Luuk de Waal MSc

Luuk de Waal is a practice-oriented researcher in the Water Treatment & Technology team of KWR water research institute. He uses various pilot installations to develop innovative techniques in future-proof water treatment. Luuk’s primary focus in his work relates to several sustainability challenges associated with the development of a circular water sector; these include testing of innovative concentrate management concepts, development of a scalable, robust, fully circular freshwater treatment train using currently available technologies and iron sludge upcycling as adsorbent material for effluent polishing and/or iron powder as an energy carrier. By performing lab experiments, Luuk gains fundamental insights into the working principles underlying current water treatment technologies, such as the kinetics of iron oxidation and arsenic removal in rapid sand filters. By converting experimental observations into new research questions, Luuk actively contributes to knowledge development and innovation at KWR. By acquiring fundamental knowledge, testing and (further) developing innovative ideas, and advising on today’s challenges, Luuk gains water-sector-wide insights which he then applies for the benefit of the sector as a whole. Luuk has a background in chemistry (university of Utrecht) and holds a (joint) Master’s degree in Water Technology from the universities of Wageningen, Groningen and Enschede.