From measurement to mitigation: KWR advances the climate-neutral wastewater agenda on the global stage

At the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2026 in Glasgow, I had the opportunity to represent KWR across a broad range of activities: presenting full-scale N₂O research, chairing a technical session, contributing to GWRC collaboration, discussing pathways towards net-zero wastewater treatment, and engaging participants through the Greenhouse Gas Shoot-Off game activity.  

Together, these activities reflected one central question: how can better knowledge of greenhouse-gas emissions be translated into measurable reductions in practice? 

Testing N₂O measurement at full scale 

I presented our research “Assessing the Reliability of Gas- and Liquid-Phase Nitrous Oxide Measurements in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants.” The work builds on KWR’s research on monitoring, modelling and reducing N₂O emissions. Full-scale campaigns combine gas-phase measurements, liquid-phase sensors and operational process data to improve emission factors, understand process dynamics and support mitigation strategies. 

The message I wanted to convey is simple: Measure → Understand → Predict → Control → Reduce

Reliable monitoring is not the end goal; it is the basis for better operational decisions and effective emissions reduction. 

From protocol to implementation 

Glasgow also marked an important milestone for international collaboration with the launch of the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC) Practical Protocol to Monitor and Quantify N₂O Emissions, to which KWR contributed through its expertise and experience in full-scale N₂O monitoring and quantification. 

I also contributed to the workshop “From Protocol to Practice: Global N₂O monitoring and pathways to net zero wastewater treatment,” bringing KWR’s full-scale experience and the Dutch perspective into the international discussion. This connects directly with his role in the GWRC Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management, where the focus is increasingly shifting from knowledge exchange towards harmonisation, benchmarking, implementation and mitigation. 

I believe that our ambition is therefore broader than measurement alone: internationally comparable data can support stronger emission factors, shared datasets, utility benchmarking and more credible operational and policy decisions. 

Connecting climate performance with wider wastewater challenges 

My involvement at the Congress extended beyond N₂O. I also had the opportunity to chair a technical session on emerging contaminants in wastewater. This reflects KWR system’s perspective: climate-neutral wastewater treatment cannot be addressed in isolation. Emissions, water quality, treatment performance, energy demand, resource recovery and emerging contaminants are interconnected. 

The challenge is not simply to optimise one parameter, but to understand and manage the trade-offs across the whole system. 

Engaging the wider water community 

At the KWR & Friends booth, I joined my KWR colleagues and partners for the “Greenhouse Gas Shoot-Off: Can You Make the Winning Shot?” lunch activity.  The activity offered a more informal way to engage Congress participants on greenhouse-gas emissions and demonstrated the importance of combining scientific depth with accessible communication. 

From KWR’s N₂O Day to Glasgow 

The Congress followed shortly after KWR hosted its first N₂O Day in Nieuwegein on 29 September 2026, bringing together utilities, researchers, technology providers, engineering firms, policymakers and other stakeholders. The progression from the Dutch event to the international Congress illustrates the value of connecting local operational experience with global knowledge and collaboration. In both cases, the direction was the same: from measurement to mitigation, and from individual projects to collective sector action. 

A direct expression of KWR’s Impact Theme 

My activities in Glasgow closely align with one of KWR’s impact themes: Water for Clean Energy and a Circular Industry. The impact theme aims to accelerate the transition towards circular and climate-neutral water systems, bringing together expertise in wastewater treatment, greenhouse-gas emissions, energy, resource recovery, modelling and systems analysis. For climate-neutral wastewater treatment, this includes reducing N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ emissions, improving energy efficiency, optimising treatment processes and developing practical pathways towards implementation. 

The Glasgow activities therefore formed part of one broader pathway: robust evidence → shared understanding → practical implementation → measurable climate impact.

For KWR, the objective is not simply better measurement. As an integration expert and institute for transformative water science, the aim is to connect science, practice and collaboration so that trustworthy evidence leads to better decisions – and ultimately to measurable impact towards climate-neutral wastewater treatment. 

Beyond the technical programme, the Congress also created strong momentum for KWR’s collaboration with the UK water sector, generating new connections and discussions around joint research projects, pilot and demonstration opportunities, knowledge exchange and potential funding proposals.