Supervisor

Günter Langergraber, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4334-9563

Content

This PhD-project evaluates the change of perceptions on the management of human excreta over time (over three centuries, i.e., from c. 1700 to 2000) and researches leverage points for implementing resources-oriented solutions in a city with existing infrastructure.

Skills and Qualifications

  • Required: Master or other equivalent university degree in either
    • (environmental) history, social ecology, historical ecology or other interdisciplinary environmental or sustainability sciences with interest in engineering sciences, or
    • water management, engineering sciences or similar with interest in social sciences especially (environmental) history.
  • Desirable: experience with historical methods; (urban) material and energy flow analysis; sanitary engineering fundamentals
 

 

Introduction/background

Growing and industrializing cities impacted riverine landscapes through transport, local depletion or pollution. The nutrition value of excreta has been recognised for a long time, i.e., human excreta were utilised as fertilizer. When introducing sewers, 19th century agronomists argued that discharging wastewater into water bodies would lead to complete impoverishment of countries that rely on arable farming. The nutrition value of human excreta was forgotten until the 1980s, when substances in wastewater again became to be recognised as potential resources. Today, resources-oriented sanitation systems are developed to safely reuse water and utilize useful substances extracted from wastewater (treated wastewater, nutrients and organic matter but also energy) in a way that the use of non-renewable resources is minimised. Most of these concepts are based on the separate collection, discharge, treatment and reuse of source-separated flows (e.g., greywater, blackwater, separately collected urine). The PhD will focus on the Danube in the Vienna region and will be well-coordinated with the project linking Vienna’s urban to stream metabolism (Topic #10).

Main objective/research question/hypothesis

The main objective of the PhD thesis is to investigate the effect of urban settlements on flows of organic matter and nutrients in the ILR. Evaluating a period of three centuries (from c. 1700 to 2000), the following research questions will be addressed:

  • How did the perception on the management of human excreta change over time?
  • How did perception changes affect the urban metabolism?
  • What are leverage points for implementing resources-oriented solutions in a city with existing infrastructure?

Approach/methods and time frame (Sites, areas, region of investigation)

The study of historical sources will be undertaken using the appropriate critical approach towards both images and texts and special care will be taken for long term data series originating from different sources. The faculty members with historical background will offer their experience in identifying source material and help with its diligent use. Task 1 (month 1-6): Collecting historical data; Task 2 (month 7-18): Evaluate historical resources flows and perceptions of human excreta management; Task 3 (month 25-36): Develop and evaluate scenarios with resources-oriented solutions; Task 4 (month 37-48): Synthesis of results from scenarios to elaborate leverage points.