Introducing Walter v/d Meer

Walter van der Meer became chair of the Water Alliance Supervisory Board on 1 February 2021. Van der Meer succeeds Wilma Mansveld, who took up the role in 2017. Van der Meer (61) is the CEO of water supplier Oasen in Gouda. He has had a long career in water technology and has specialized in membrane technology over the years. A brief introduction.

Walter van der Meer

Moving towards a circular economy together

WHY DID YOU BECOME CHAIR OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD?

It was an easy decision. The Water Alliance is a good way of connecting the world of scientists and inventors with the business world. It is exactly what the drinking water sector needs because that collaboration is essential to achieving a circular economy, which is the greatest challenge facing our sector. It’s great to be able to contribute to the solution like this.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING THE WATER SECTOR AT THE MOMENT?

Like I said, making the world’s water use circular. We already have a lot of knowledge and ability, but we don’t apply it enough yet. Imagine being able to reuse fifty percent of all the wastewater in the world as a source of drinking water. That could solve a lot of the world’s problems. The massive, unilateral migration of people to coasts or river valleys would no longer be as necessary. You would only have to bring a quantity of fresh water to destination X or Y once, and it would last a long time. That could literally change the world. I am a firm believer that membrane filtration will play a key role in this.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE ALSO WORKING ON THIS WITH OASEN?

Correct. Together with the Department of Material Science and Polymer technology at the University of Twente and industrial partners NX Filtration and Artecs, we are conducting research as part of the 24water project. We are developing and testing new, advanced membranes that can remove organic pollutants from surface water. Many people think of pollutants as chemical substances and medicine residues, but seawater intrusion and low river levels cause salinization and can cause all kinds of organic pollution. To counter that, Oasen is contributing to this project by testing new membranes as they are developed, and providing the knowledge and experience of a membrane user.

THE QUESTION IS: IF IT ALL TURNS OUT TO WORK REALLY WELL, HOW CAN YOU ACCELERATE THE ROLLOUT TO THE GLOBAL MARKET?

That is exactly what we need the companies for. Entrepreneurs see opportunities and dare to take risks. That is why I am a great advocate of partnerships between knowledge institutions, scientists and companies. You have to realize that they have different ‘blood types’. Scientists often feel that their innovation is never finished, which can lead to a delayed market launch: “I will have it further developed by next month”. It’s like going to a computer store to buy a video card and the salesman saying “come back next week, I’ll have a better one for you”. The reality is that there will be another better card a month after that, because technology is always evolving. That is why you also need entrepreneurs who see the commercial opportunities and take action.

BUT SURELY KNOWLEDGE INSTITUTES ARE GRADUALLY GETTING USED TO MARKET FORCES?

We are definitely seeing that development, which is great. Researchers and scientists also realize that you have to present your ideas to the outside world and that a good showcase in the market can also facilitate follow-up research. I think that is an excellent development. Science and business can learn from each other and, together, they will have to make the transition to the circular economy.

WALTER VAN DER MEER AND RESEARCH

The concepts of water, innovation and membrane technology have always played an important role in Van der Meer’s career. He started as a process technology engineer for water supplier Vitens in 1992. In June 2009 he joined the board of directors, in charge of business operations and water technology. Van der Meer became the CEO of water supplier Oasen in February 2012. In addition to his managerial positions, Van der Meer continued to conduct active research. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from the Delft University of Technology in 2003 and served as a part-time lecturer in Membrane Process Technology at the University of Twente from 2005 to 2011. He served as a part-time lecturer in Innovative Water Purification Processes at Delft University of Technology from 2011 to 2016 and, since 2016, has been a part-time lecturer at the University of Twente and holds the chair ‘Membrane Technology and Engineering for Water Purification’.

Walter van der Meer is married to Corine, has two sons (Sven and Jim) and lives in Sneek.