Roberta Hofman PhD MSc

Roberta Hofman works as a senior scientist on the Water Treatment and Resource Recovery team. Her work focuses primarily on water treatment and reuse. In the field of water treatment, the principal emphasis is on the removal of organic micropollutants (such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, PFAS and microplastics) from, for example, drinking water and wastewater, using processes such as adsorption and oxidation/reduction. In the case of adsorption, she studies the interaction between the surface of an adsorbent and the substances to be removed. She uses specially developed materials in addition to active carbon as adsorbents. In advanced oxidation and reduction, pollutants are broken down into biodegradable compounds or even CO2 and water. However, Roberta also studies reaction mechanisms and the possible formation of transformation products. In addition to adsorption and oxidation processes, she also works on research into conventional processes (coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation, filtration, and softening), and sustainability. The modelling of adsorption and breakdown processes plays an important role in acquiring a clearer understanding of the processes, and in the optimisation of conditions and reactors. Roberta’s research into reuse focuses on the closing of the water cycle, and recycling ‘waste flows’ such as aquafer. She also works on local and small-scale treatment processes. In projects of this kind, she often collaborates with national and international consortia. In addition to her scientific research, Roberta is a member of the Dutch Crisis Expert Team on the environment and drinking water (CET-md), and the KWR Scientific Council, and she also works regularly for the Communications department. She is also an associate lecturer in water for the Life Sciences and Chemistry lectorate at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, and she is a visiting researcher in the Environmental Technology (ETE) department at Wageningen University and Research.