Smart Water Solutions

In this episode, Dr. Piotr Dlugolecki  and I discuss water-based energy generation and storage, highlighting the potential of reverse electrodialysis technology and ion exchange membranes. We talk about the challenges and opportunities in hydrogen production, especially in Europe, and look at the future of energy storage solutions, including redox flow batteries. Our guest, Piotr, founder of Aqua-...

This episode features Karen Schuett, Co-Founder and CEO of Livestock Water Recycling (LWR). With her roots in zoology, Karen embarked on a journey from groundwater treatment in the oil and gas sector to forging solutions in livestock manure treatment. A local farmer's challenge with manure lagoons prompted this shift, leading to the development of LWR's specialized system. Livestock waste...

🎙️ Join us in our latest episode with Professor Julio Berbel from the University of Cordoba. Together with Rhea Verbeke, we delve deep into the intricacies of European water management. From the fundamental Water Framework Directive to the debate between water pricing vs. governance, we explore the future of sustainable water use. 💧 Curious about the balance between policy and practice? Give it a...

In this episode, Oliver Lawal , the CEO and founder of AquiSense Technologies , talks about the challenges in water disinfection and the promise of UV-C LED technology as an alternative to chemical treatments. He shares the progress of UV-C LED chips, how they're becoming more affordable, and their real-world applications. The conversation explores how to enhance UV systems and what's on t...

In this episode, Rhea and I talk with Professor Ryan Kingsbury from Princeton University about ion-selective transport in membranes. We discuss how traditional methods based on particle size and charge fall short for tasks like extracting lithium from brine. Professor Kingsbury highlights the importance of considering molecular interactions and electronic structures of ions. We also learn about hi...

In this episode, we'll delve into the water treatment solutions for PFAS with our guest, Brian Pinkard , the CTO & Co-Founder at Aquagga . We'll uncover the journey from using hydrothermal technology for destroying chemical weapons, to now dealing with PFAS . Learn about the safety, cost-effectiveness, and advantages of Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment or HALT technology, and see how it...

In this podcast episode,  Rhea  and I were thankful to engage with Prof.  Richard Luthy , a renowned ocean engineer, @US Nav Navy submersible pilot, and chemical engineering PhD from  University of California, Berkeley , now teaching Civil Engineering at  Stanford University . With water scarcity as a central topic, Prof. Luthy elaborated on the indispensable role of stormwater capture and reuse....

The water footprint is the water that we consume and pollute in the supply chain of our daily goods. We may use around 125 liters of water/day at home, but in total we are consuming around 7000 liters of water/day via the food we eat and the fashion we buy. To better understand the water footprint, Rhea and I hosted prof Markus Berger from the University of Twente . We learned more about different...

Investing is oxygen for water techs. One can invest in assets such as oil and gas and real state, but how about investing in water? Apparently, there is not enough financial infrastructure to invest in water beyond a handful of large water OEM’s (Origin Equipment Manufacturing or a company that builds water treatment systems) and few big chemical firms which regularly acquire water tech startups....

A growing global population causes an increased demand for food, and more specifically for more sustainable protein sources. In this podcast episode, Rhea and I had an inspiring discussion with Stefan Wuertz, Professor of Environmental Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, about microbial community-based protein production from wastewater for animal feed applications. Stefan’s interdisc...

Finding a niche in academic water research can be challenging for young professors and postdocs. In this episode, Rhea and I hosted Prof. Ngai Yin Yip, professor at Columbia University, who conducts research on membrane-less and non-evaporative desalination of hypersaline brines by temperature swing solvent extraction (TSSE). This TSSE desalination is driven by low-grade thermal heat to cost-compe...

Ceramic membranes are robust, durable and outperform polymeric membranes in harsh liquid environments. However, their price is still high because of the raw materials and the high temperature of manufacturing. Here is an advanced silica-based (silica is the most abundant elements in Earth's crust) sol-gel ceramic membrane that is synthesized without high temperature processing. In this episode, Gr...

Prof. Wiebe M. de Vos , leader of the research group Membrane Surface Science at Twente University , tries to solve complex water treatment problems through interdisciplinary and creative research. In this episode, he shares his three research pillars with us: 1- Complex fouling mechanisms occurring when treating e.g. produced water from O&G, 2- Coatings, layer by layer and polyelectrolyte mem...

Imagine whenever you go to the supermarket, you can find the water consumption of any food product on its label! The amount of water that was consumed from its planting to its harvesting. Wouldn’t that help you make a sustainable choice? Why food?! because agriculture consumes above 60% of the total water consumption across industries. According to the United Nations, above 12 million hectares are...

Urban population growth, economic development and change of consumption patterns increase water demand. The challenge is how can water utilities continue using old water infrastructure to maintain the increase of water demand at lower cost? Daily urban water consumption is processed by algorithms to predict the exact needed water amount that should be supplied to the right underground reservo...

Professor Mathias Wessling from RWTH Aachen University in Germany, winner of the Leibniz 2019 price , is innovating four pillars of membrane technology: 1-hollow fiber NF, 2-layer by layer membranes, 3-AI backward design recipes, and 4-water treatment inverse problems. We ( Rhea Verbeke and I) talked about the contributions of his research that have been made it from lab scale to pilot scale to in...

According to HydroIQ , half of the water supplied by utilities in Africa is lost before reaching the consumer due to leakages. Hence, there is a need for an online platform layer between water suppliers and consumers to visualize the exact consumed amount of water and pay for this amount frictionless. Victor L. Shikoli , co-founder of HydroIQ , shares in this podcast episode how HydroIQ assist hom...

Professor Mihail Barboiu belongs to the pioneers of biomimetic membranes. Via supramolecular chemistry, he designs artificial channels, embedded in membranes, through which water or ions can selectively permeate. In this episode, we dive into Prof. Mihail’s journey: his inspiration, the working mechanisms of artificial channels, the upscaling of these membranes, and the impact they can have on soc...

"I have a dream: safe water for all children" professor Andrea Iris Schäfer , KIT . In this episode, Rhea and I hosted Prof. Andrea Schaefer who develops reliable drinking water systems at an affordable price for several communities in Africa and abroad. These decentralized systems combine membrane technology with renewable energy. Moreover, she is researching and developing low pressure reactive...

“Our ideas are our art as scientists” professor Jeffrey McCutcheon at the University of Connecticut , USA. In this episode, my co-host Rhea Verbeke and I discuss Prof's breakthrough research on additive manufacturing methods for water purification membranes. We talk about the gaps between academia and industry, about the hype cycle of new water technologies and the opportunities that lay in conver...

''Thousands have lived without love, not one without water'' W.H.Auden was a poet (1907-1973).   The Wyland Foundation , a non-profit organization, brings artists, scientists and teachers together to raise environmental awareness through education programs, public arts projects, and community events. Steve Creech, president of The Wyland Foundation , shares in this episode the tools and the k...

In water, the business of science and engineering is to transfer skills that straddle both academia and industry towards solving urgent firm water challenges. In these regards, Wetsus is a platform coordinating multidisciplinary experts from both industry and academia to skill young water solutionists and deliver innovations applicable to the society. Jan Post , program director at Wetsus , discus...

Water and wastewater utilities process their network data to secure safe drinking water and ensure treated wastewater discharge to the ecosystem. Displaying worth processed data on the screen to the operators to take the right action at the right time for the right location is vital. Syrinix is one of the key players in developing hardware and software to process and monitor utilities water networ...

The harvesting cost of algal biofilm is one of the bottleneck of commercialising algae-based product. GWT developed a system that uses vertically oriented conveyor belts that grow algae on their surface. Max Gangestad , COO at GWT, elaborates on GWT solution and how algae can be used to make fertilisers, bioplastics, and biofuels.

According to Eureau.org, the total length of the sewer network in EU is 3 million km. Because of the aging, population growth and pandemic situation, the stress is increasing on this network, which leads to leakage and abrupt. One efficient way to assess the sewer network is to record and watch the cleaned pipes via cameras. VAPAR is a platform using AI to process this CCTV (closed-circuit televis...