Written by: Fatma Öykü Çömez
Receiving organization: Ghent University, Belgium
Traineeship description and evaluation
The focus of the research during the traineeship was to investigate greywater treatment through natural-based solutions, specifically green walls. During my stay, I collected water samples from a real green wall treating the greywater from a smart office building. Water samples were analyzed in the Ghent University laboratory for pH, conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonium-nitrogen, ions, and pathogens. According to the results, the water pollutant removal efficiency of the system was analyzed. In addition to those, thanks to the collected operational data of the site, the water balance of the system was calculated in order to understand the water demand and saving of the system for reuse. In addition to the analysis of the real green wall, an experimental setup was created in the laboratory of Ghent University by me. The pilot scale wall was also analyzed for the efficiency of water pollutant removal, and the system was tried to adjust to the interior spaces opposite the real green wall that was placed on the facade of the building. Thank all those analyses and considerations, I am currently working on a project that can be applied at the Czech University of Life Sciences, which can create cooperation between both universities.
Personal comments and culture shock
During my mobility, I stayed in Kortrijk, the west-flanders city of Belgium. In general, I really like the atmosphere of the city and the very well-organized bike paths. Belgium is very convenient for biking, and I was able to rent a nice bike cheaply and did most of the travel with that, including going to the university every day. In addition, I was greatly helped to find accommodation from Student Kortrijk. I was also very well welcomed to the university by both professors and colleagues.
