Das Projekt "Entwicklung von Verfahren zur Reinigung von Abwaessern der Kaffeeproduktion" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH durchgeführt. Despite the environmental problems generated due to wastes produced from coffee production, until now, no effective biological treatment systems for coffee wastes exists. There are no systematic studies on the parameter, level and distribution of contamination from wet processing of coffee, eg, in Mexico. The functions of microbial communities for the degradation of the complex waste is not understood, nor are the important members known which are responsible for the detoxification of antiphysilogical compounds. The general characteristics of coffee wet processing waste water, as well as the temporal and spatial distribution of contamination in the natural fresh water steams, will be characterized and monitored throughout the harvest period. Fine analyse will be carried out of the waste waters for the presence of antiphysilogical compounds, such as polyphenols, polyhydroxyaromatics and coffeine, as well as other organic chemicals of potential environmental or health hazzards. In parallel, established laboratory scale treatment systems will be optimized by varying the inoculum and characterization of the metabolic communities. Laboratory and pilot scale installations are planned to include three distinctive modules: solids precipitation; anerobic; and aerobic treatments. Enrichment of promising anaerobic and aerobic microbial communities and the isolation of individual key bacterial members for future applications in the waste water technology is the primary microbiological aspect of the project and will be followed by the development of anerobic and aerobic microbial inocula for subsequent water treatment.