Working everywhere and continuously on safe and clean water

A key element of KWR’s research focuses on water quality for healthy living and natural environments. There is a great deal of work to be done on this front, because the quality of water is under increasing pressure. Human activities cause chemical and microbiological contamination of water, and climate change can also negatively impact water quality. The quality of surface and other water bodies has improved in many regards in recent years, but it is still far from meeting all European standards. Moreover, our knowledge of the threats to water quality is constantly expanding, and steadily stricter water quality guidelines are being established for water systems and for the use and reuse of water.  KWR’s activities in the area of water quality and health in 2024 are presented below.

Chemical contaminants

KWR is on the look-out for new threats to water quality and health, and in this context participates in broad and long-term collaborations. As an example, the MOMENTUM research produces greater insight into the health effects and risks of micro- and nanoplastics, within a valuable multi-annual partnership with nine universities, four other research institutes, two academic medical centres, and ten companies. KWR mainly contributes to analyses in water and aqueous matrices, microbiological threats, risk assessment, and societal solutions aimed at limiting the spread of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, and the environmental and human exposures to micro- and nanoplastics.

International collaboration

Since 2022, KWR has worked with 199 partners from 28 countries within the European Partnership for the Assessment of Chemicals (PARC). In doing so, it strengthens the scientific basis for the assessment of risks from chemicals, and makes next-generation risk assessment possible in order to improve the protection of human and environmental health. In addition, chemicals of emerging concern were discussed during a side-event organised by KWR at the IWA Congress in Toronto. And KWR also participates in global collaborations and knowledge exchanges in the area of forever chemicals.

PFAS

KWR contributes through multi-disciplinary research to solutions for water-related PFAS issues. These poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances – about 9000 are currently recognised – are after all found in all kinds of products and are present throughout the environment worldwide. The water sector wants to expeditiously tackle these issues – and KWR’s experts in water quality and health are collaborating in the effort. At the beginning of this year, a good overview of the current activities and developments concerning PFAS was posted on our site. Furthermore, KWR experts described the possibilities of removing PFAS from the water cycle in an article in H2O (Dutch). At this point in time, it appears that their initial concentration and then degradation presents the most promising strategy for PFAS removal.

Research into drugs in sewage water

KWR has also been conducting research into drugs in sewage water for more than 15 years, both nationally and internationally. Sewage research into drug use produces specific information for purposes of enforcement, prevention and policy concerning drug use. Commissioned by municipalities and public organisations, KWR measures the levels of residuals of different drugs in the sewage water to provide information about differences in drug use between cities and trends over time. In 2024 as well, the sewage water at various locations in different municipalities was again investigated. It is striking that municipalities return more frequently with requests to have the measurements periodically repeated.

Sewage water epidemiology for Covid-19 and other infectious diseases 

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, epidemiological sewage water research has developed strongly. In 2024, KWR’s Gertjan Medema was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2024 in Singapore for his role in this groundbreaking research into virus detection in wastewater, which is now contributing globally to public health surveillance. Medema: ‘In today’s post-pandemic world, sewage monitoring is firmly established as an instrument for public health surveillance for a growing number of diseases.’ Furthermore, a system has been developed within the TKI Water Technology programme for on-demand, local sewage-water measurements. The system can be deployed simply, cheaply, quickly and flexibly. It makes it possible, on a fine spatial scale, to measure Covid-19 trends, but also those of other infectious diseases such as hepatitis, measles and mumps.

Microbiological threats 

Advances have also been made with regard to other microbiological threats. Years of work on the development of new, faster and more sensitive PCR-based methods for the determination of intestinal enterococci, indicator bacteria that can demonstrate the presence of faecal contaminations, has paid off: the approach can now also be used in monitoring drinking water quality. The effort to tackle waterborne pathogens received a further boost in 2024, upon the conclusion of the European PathoCERT project. This resulted in a strengthening the capabilities of first responders to react quickly and effectively to incidents involving waterborne pathogens. PathoCERT provides water utilities and emergency services with new technologies, enabling them to respond appropriately to contamination emergencies and thus mitigate public health risks. KWR led the research and development of some of these technologies in collaboration with partners across Europe.

Microbiological research for greenhouse horticulture

Growers face big challenges as a consequence of several developments concerning water and greenhouse horticulture. The emission-free greenhouse and freshwater shortages are for instance driving the need for the extensive recirculation and reuse of water from greenhouse horticulture, cities and industry. This can on the one hand create risks for plant and human health, but it can also offer opportunities for an improved water quality in the greenhouse. A good, protective microbial community in the irrigation water of course promotes healthy plant growth during cultivation. Last year, work was carried out on different methods of achieving a microbially healthy water system in the greenhouse. This includes methods of quickly determining whether plant viruses are present in the water, thus diminishing the contamination risk.