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Evides Chair: Industrial and Circular Water Technology

The Chair in Industrial and Circular Water Technology facilitates the transfer of the university’s research into society. The chair was established at Ghent University in 2016, with the support of Evides Industriewater B.V.

Innovation in the water sector

The future of the water sector will greatly depend on innovation. Evides Industriewater continuously invests in innovation and research in order to develop new and ever more effective techniques in the field of water reuse and wastewater treatment, and to apply these directly for industrial water consumers. This can have a positive impact not only on the environment but also for many businesses. Through research and innovation, Evides is seeking to make a contribution to the circular economy. Examples of research topics include: reducing the water footprint, reducing CO2, and reclaiming raw materials from waste water. The general idea is that technological improvements and appropriate management techniques can enable businesses that consume a lot of water to deal better with current water-related challenges (e.g. drought and climate change), while still improving productivity. 

Objectives

Objectives of the Ghent University Evides Chair in Industrial and Circular Water Technology: 

  • Obtaining scientific insights into a sustainable water cycle in the process industry by means of joint action by the supervisor and the donor.
  • Optimalise processes related to industrial water use and improve the operational management of water-intensive industrial processes.
  • Develop new apparatuses and installations for water purification processes.
  • Establish a leading, multi-disciplinary research centre in the field of industrial water, with a broad network in industry.
  • Promote the field of industrial water amongst the new generation of researchers.

Donor

Logo Evides

Period

2016-present

Supervisor

Professor Arne Verliefde has been a full professor in Ghent since 2011. His research investigates boundary-layer phenomena in the treatment of drinking water and process water, with a particular focus on membranes. However, he is also interested in researching other topics including adsorptive and ion exchange processes, and more energy-efficient processes for selective separation between organic and inorganic substances. Moreover, the research group is also increasingly focusing on establishing precisely which water quality is necessary for a process (for example, in order to avoid corrosion) – linked to the technology needed to achieve that quality of water. In this way it is possible to obtain “Water-Fit-For-Use”.

Chair-holder

The chair is currently held by Dr. Marjolein Vanoppen. In 2016 she received her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Verliefde, focusing on the industrial recuperation of water and raw materials. She coordinates all activities within the chair, such as follow-up and applications for projects, supervising students, teaching, and both scientific and public communication. 

Prof. Verliefde and Dr. Vanoppen are both involved with the "Resource Recovery Technology (R2T) consortium", the section of "CAPTURE (Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery" which focuses on water fit-for-use. Arne also has a strong interest in research into sanitation and production of drinking water for developing countries.

Links

https://www.ugent.be/bw/nl/onderzoek/evides-leerstoel (Dutch)

News

6/12/2016 - New chair for industrial and circular water technology – Engeeneringnet (Dutch)
29/11/2016- Evides launched a chair at Ghent University – Evides (Dutch)