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Micro Pollution

Projects

Health
Emerging contaminants
From non-target screening to risk assessment

Non-target screening, bioassays and computer modelling can provide information about the structure, concentration and toxicity of unknown substances in water. Until now, these chemical, biological and computing methods have often been used…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
The role of sludge in infiltration ponds in OMP removal during dune infiltration

Drinking water utilities that use dune infiltration or riverbank filtration employ infiltration ponds with a sludge layer. This project investigates the role played by the thickness and conditions…

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Health
Biological activity
Trigger value data gaps I and II

There are a lot of advantages to testing water quality with in vitro bioassays but this technique can only be properly applied if the bioassay responses can be compared with ‘effect-based trigger values’ (EBT). This study determines…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Closing the water cycle

To close the water cycle, steps need to be taken to treat effluent for organic micropollutants. Today’s WWTPs have not been specifically designed to remove such substances – which can encompass a wide range – from the…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Biological treatment processes: optimising biodegradation of OMPs in rapid filters

Organic micropollutants (OMPs) in drinking water sources are frequently in the news. To be able to continue supplying safe and reliable drinking water, the drinking water sector wishes,…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Prediction models for the removal of organic micropollutants

Organic micropollutants (OMPs) in drinking water sources are frequently in the news. The numbers of OMPs are typically very low and are not harmful to health, but, as…

Read more about Prediction models for the removal of organic micropollutants
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
DPWE treatment robustness: test set-up and substance selection

Organic micropollutants have no place in drinking water. Work is therefore conducted on an ongoing basis within the (dune water) DPWE utilities on improving the treatment steps that…

Read more about DPWE treatment robustness: test set-up and substance selection
Health
Biological activity
Reuse of activated carbon for the removal of organic micropollutants

The use of personal care products, dietary supplements and medicines is constantly increasing. This is partly due to the ageing, and growing, population. A large fraction of personal…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Non-target screening

The steady growth in the production and use of chemicals is leading to an increased presence of these compounds in drinking water and drinking water sources. Target screening is no longer sufficient for the monitoring of all…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Adsorptive and biological removal of plant protection products

The horticultural sector is faced with a major challenge: it is obligated to remove at least 95% of the plant protection products from its discharge water. A solution…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Bioassays for neuroactive substances in water

More and more substances are being found worldwide in surface water that may have adverse effects on the nervous system. Because about forty percent[1] of Dutch drinking water is made from infiltrated…

Read more about Bioassays for neuroactive substances in water
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
River-bank filtration as alternative to direct intake

Surface water utilities in the Netherlands frequently intake their river water directly, or after the water is first stored in a reserve or reservoir. One of the first…

Read more about River-bank filtration as alternative to direct intake
Health
Emerging contaminants
Chain Explorer – fewer emissions

If it isn’t in the water, you won’t need to remove it. Besides end-of-pipe measures aimed at improving water quality, it is also advisable to study how emissions of substances earlier in…

Read more about Chain Explorer – fewer emissions
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Iron removal for the removal of organic microcontamination

Iron hydroxides are produced at various places during the production of drinking water. That results in the formation and breakdown of reactive oxygen compounds. There are indications that…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Role of soil passage in removal of OMPs

During the infiltration of surface water in the dunes and along river banks, natural processes in the soil can effectively remove micropollutants. In surface water infiltration systems, the bottom sludge layer is…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Development of a substance database

A databank that unlocks information about relevant substances – e.g., substance properties, the presence of known and unknown substances, standards, treatment efficiency – has been developed for water utilities, drinking water laboratories…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Preventing the flow of microplastics via effluent into surface water

Microplastics are small (< 5mm), synthetic particles that can have a big impact if they flow into large surface water bodies. Larger pieces of plastic waste cause harm…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Prediction and validation in organic micropollutant removal

Organic micropollutants (OMPs) in sources of drinking water are regularly in the news. The quantities of OMPs are usually very low and not harmful to health, but the…

Read more about Prediction and validation in organic micropollutant removal
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Biological conversion of micropollutants in drinking water treatment

Various scientific studies have shown that biological processes, such as rapid sand filtration (SF), river-bank filtration, biological granular activated carbon filtration (BAC), and slow sand filtration (SSF), can…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
‘Contaminants of Emerging Concern’ – a partnership in water technology

More and more chemical substances are being produced and used all over the world. At the same time, increasing volumes of water are being abstracted for domestic, industrial…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Shale Gas and Water

Before the Netherlands can initiate shale gas extraction, answers must be given to the question of the possible environmental risks involved for the water system. The Shale Gas and Water programme is focused on issues in the…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Multi-Source, Single-Stage, Full-Stream RO

The objective is a tested Multi-Source, Full-Stream RO concept, with minimal pre- and post-treatment (single stage), which uses flexible water sources and produces water of impeccable quality. The concept is researched in…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Hydrodynamic cavitation for effective sludge disintegration

The fermentation of sludge from WWTPs releases biogas. But it is very difficult to destroy the sludge particles effectively, which means that a considerable amount of energy remains…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Pharmaceuticals from effluent

Wastewater contains increasing amounts of pharmaceutical residues. Since the WWTPs are not designed to remove them from the water, the plants’ effluent frequently still contains pharmaceuticals. Many techniques for the removal of these pharmaceuticals, and other micropollutants,…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Supplementary treatment for the removal of polar organic micropollutants

Earlier research showed that significant concentrations of pharmaceuticals and other organic micropollutants were present in the Limburg water cycle, and that these concentrations would increase in the future.…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
AquaPriori

Studies into the effectiveness of water treatment techniques for priority substances involve high costs and are closely related to very specific conditions: treatment technique type, water type, substances present, and process conditions, such as residential times (distribution)…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
NOMixed

In 2014, PWN designed, built and put into operation a new water treatment process (Andijk III), which makes use of SIX® [an innovative anion exchange (AIX) process] and CeraMac® (an innovative ceramic ultrafiltration membrane process). The removal…

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Sustainability
Sustainable resources
Sustainable airport cities

This TKI project is meant to showcase how different sectors can strengthen each other in the process of increasing the sustainability of their own sector – a win-win concept – through the application of innovative technologies originating…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Advanced oxidation for drinking water treatment

Advanced oxidation processes, which degrade organic micropollutants, offer a solution whenever the removal of micropollutants is not practical nor possible using other methods. This research involves inventorizing possible applicable advanced oxidation techniques…

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Experts

Marcelle van der Waals PhD
Scientific researcher Project manager
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Marcelle van der Waals PhD

Scientific researcher Project manager

Marcelle van der Waals is a scientific researcher on Microbiological Water Quality and Health. Marcelle did her PhD research on microbiology in the field of biological degradation of contaminants at…

030-6069566

marcelle.van.der.waals@kwrwater.nl

06-11715232

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Jasper Immink
Scientific researcher
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Jasper Immink

Scientific researcher

Jasper Immink is researcher in the Water Treatment and Resource Recovery-team, and he specializes in physical chemistry, modelling, and data science. He often works on projects where he interprets the…

030-6069560

jasper.immink@kwrwater.nl

06-25493799

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Nienke Meekel MSc
Scientific researcher
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Nienke Meekel MSc

Scientific researcher

Nienke Meekel is a researcher in the Chemical Water Quality and Health team. In July 2020, she completed the Analytical Sciences track of the Master Chemistry at both the University…

030-6069622

nienke.meekel@kwrwater.nl

06-15187495

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Peer Timmers
Scientific researcher
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Peer Timmers

Scientific researcher

Peer Timmers is trained in microbial ecophysiology. He applies as broad a range of chemical and molecular biological techniques as possible to determine which microorganisms are responsible for a particular…

030-6069636

peer.timmers@kwrwater.nl

06-15403473

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Tessa Pronk
Scientific researcher
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Tessa Pronk

Scientific researcher

Tessa Pronk is a scientific researcher in the Chemical Water Quality and Health team. She has a broad interest in complex systems and, over the last few years, has worked…

030-6069681

tessa.pronk@kwrwater.nl

06-29337806

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Luuk de Waal MSc
Scientific researcher Portfolio manager
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Luuk de Waal MSc

Scientific researcher Portfolio manager

Luuk de Waal is a researcher in the Water Treatment & Resource Recovery team and manages the organization-wide project-portfolio Water cycle. His research focusses on innovative water treatment technologies and…

030-6069551

luuk.de.waal@kwrwater.nl

06-53341973

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Stefan Kools PhD
Manager Scientific researcher
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Stefan Kools PhD

Manager Scientific researcher

Stefan Kools works at KWR as a researcher and team leader. He has more than 20 years' experience in the water sector, both as a scientific researcher and ecotoxicology advisor.…

030-6069539

stefan.kools@kwrwater.nl

06-46818786

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Ton van Leerdam BSc
Scientific researcher Project manager
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Ton van Leerdam BSc

Scientific researcher Project manager

As a researcher in the Chemical Water Quality and Health team, Ton van Leerdam puts more than thirty years of experience into guaranteeing the (chemical) quality of the water cycle…

030-6069624

Ton.van.Leerdam@kwrwater.nl

06-15189535

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Bas Wols PhD MSc
Senior scientific researcher
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Bas Wols PhD MSc

Senior scientific researcher

Bas Wols works as a scientific researcher on the Water Treatment team. He models water treatment processes, such as UV/H2O2 oxidation, membrane filtration, sand filtration, softening and aeration. He uses…

030-6069604

Bas.Wols@kwrwater.nl

06-50559052

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Emile Cornelissen PhD MSc
Senior scientific researcher
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Emile Cornelissen PhD MSc

Senior scientific researcher

Emile Cornelissen is Senior Scientific Researcher in the Water Treatment team, and professor at the PaInT (Particle and Interfacial Technology) research group at Ghent University. Also, since 2014, he has…

030-6069538

Emile.Cornelissen@kwrwater.nl

06-53508928

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Nikki van Bel PhD
Scientific researcher
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Nikki van Bel PhD

Scientific researcher

Nikki van Bel is a medior scientific researcher in the field of microbiological water quality and health, with over 10 years of experience in microbiology. The aim of her research…

030-6069516

nikki.van.bel@kwrwater.nl

06-31998085

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All experts ()

News

News

Using QSPR models to predict the removal of micropollutants

13 September 2023 — Thanks to new models, water companies can now find out more quickly and efficiently which treatment methods can…

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News

Time is running out – WFD fact sheets for four important substance groups

21 July 2023 — KWR and Vewin are collaborating on fact sheets about urgent substance groups for drinking water sources. The deadline…

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Water Sector

Conclusive business case for circular application of powdered carbon

24 October 2022 — The high-value powdered carbon that Dunea uses in drinking water production can perfectly well be given a second…

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News

Effect-based monitoring is ready for deployment in water safety planning

03 October 2022 — It is possible to use bioassays for monitoring water safety. To bring this effect-based monitoring to application, end-users,…

Read more about Effect-based monitoring is ready for deployment in water safety planning
News

Award for KWR presentation on the use of machine learning to classify microplastics

18 July 2022 — KWR has developed a new approach to the challenge of identifying microplastics. The presentation of the approach by…

Read more about Award for KWR presentation on the use of machine learning to classify microplastics
News

KWR and Utrecht University jointly assist British WRc in quality assurance for Toxicity Datasheets

15 February 2022 — Toxicologists from Utrecht University and KWR collaborate on assessing the quality of toxicological data and risk assessment. They…

Read more about KWR and Utrecht University jointly assist British WRc in quality assurance for Toxicity Datasheets
Blog

Microplastics and human health research in the Netherlands – Symposium MOMENTUM

16 November 2021 — Micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) can be found nearly everywhere; in the air we breathe, in food and…

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News

AquaPriori web application predicts effect of treatment processes

05 November 2021 — During a demonstration workshop at KWR, the participants from drinking-water utilities and laboratories got a good impression of…

Read more about AquaPriori web application predicts effect of treatment processes
Blog

IUVA World Congress 2021

14 June 2021 — Every two years the International UV Association (IUVA) organizes a world congress. Last year, due to Covid, the…

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News

Deltafact Biocides: no clear picture as yet of impact on water quality

17 May 2021 — For water managers there is still only limited knowledge available about biocides and their impact on water quality,…

Read more about Deltafact Biocides: no clear picture as yet of impact on water quality
News

Hazards of consumer products to the water cycle

30 March 2021 — An investigation of twenty types of consumer products makes it clear that we are still far from the…

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News

Sources and effects of microplastics in water still not sufficiently known

22 February 2021 — The Deltafact Microplastics of the Chain Explorer, a project within the Water Quality Knowledge Impulse programme, was recently…

Read more about Sources and effects of microplastics in water still not sufficiently known
News

Intelligent data acquisition method is a prize-winner

16 November 2020 — The identification of toxic compounds in drinking water is an important issue for the drinking water sector. KWR…

Read more about Intelligent data acquisition method is a prize-winner
News

Q&A COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance live

11 April 2020 — The COVID-19 sewage research team has received a tremendous amount of questions about the research in recent weeks;…

Read more about Q&A COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance live
Water Sector

Consortium researches impact of ‘Bubble Barrier’ on microplastics in treated wastewater

06 May 2019 — A research consortium, comprising the water utility PWN, Hollands Noorderkwartier Water Authority (HHNK), The Great Bubble Barrier and…

Read more about Consortium researches impact of ‘Bubble Barrier’ on microplastics in treated wastewater
News

Water Quality Knowledge Impulse: room for acceleration

30 October 2018 — The participants in the Water Quality Knowledge Impulse are the national government, provinces, Water Authorities, water utilities, knowledge…

Read more about Water Quality Knowledge Impulse: room for acceleration
Column

Membranes: opportunities and challenges in wastewater reuse

08 October 2018 — Recycling municipal wastewater offers a reliable and sustainable solution to cities and regions facing water shortages. California and…

Read more about Membranes: opportunities and challenges in wastewater reuse
Blog

EMCON 2018 Conference on emerging contaminants

05 July 2018 — The 6th International Conference on Emerging Contaminants was held in Oslo, Norway, from 25 to 28 June, 2018.…

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News

Health relevance of contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water

19 June 2018 — New substances are being constantly produced and used, and also ending up in the groundwater and surface water…

Read more about Health relevance of contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water
Column

New generation membranes for drinking water production focuses on separating contaminants from salt

05 April 2018 — New developments in the membrane synthesis aim at producing a membrane that is as close as possible to…

Read more about New generation membranes for drinking water production focuses on separating contaminants from salt
Blog

New Dutch and EU strategies on plastic

24 January 2018 — This week the European-wide strategy on plastics was launched, as was the Dutch transition agenda for plastics. Both…

Read more about New Dutch and EU strategies on plastic
Column

Substances policy: persistency and mobility are important for water quality

13 December 2017 — European legislation on chemical substances (REACH) primarily focuses on substances that do not easily break down and are…

Read more about Substances policy: persistency and mobility are important for water quality
News

Software tool simulates removal of micropollutants from surface water

12 June 2017 — A new demo-software application simulates the efficiency with which two common treatment processes (reverse osmosis and activated carbon…

Read more about Software tool simulates removal of micropollutants from surface water
Blog

Workshop on pharmaceuticals

21 February 2017 — Load and concentrations of pharmaceuticals in water are increasing. Therefore, it will become more and more important to…

Read more about Workshop on pharmaceuticals
Water Sector

New university research programme on ‘emerging contaminants’

07 October 2016 — ‘Emerging contaminants’ or ‘contaminants of emerging concern’ are terms we use essentially to refer to a large and…

Read more about New university research programme on ‘emerging contaminants’
Water Sector

Scientists from 40 countries focus on interdisciplinary approaches for health and the environment

07 October 2016 — On Sunday, 9 October, the international congress on interdisciplinary approaches for health and the environment, ISES 2016, organised…

Read more about Scientists from 40 countries focus on interdisciplinary approaches for health and the environment
Water Sector

KWR’s labs at WoTS 2016: ‘The microworld of water’

15 September 2016 — Looking for a needle, not in a haystack but in water. That’s what we do well at KWR.…

Read more about KWR’s labs at WoTS 2016: ‘The microworld of water’
Water Sector

Effective removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater

03 May 2016 — Wastewater contains more and more pharmaceuticals that are difficult to remove in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This issue…

Read more about Effective removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater

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Subjects

Enabling technologies

New materials and technologies

Detecting and removing emerging contaminants calls for advanced materials and technologies. KWR develops knowledge about…

Read more about New materials and technologies

Our expertises

Tools

AquaPriori

Read more about AquaPriori
Clean Membrane

Read more about Clean Membrane

Micro Pollution

From non-target screening to risk assessment

The role of sludge in infiltration ponds in OMP removal during dune infiltration

Trigger value data gaps I and II

Closing the water cycle

Biological treatment processes: optimising biodegradation of OMPs in rapid filters

Prediction models for the removal of organic micropollutants

DPWE treatment robustness: test set-up and substance selection

Reuse of activated carbon for the removal of organic micropollutants

Non-target screening

Adsorptive and biological removal of plant protection products

Bioassays for neuroactive substances in water

River-bank filtration as alternative to direct intake

Chain Explorer – fewer emissions

Iron removal for the removal of organic microcontamination

Role of soil passage in removal of OMPs

Development of a substance database

Preventing the flow of microplastics via effluent into surface water

Prediction and validation in organic micropollutant removal

Biological conversion of micropollutants in drinking water treatment

‘Contaminants of Emerging Concern’ – a partnership in water technology

Shale Gas and Water

Multi-Source, Single-Stage, Full-Stream RO

Hydrodynamic cavitation for effective sludge disintegration

Pharmaceuticals from effluent

Supplementary treatment for the removal of polar organic micropollutants

AquaPriori

NOMixed

Sustainable airport cities

Advanced oxidation for drinking water treatment

Using QSPR models to predict the removal of micropollutants

Time is running out – WFD fact sheets for four important substance groups

Conclusive business case for circular application of powdered carbon

Effect-based monitoring is ready for deployment in water safety planning

Award for KWR presentation on the use of machine learning to classify microplastics

KWR and Utrecht University jointly assist British WRc in quality assurance for Toxicity Datasheets

Microplastics and human health research in the Netherlands – Symposium MOMENTUM

AquaPriori web application predicts effect of treatment processes

IUVA World Congress 2021

Deltafact Biocides: no clear picture as yet of impact on water quality

Hazards of consumer products to the water cycle

Sources and effects of microplastics in water still not sufficiently known

Intelligent data acquisition method is a prize-winner

Q&A COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance live

Consortium researches impact of ‘Bubble Barrier’ on microplastics in treated wastewater

Water Quality Knowledge Impulse: room for acceleration

Membranes: opportunities and challenges in wastewater reuse

EMCON 2018 Conference on emerging contaminants

Health relevance of contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water

New generation membranes for drinking water production focuses on separating contaminants from salt

New Dutch and EU strategies on plastic

Substances policy: persistency and mobility are important for water quality

Software tool simulates removal of micropollutants from surface water

Workshop on pharmaceuticals

New university research programme on ‘emerging contaminants’

Scientists from 40 countries focus on interdisciplinary approaches for health and the environment

KWR’s labs at WoTS 2016: ‘The microworld of water’

Effective removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater

New materials and technologies

AquaPriori

Clean Membrane