AquaNL day 3: Water quality, water reuse, and chance encounters

The impact of micropollutants

The day kicked off with a presentation from Thomas ter Laak, who took his listeners into the world of micropollutants. He described the effects these substances have on humans and the environment, and explained why a sound understanding of their behaviour is essential for good water management. The presentation stressed the urgency of further monitoring, treatment technology and collaboration to tackle these emerging substances effectively.

Thomas ter Laak spoke about ‘The Micropollutants Expert Group – What are micropollutants and what do they mean for us and our environment’

Water reuse under the Water Framework Directive

Roberta Hofman then looked at the question of what shape water reuse can take in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). She described the opportunities afforded by the WFD, the boundary conditions that are important, and the implications for innovation, permit procedures and practical implementation. Her key message: technology and policy need to work together to make water reuse responsible and scalable.

Roberta Hofman-Carais spoke on ‘Water reuse in the context of the Water Framework Directive’

20% less drinking water in 2035: it’s the sector’s turn

Kees Roest then presented both the challenges and the opportunities for saving water in the sector, which has agreed to use 20 per cent less drinking water by 2035; this ambition will require technological innovation, systemic thinking and collaboration. His talk focused on the industrial water transition roadmap, a pathway to a robust water system without harmful emissions and based on sustainable alternatives. These concrete steps require concrete implementation.

Kees Roest spoke about ‘Water conservation and reuse in industry’

PFAS: persistent, widespread and challenging

In the subsequent programme, I (Martijn van Veggel) and Roberta gave a presentation on PFAS, substances that are present throughout the world, persistent and increasingly visible in water chains. We discussed how PFAS enter water, which removal technologies are effective and why responsible destruction is crucial to prevent their reintroduction.

At the outset of our presentation, I asked our listeners who was already actively working on PFAS. Everybody’s hand went up. And almost everyone said they had been doing this for more than five years.

That was a significant moment: PFAS is not an emerging issue but a firmly entrenched part of day-to-day work in the water sector. It illustrates how big the challenge is but also how much knowledge and experience we already have and how important it is to continue sharing that knowledge with one another.

We explored two approaches to tackling PFAS:

• Adsorption, with activated carbon often being the standard
• Concentration, which requires an additional thickening phase to make destruction feasible

In both cases, PFAS is removed from the main stream. However, a waste stream (loaded adsorbent or concentrate) is left containing PFAS. To stop those PFAS from re-entering the environment, destruction technologies are needed. KWR has already studied numerous technologies that could do just that, and we shared an overview of them with our listeners.

They engaged with us actively, and the openness with which professionals shared their experiences and considerations made this session particularly valuable.

Martijn van Veggel spoke with Roberta Hofman-Caris about ‘PFAS concentrations and removal from water’

Martijn van Veggel spoke with Roberta Hofman-Caris about ‘PFAS concentrations and removal from water’

Martijn van Veggel spoke with Roberta Hofman-Caris about ‘PFAS concentrations and removal from water’

Martijn van Veggel in conversation with the audience, during which they shared their experiences and considerations

Innovation around PFAS is expanding rapidly

Before and after our session, it was striking how many companies and research organisations are developing new technologies to remove and safely destroy PFAS. From pilot installations to commercial innovations: the field is growing rapidly and moving jointly towards solutions that are both effective and responsible.

The power of chance encounters

In addition to all the substantive presentations, another element meant that this was a valuable day: chance encounters. AquaNL is pre-eminently a place where you meet acquaintances you haven’t spoken to for a while, but where you also meet new faces with whom you discover that you have a shared challenge.

A brief conversation at a stand, an unexpected meeting in a corridor or a spontaneous exchange of ideas after a presentation: these are often precisely the moments that lead to new ideas, new perspectives or even future alliances. It was inspiring to see sector colleagues meeting up with each other, offering help and making plans for a follow-up.

Day 3 of AquaNL provided a wonderful demonstration of how strong the water sector can be when knowledge, innovation, practical experience and human connections come together. Whether the focus was on water reuse, micropollutants, the industrial water transition or PFAS, the same drive to move forward together was tangible all around.

AquaNL 2026 from First Floor

AquaNL 2026 programme, day 3

We had some lovely and interesting conversations with researchers at our stand

Kees Roest spoke on the topic of ‘Water conservation and reuse in industry’

Martijn van Veggel in conversation with the audience, during which they shared their experiences and considerations

We had some lovely and interesting conversations with researchers at our stand

We had some lovely and interesting conversations with researchers at our stand