Emile Cornelissen, onderzoeker
From October 29 to November 4, the city of Amsterdam will host the first International Water Week in the Netherlands (IWW). The IWW highlights integrated solutions covering the entire water cycle. One of the conferences that will be organized during the week of the event is the conference Water & Innovation – Water Technology.
Innovations in water technology are vital to finding solutions to the challenges we face today: climate change, aging infrastructure, urbanisation, resource shortages, the economic and financial crisis, new emerging substances, the need for sustainable development, demographic changes, etc. The water industry is already confronting serious problems. For example, the shortage of energy and other resources demands energy efficient processes and the recovery of nutrients, water and energy from the water cycle. Water shortages necessitate the reuse of domestic waste water for industry and agriculture.
Salinisation of groundwater and surface water related to climate change requires new concepts and processes to desalinate saline and brackish water. Climate change also seriously affects the urban water cycle. Flooding in urban areas is becoming more commonplace, while water quality management in urban areas is becoming increasingly complex. Emerging substances, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products and nanoparticles, demand new technologies to remove these compounds from surface water, waste water and drinking water.
The point is to identify innovations in water technology that contribute to the entire water cycle and that result in improved system economy and performance, more sustainable systems and a clear focus on the customer. International Water Week shares this same focus: integrated solutions! The application of membrane technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, sensor technology and ICT appears to be an appealing option for achieving breakthroughs in water technology and for offering solutions for the challenges ahead of us.
Scope of the conference
The core of the conference "Water and Innovation: Water Technology" is the use of new innovative technologies that result in robust and reliable systems, offering an answer for the problems of today and challenges of tomorrow.
Presentations will focus on the development and application of new innovative technologies in these fields to find an answer to the challenges the water industry is confronted with.
Topics of this conference
1. Strategies and business models
· Strategic plans of countries, regions and cities.
· Combining technologies to integrated solutions
· Energy savings in water utilities ( including wastewater transport and treatment)
· The role of water, energy and waste in cities of the future
· Life Cycle Analysis ( LCA ) concepts and use in management decisions
2. New water/wastewater treatment concepts and technologies versus energy efficiency
· Scientific understanding – ongoing research
· Technical development and demonstrations
· Practical applications at full scale
· ‘Green Chemistry’ applications
· Optimization of operation by instrumentation, control and automation
· Co-digestion (organic waste)
· Heat recovery from domestic wastewater
· Underground thermal storage systems
· Biogas for power production/vehicle transport
· Heat pumps for district heating and cooling
· New forms of energy recovery
· Decentralized integrated energy production and water treatment (wind, wave, and solar energy, microbial fuel cells, etc.)
· Interdependency between the two sectors transition strategies from centralized systems to decentralized systems
KWR speakers (amongst others)
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Performance of forward osmosis membranes in sewage treatment - K. Lutchmiah, K. Roest, D.J.H. Harmsen, M.H. Zandvoort, L.C. Rietveld, H. Ramaekers, K. Lampi, J.W. Post, E.R. Cornelissen.
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Energy produces from wastewater – Dynamic filtration of A-stage sludge - K. Roest, B. Daamen, M.S. de Graaff, E. Wypkema, M.H. Zandvoort, C.A. Uijterlinde, S. Dilven, J.B. van Lier, M.C.M. van Loosdrecht.
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Sulphur in a WWTP – Autotrophic denitrification and sulphur recovery as a wastewater treatment technology? - A. Dekker, H.W.H. Menkveld, M. Oosterhuis, E. van Rekswinkel, L. Korving, C. Uijterlinde, M.C.M. van Loosdrecht.
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Drugs of abuse and tranquilizers in Dutch surface waters, drinking water and wastewater - P. de Voogt, E. Emke, M. van der Aa.
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On a QSAR approach for the prediction of priority compound degradation by water treatment processes - B. Wols, D. Vries.
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Target values of emerging contaminants in drinking water serve as a framework for innovative treatment technologies and analytical methods - M.B. Heringa, M. Mons, D. van der Kooij, J.P. van der Hoek.
