place in English and German (bilingual). The English textbook by Masters and Ela (see below) will be complemented by instructors materials to the individual thematic topics. Lecture presentations will be the main study material. There is no formal Script.
Literature- Masters, G.M., & Ela, W.P. (2014). Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science, Third Edition, Prentice Hall, 692 pp, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ethz/reader.action?docID=5831826
- lecture presentations and selected papers
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingassessed
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Problem-solvingfostered
Project Managementfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Customer Orientationfostered
Leadership and Responsibilityfostered
Self-presentation and Social Influence fostered
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection assessed
102-0214-AALIntroduction to Urban Water Management Information
Enrolment ONLY for MSc students with a decree declaring this course unit as an additional admission requirement.

Any other students (e.g. incoming exchange students, doctoral students) CANNOT enrol for this course unit.
6 credits13RE. Morgenroth, M. Maurer
AbstractIntroduction to urban water management (water supply, urban drainage, wastewater treatment, sewage sludge treatment). Introduction to Urban Water Management is a self-study course.
Learning objectiveThis course provides an introduction and an overview over the topics of urban water management (water supply, urban drainage, wastewater treatment, sewage sludge treatment). It supports the understanding of the interactions of the relevant technical and natural systems. Simple design models are introduced.
ContentOverview over the field of urban water management.
Introduction into systems analysis.
Characterization of water and water quality.
Requirement of drinking water, production of wastewater and pollutants
Production and supply of drinking water.
Urban drainage, treatment of combined sewer overflow.
Wastewater treatment, nutrient elimination, sludge handling.
Planning of urban water infrastructure.
Lecture notesWater Supply and Pollution Control. 8th edition (2009).
By: Warren Viessman, Jr., Mark J. Hammer, Elizabeth M. Perez and Paul A. Chadik.
Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
LiteratureIn this self-study course the students must work through and understand selected sections from the following book

Viessman, W., Hammer, M.J. and Perez, E.M. (2009) Water supply and pollution control,
Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Students must understand and be able to discuss the required reading in a 30 min oral exam. The required reading is explained in detail on the website of the professorships of urban water management. Additional information can be obtained during the office hours of the professors' assistants.

The required reading and studying should correspond roughly the time invested in the course Siedlungswasserwirtschaft GZ. Students are welcome to ask the assistants (http://www.sww.ifu.ethz.ch/group/teaching-assistants.html) for help with questions they have regarding the reading.
Prerequisites / NoticeSome students joining the MSc program in Environmental Engineering at ETH Zürich have to take additional courses from our BSc program. The decision of what courses to take is done at the time of admission at ETH.

The course on "Introduction to Urban Water Management" is offered at ETH Zürich only in German. Students who can speak and understand German must take the course (Siedlungswasserwirtschaft GZ) and get a passing grade. For students that do not have sufficient German language skills there is a self-study course and they have to take an oral exam.

This course is required for further in depth courses in urban water management.

Prerequisite: Hydraulics I and Hydrology
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingfostered
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCustomer Orientationfostered
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingassessed
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
102-0227-00LSystems Analysis and Mathematical Modeling in Urban Water Management Information Restricted registration - show details 6 credits4GE. Morgenroth, M. Maurer
AbstractSystematic introduction of material balances, transport processes (kinetics, stoichiometry and conservation), ideal reactors, residence time distribution, heterogeneous systems, dynamic response of reactors, parameter identification, local sensitivity, error propagation, and Monte Carlo simulations. Introduction to real-time control (PID controllers). Extensive numerical simulations with coding.
Learning objectiveThe goal of this course is to provide the students with an understanding of how urban water system can be described with mathematical models, and give them the to plan experiments, to evaluate error propagation and to test simple process control strategies in the field of process engineering in urban water management.
ContentThe course will provide a broad introduction into the fundamentals of modeling water treatment systems. The topics are:
- Introduction into modeling and simulation
- The material balance equations, transport processes, transformation processes (kinetics, stoichiometry, conservation)
- Ideal reactors
- Hydraulic residence time distribution and modeling of real reactors
- Dynamic behavior of reactor systems
- Systems analytical tools: Sensitivity, parameter identification, error propagation, Monte Carlo simulation
- Introduction to process control (PID controller, fuzzy control)
Lecture notesCopies of handouts will be available digitally.
LiteratureThere will be a required textbook that students need to purchase:
Willi Gujer (2008): Systems Analysis for Water Technology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg
Prerequisites / NoticeStudents should have a general understanding of urban water management as many examples are taken from processes relevant to related systems. This course is offered in parallel to the course Process Engineering Ia. It is beneficial but not necessary to follow both courses simultaneously.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Media and Digital Technologiesassessed
Problem-solvingfostered
Personal CompetenciesCritical Thinkingassessed
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
102-0250-00LUrban Drainage Planning and Modelling Information Restricted registration - show details 6 credits4GM. Maurer, U. Karaus, J. P. Leitão Correia , M. Stähle
AbstractIn this course, students learn modern urban drainage engineering approaches, critical thinking, decision making in a complex environment as well as dealing with insufficient data and ill-defined problems.
Learning objectiveBy the end of the course, you should be able to do the following:
-Apply different methods and methodologies to assess the impact of urban drainage on water pollution and flooding potential.
-Distinguish between hydrological and hydrodynamic models and their correct application.
-Identify the difference between emission and immission oriented approaches for identifying drainage measures.
-Identify relevant measures, quantify their effects and assess their relative ranking/priority.
-Consider uncertainties and handle incomplete data and information.
-Make decisions and recommendations in a complex application case.
-Teamwork. State principles of effective team performance and the functions of different team roles; work effectively in problem-solving teams.
-Communication. Communicate and document your findings in concise group presentations and a written report.
ContentIn urban drainage, the complexity of the decision-making, the available methodologies and the data availability have increased significantly. In current environmental engineering practice, the focus has shifted from tables and nomograms to sophisticated simulation tools.
The topics cover:
-Integrated urban water management
-Hydrological and hydrodynamic modelling
-Water quality based assessment
-Freshwater ecology
-Hydraulic capacity assessment
-Sewer network operation
-Decision analysis
Prerequisites / NoticePrerequisites: 102-0214-00 Siedlungswasserwirtschaft and 102-0215-00 Siedlungswasserwirtschaft II or comparable educational background.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesfostered
Decision-makingassessed
Media and Digital Technologiesassessed
Problem-solvingassessed
Project Managementfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Cooperation and Teamworkassessed
Customer Orientationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingassessed
Self-awareness and Self-reflection fostered
Self-direction and Self-management fostered
102-0515-01LEnvironmental Engineering Seminars Information Restricted registration - show details 3 credits3SS. Sinclair, P. Burlando, I. Hajnsek, S. Hellweg, M. Maurer, P. Molnar, E. Morgenroth, C. Oberschelp, S. Pfister, E. Secchi, R. Stocker, J. Wang
AbstractThe course is organized in the form of seminars held by the students. Topics selected from the core disciplines of the curriculum (water resources, urban water engineering, material fluxes, waste technology, air polution, earth observation) are discussed in the class on the basis of scientific papers that are illustrated and critically reviewed by the students.
Learning objectiveLearn about recent research results in environmental engineering and analyse practical applications in environmental engineering.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesMedia and Digital Technologiesfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Cooperation and Teamworkfostered
Customer Orientationfostered
Self-presentation and Social Influence fostered
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingfostered
Self-awareness and Self-reflection fostered