WaterProof Magazine #3 2022

con tents colophon

is the magazine of the Water Alliance, a partnership between government, research institutions and industry in the field of innovative and sustainable water technology. From its base, the WaterCampus in Leeuwarden, the Water Alliance builds on the ‘water technology innovation chain’; a process whereby new ideas from universities, laboratories and test sites are converted into worldwide marketable products. WaterProof provides regional, national and global information on developments, results and background in the field of water technology.

Partnership

By the time you read this, The European Water Technology Week (EWTW 2022) will already have taken place. We will revisit it in the first edition of WaterProof 2023, but you can already find news and reports on our website and social media. EWTW 2022 in Leeuwarden, as well as other recent, well-attended events such as WEX Global 2022 in Valencia and IFAT in Munich, showed once again that nothing is foreign to the water technology sector: we want to come together, learn and be inspired; and we want to work together. The fact that the Water Alliance and branch association ENVAQUA have decided to continue as one strong organization, still under the name Water Alliance, proves that working together can sometimes even lead to merging. Under the joint initiative we will, starting from January 1st, represent over 200 member companies and organizations

At the end of the day, WaterCampus Leeuwarden and the Water Alliance are all about working together. For years, this magazine has aimed to tell the personal stories of innovators and entrepreneurs, somewhere on their path between ideas and successful businesses. In each edition, we encounter collaborations. Whether they are structural or for special projects, what stands out is that the outcome is always more than the sum of its parts.

This is common practice at WaterCampus Leeuwarden. Someone with a good idea can take it from the brainstorming table to the lab and from the lab to a test site in the Water Application Center (WAC). Once the innovation has been properly developed, it can move to a full-scale demo site with launching customers, eventually reaching a product that finds its way to customers worldwide.

Of course, not every step of that process needs to be completed every time; as we recruit new members, we increasingly encounter companies that have long learned the ropes of business. They want to develop further and contact the Water Alliance to see where we can help. In most cases, we can help with matchmaking or marketing, which still puts a smile on my face every day.

This edition of WaterProof includes numerous examples of companies and their ambitions and events where water technologists, government and entrepreneurs meet. I hope it inspires you to come up with new ideas for collaboration. If it does, please visit us in person or online. Our door is always open.

Hein Molenkamp Managing Director, Water Alliance

SHORT CUTS

SAMOTICS WINS MAJOR ORDER FROM YORKSHIRE WATER

Dutch technology company Samotics, winner of the WIS Award 2020 and provider of realtime analytics for increasing industrial energy efficiency and productivity, has won a major order from Yorkshire Water. Samotics will deploy its technology to help Yorkshire Water optimize its sewerage work. The contract involves around 12 million euros (10 million British pounds).

The agreement is part of Yorkshire Water’s Dynamic Maintenance programme. Samotics won the tender to provide a system based on the analysis of electrical signals (ESA). The technology is rapidly gaining ground in the water industry, as it provides the ability to deliver high-quality insights into the health and performance of pumps—even when underwater. Because current and voltage signals are collected through sensors placed in switch boxes, there is no need for additional equipment to be installed on the pump itself.

WATER CONSERVATION IN INDUSTRY: THE BUMPS ON THE ROAD TO SOLUTIONS

The need to be smart about water is widely felt. Logically, it is felt more prominently in countries with many droughts, but even in “wetter” countries, the realization is dawning that water savings are needed worldwide.

And yet...is everyone really feeling the urgency? For example, the website WaterForum reported that while industrial companies are increasingly concerned about the impact of local water shortages on their operations, the low price of drinking water in the Netherlands is causing a delay. That conclusion was drawn on 30 June, during the National Water Symposium of the Stichting Kennisuitwisseling Industriële Watertechnologie (SKIW) and the Vereniging voor Energie Milieu- en Water (VEMW) at Royal HaskoningDHV in Amersfoort. André Mepschen, National Business Developer at Water Alliance, has also noticed the problem. He spoke with numerous parties—including Lamb Weston / Meijer, Iv-Water, Evides Industriewater and the Province of Flevoland—at the iLinqs festival [an industry festival in Rotterdam, ed.]

a week earlier. “The overall conclusion was that water is not yet being used circularly en masse, while the technology is there”, says Mepschen. “There are several limiting factors, including possible payback period, how to connect different technologies into one, and lack of necessity. The latter can be seen in laws and regulations, for example, which are still largely lacking. After all, drinking water is always supplied by a drinking water company, without any pressure to solve the problem of scarcity.” Mepschen is not pessimistic; however, he assumes that good examples will lead the way in the future. “It would be good to highlight sample projects in the industry to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable solutions.”

André Mepschen

SHORT CUTS

WEX GLOBAL 2022 AWARD FOR WATER ALLIANCE MEMBER CIRTEC

Lots of news from the WEX Global 2022 conference, held in Valencia at the end of June. For example, Water Alliance member CirTec won the ‘WEX Global 2022 Award for Circular Water Technology’.

For the uninitiated, the technique: by extracting a residual stream (which can be used to generate biogas) and a relatively clean cellulose stream from sewage water in two steps at the beginning of the treatment process, the energy consumption of a treatment plant is significantly reduced, less sludge (waste) is produced and fewer chemicals are needed for dewatering. Mark Barker, CEO of WEX, was impressed. “It is impressive that reclaiming a raw material like cellulose not only provides significant savings

at the treatment plant but helps fulfil the industry’s circular goals and makes a clear contribution to CO2 emission reductions.”

Coos Wessels, director of CirTec, expressed pride in winning the award. In a press release, he stated: “CirTec B.V., together with several partners, has previously demonstrated that it is technically possible to extract pure, marketable cellulose from sewage with CellCap technology. Through our collaboration with Recell Group and Cellvation BV, this recovered raw material is reused as a high-value product, resulting in savings for sewage treatment plants and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions throughout the value chain.”

‘WETTERMERK’ ON WATERCAMPUS

The foundation of marketing agency ‘Wettermerk’ in 2021 was confirmation that Water Campus Leeuwarden is not only home to water tech companies but also to other experts. They presented their new website in June 2022. The honour of making it official was given to customer Jos van Dalfsen, R&D Director at Wafilin Systems, and Hein Molenkamp, Managing Director of the Water Alliance. Ruth Rottiné founded Wettermerk in 2021 as a full-service marketing agency specialized in meaningful and pure marketing for water and cleantech companies.

The website: wettermerk.nl

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Coos Wessels (centre) receiving the WEX Global 2022 Award

The storyof the Blue Elephant.

plant with a

two metres can clean up to

cubic metres of wastewater on site per day.

Water

sees

of

Becoming big by staying small

“Fifty to one hundred and fifty people, depending on their water consumption, could use the ‘elephant’ every day”, says general manager Rob Borgerink of Jotem Water Treatment from Vriezenveen (near to the city of Almelo, in the east of the Netherlands, ed.). The Water Alliance member developed the BlueElephant together with Rob van Opdorp Product Designs. “It is a simple water purification system that combines several techniques. It is easy to use—plug it in to turn it on.”

Moving with the times

The BlueElephant contains millions of bacteria. Activated sludge treatment is followed by membrane filtration. Pathogens are removed using UV light from Water Alliance member Van Remmen, from Wijhe. The water can then be used for things such as toilets or irrigation. The residual sludge can serve as compost, and nitrogen components are converted to harmless nitrogen gas. This invention from Twente originates from the Power up your Poop; a mobile purification unit Jotem developed for the Ministry of Defense several years ago. “We came into contact with the Vechtstromen water board during testing at Sumel water treatment plant in Almelo”, Borgerink says. “The water board saw even more potential in our technology and decided to invest 250,000 euros in further development.” According to Erik Lievers, board member of the water board, a mobile, high-quality treatment unit is a good fit with Vechtstromen’s core tasks. “Traditional treatment plants are built to last around fifty years when in reality, we can only look five or six years ahead.

Rob Borgerink

‘The Blue Elephant can help millions of people worldwide continuously reuse household wastewater’

With mobile units, we can be more flexible, move with the times, and respond more quickly to a changing environment. This could include creating a new, self-sufficient residential area or helping wastewater companies that want to expand their production.”

Public-private partnerships

The cooperation didn’t stop at financing. BlueElephant pilot plants are currently being tested at the Vechtstromen water treatment plants. It’s a win-win situation, according to Lievers. “We can turn to them with our questions and knowledge. For Jotem, it is practical to have a test site nearby. It is a great example of a public-private partnership of which I’m a big proponent. The business world often comes up with slightly different solutions to issues.” Lievers notices an increase in challenges. “We were recently contacted by a farmer who wants to create an RV site but lives too far away for a sewer line.” There is also military interest in the BlueElephant, and not just by the Dutch military. Borgerink is not yet considering producing the units in series. “It’s not about the money for us. This may sound idealistic, but we first want to develop a good treatment plant that is even more compact and robust.” The idea is that the BlueElephant could eventually be deployed in a modular fashion, Borgerink continues. “With individual components which are easy to make with a mould and can be put together like Lego blocks. We want to gather as much information as possible for the market launch.”

Palestinian territory and Ukraine

There are currently prototypes at Defense and Saxion University, with which Jotem collaborated. Thanks to Vechtstromen, which is committed to providing clean water in developing areas with other water boards through Wereld Waternet, three BlueElephants will be sent to Palestinian territory— where they are suffering from drought—by the end of this year. “They will be located near a hospital, a clinic and a groundwater reservoir”, Borgerink said. “The BlueElephant can help millions of people worldwide continuously reuse household wastewater.” Lievers sees many opportunities. “President Zelensky of Ukraine has called on governments to help rebuild his country. That includes water infrastructure. The BlueElephant could be a great interim solution.” According to Lievers, the deployment in Palestinian territory and other potential trips for the BlueElephant are perfect cases to start presenting to young people at festivals in the Netherlands. “Festivals are increasingly tackling sustainability. It is a way to raise awareness about water scarcity while showing how the water technology sector works on innovative solutions to societal problems.”

[Editor’s note: when this story was written, the war in Ukraine was still in full swing. Russia was slowly advancing in the Donbas region, but Ukraine was putting up fierce resistance.]

WEX GOBAL 2022

Meet and greet in an atmosphere of increasing urgency

From 27 to 29 June, Valencia was the setting for the WEX Global 2022 - Water & Energy Exchange, a conference on the circular economy and water. With around 200 participants and 80 speakers from more than 40 countries, WEX Global 2022 was the perfect opportunity for the Dutch water sector to put itself in the picture. The Netherlands stood out among the spectacle of speakers and guests; on Monday with a specific knowledge exchange between the water sector and hospitality representatives, but also during the ‘NL-Lounge’, a meeting place organized by Water Alliance in cooperation with the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) under the heading ‘Accelerating business at WEX Global 2022’. There were also a few awards. WaterProof spoke to some of the involved parties.

“We were looking for a place to provide a platform for Dutch companies while also providing a venue for high-ranking and relevant people from the sector to come together”, says Juliette Douglas, Water Alliance’s Business Development Liaison for Southern Europe. “WEX is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the international water sector. In cooperation with the WEX organization, we set up targeted parallel sessions and round table discussions for our companies.”

Well-spent Monday

“One-seventh of your life is spent on Monday”, the writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) once astutely observed. Monday, 27 June, was a day well

spent for an important group of guests in Valencia, as representatives from the hotel industry, golf resorts and municipalities were brought together with Dutch water technology companies. This happened in the SH Valencia Palace. Pieter de Jong, the EU representative of Water Alliance, opened the day with an explanation of WaterCampus Leeuwarden. “We help companies and researchers all the way to the market”, he said.

It became apparent that the urgency of impending water shortages was widely felt. “Climate change is a reality, and water is one of the key elements in this challenge”, said Celsa Monros of the municipality of Valencia.

A selection of Dutch water technology entrepreneurs presented their solutions. Jaap Stuiver, director of

Bluecon, presented a project involving the reuse of domestic wastewater for sustainable development. Ton van Remmen, director of Van Remmen BV, explained how to disinfect water with ultraviolet technology. Peter van der Linde from Holland Water discussed his project, ‘Goodbye Legionella!’. Klaas Pool presented Hydraloop, his low-maintenance solution for water recycling, while Gerardo Vallen presented his company City Water, which detoxifies and purifies water.

Carlos Boga, General Manager of Hotel Balneario Las Arenas, one of the top hotels in Valencia, noted that he likes to learn from engineers and companies that develop new systems to improve the sustainability of his operations and improve awareness regarding water reuse. His sustainability ambitions are

great, but there is sometimes still a gap between dream and reality. For example, he says that complex government regulations do not always make it easy to make your business more sustainable.

Awards

The Netherlands’ ability to offer a relatively high number of innovative water technology solutions was underscored by three Dutch companies being nominated for an award during the WEX Global Awards. “That’s right”, confirms Douglas. “Hydraloop, FibreSecurity and CirTec were all nominated for an award, and the latter took home the award for innovation in water circularity.”

Praise

A tour of a few Water Alliance members shows that WEX is considered very interesting by the Dutch water technology community. Ton van Remmen, of Van Remmen UV Technology: “WEX Global 2022 in Valencia was great in many ways. It had a great programme with a wellbalanced contribution from the Dutch Water Alliance. We learned a lot about the different activities and views. Most of all, we learned to work together and that we must take action as a team with a new, innovative approach. Many thanks to the organization, delegates and speakers!”

Peter van der Linde, of Holland Water, is also satisfied: “WEX Global was of value to us, particularly the side programme targeting the hospitality and leisure industry. We met with a potential

‘WEX is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the international water sector’

JULIETTE DOUGLAS WATER ALLIANCE’S BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LIAISON FOR SOUTHERN EUROPE:

partner for the Spanish market and attracted interest from a luxury hotel chain. We will be ready to unlock the Spanish market soon.”

“WEX Global 2022 was extraordinary”, says Amaia de Ugarte Iturbe of the Pure Water Group. “I am delighted with the organization, visitors, participants and the quality of the discussions held.”

Johann Lombaard (left) and Peter van der Linde

Pieter de Jong

Bianca Dragomir, CEO of AVAESEN

Klaas Pool, Hydraloop

After scaling Dutch technology company, LG Sonic, CEO Yousef Yousef plans to spend the next decade integrating data to build digital twins of water reservoirs, as well as start an NGO to raise awareness and improve water quality in Africa. We caught upwith him to find out more.

FOR MOST ENTREPRENEURS,

the opportunity to sell their matured companies is a natural end to a chapter in their lives. A justified reward for the endless blood, sweat and tears. A chance to take a well-earned respite and work on their golf handicap before retiring to the Bahamas or starting their next venture. Yet, this isn’t Yousef Yousef’s style. Nor is he your traditional entrepreneur.

The CEO of LG Sonic, a company he has scaled over the last decade, is now receiving monthly offers to buy his organisation. Despite some very “concrete offers from serious players”, it’s not Yousef’s style to sell. For the Syrian-born entrepreneur turned Dutch businessman, he’s just getting warmed up.

“Do I want to sell, and what will I do then?” he asks. “I can build a new, international company with a nice team and have an impact around the world. This is pretty much LG Sonic, so why change?”

Indeed, the company has carved out and led the niche market of algae prediction and treatment, with its ultrasonic technology and flagship MPC-buoy deployed worldwide. As Yousef enthusiastically puts it, LG Sonic continues to see “double-digit” growth, with interest for its ultrasonic treatment solutions in cooling applications for nuclear and mining industries.

The CEO has even earned the moniker “The Algae Maestro” for the company’s ability to transform algae-ridden lagoons and reservoirs into clear, clean and beautiful water resources. Yet, like any leader, life is not without challenges.

“There are daily challenges,” he dismisses nonchalantly as if it’s par for the course of being a CEO. “Running a business is a lifestyle – you are not running to win a race; you are running because you love running. Being an entrepreneur and growing a business is the same story.”

The next stage for the company is equipping its flagship MPC-Buoy technology with additional third-party sensors to measure new parameters. This will essentially supercharge its existing technology with more smart sensors depending on what needs to be measured. A partnership with Dublin City University (DCU) will use microfluid sensors to measure phosphate levels in the water from varying depths.

“By doing this, we are creating digital twins of lakes,” says Yousef excitedly. “Creating digital twins of a static asset, like a building, is one thing, but we are doing this on a moving, evolving organism.”

And this is where LG Sonic’s past will help to shape its future. Data sets collected by the company (estimated at one million per day) will be used together with these new measurements to “digitally twin” the water bodies –giving water owners and operators a real-time vision into the status of their assets.

Indeed, part of any entrepreneur’s journey is giving back – harnessing their accumulated skills to help others less fortunate. Yousef is currently working on a non-profit venture, ‘Futureproof Lakes’, which has the mission to democratise access to water quality data in Africa. To do this, he plans to roll out handheld monitors, a scaled-down version of its in-house tech, coupled with LG Sonic’s intelligence and data.

To kickstart the non-profit, a total of €300,000 will be donated over six years. Even before starting, Yousef sees the need to build the charity with a sustainable business model.

“We’re building The Ocean Cleanup but for lakes,” he says, referring to the well-known Dutch non-profit tackling the global plastic pandemic. “This can’t be a one-time project – it needs to be built on a sustainable business model

with revenues redirected into the foundation.”

If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, the entrepreneur is also part of the ‘The Young Global Leaders’, a group created by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. Yousef describes the experience as “amazing to be surrounded by people with the same energy, same connections and same self-willing power I have”.

He also recently co-founded Hydro Volta – a new venture based in Belgium. After securing €2.3 million from the European Innovation Council, the company is hiring a 16-strong team of R&D professionals. The idea? Combine technologies to provide nextgeneration desalination. The ultrasonic treatment at LG Sonic will be coupled with electrodialysis and low-pressure, reverse osmosis membranes. As Yousef describes it, the ultrasound can help “agitate” the membranes to help clean and prevent fouling. Technology trials are currently underway with a wellknown German chemical company and Belgian water utility, De Watergroep.

Many entrepreneurs thrive on juggling multiple things at one time. Standing still is not an option, at least not for long. The ability to provide calm amid the chaos is addictive. Yousef falls into this camp. He wants to take algae onto the global stage. And given his previous successes, he could be the man to make it happen. Watch this space.

The Water InnovationTechnology Chain

The WaterCampus brings together a complete chain of innovation for water technology, from first idea, research, specialized laboratories, various demo sites, launching customers to commercial international applications by commercial companies. Indeed from knowledge to business. It is driven by the idea that technological development and innovation is needed to develop new markets andcreate new business opportunities.

Hydraloop wins prestigiousUN award

WaterProof regularly highlights companies that are linked to WaterCampus Leeuwarden in one way or another. We also focus on who benefits from that. That certainly includes Hydraloop, who have made the editorial pages quite often in the recent past. But then again, what do you expect from a company so spectacularly raking in international awards. They once won the WIS award, and many others followed. This time, it was the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the agency of the United Nations, that chose Hydraloop as the winner of the WIPO Global Awards Program in Geneva in July.

For those who didn’t already know: Hydraloop, a member of Water Alliance, is a multi-awardwinning company that designs and manufactures consumer-friendly, compact and scalable greywater recycling products for residential and commercial properties. The system can reduce water consumption by up to 45 per cent. Hydraloop has its office at WaterCampus Leeuwarden and has actively used the various components in de WaterCampus innovation chain in recent years. “This award is a great recognition of the value of our intellectual property and Hydraloop’s impact in the fight against the rapidly growing global shortage of clean water”, said Arthur Valkieser, CEO of Hydraloop in a statement. “Our technology, which is free of filters,

membranes and chemicals, and our patented IP are unique and changing the market. Hydraloop’s solutions allow anyone—anywhere in the world—to take action and conserve water.”

WIPO is the global forum for IP (intellectual property) services, policy, information and cooperation. It is an agency of the United Nations and has 193 member states. Its mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. That vision ties in seamlessly with how original ideas and knowledge are developed and supported at WaterCampus Leeuwarden.

‘This award is a great recognition of the value of our intellectual property’

Pictured from left to right: Arthur Valkieser, Sabine Stuiver, WIPO General Director Daren Tang and Chair of the WIPO General Assembly, Ambassador Tatiana Molcean

The European Commission awarded the Centre for Innovative Craftsmanship in Water (CIV Water) at WaterCampus Leeuwarden a grant to expand their programme for the second time last year. The ‘Erasmus+’ programme allows vocational students to gain international experience. CIV Water set up the inter-national programme for vocational students together with Learning Hub Friesland. WaterProof spoke with two people involved: Erna van der Werff and Pieter Hoekstra.

AN EXAMPLE FOR EUROPE

The cradle of these developments has been at WaterCampus Leeuwarden, where a unique innovation ecosystem has been developed and where education, science, government and business help the water technology sector with all aspects of getting from an idea to business. The system has been the blueprint for the sevenyear, 400-million-euro European Vocational Excellence programme. “The enthusiasm with which this has been embraced demonstrates the urgency to put secondary vocational education in the spotlight”, says CIV Water programme manager Pieter Hoekstra. “We do that very nicely in Leeuwarden. We are modest about showing it off to the world, but it should be allowed here. In an unprecedented turn of events, we again received a grant to scale up the project.”

why is that important?

“We can have students learn in an international context”, says Hoekstra. “International internships are common for undergraduate and graduate students. Secondary vocational education is generally considered more regional. By offering vocational students a chance at international experience, we put them into contact with a different environment. In addition to their content development, we also contribute to a bit of life experience.”

learning hub friesland makes the international link for students possible.

“CIV Water wanted to discover what we could do for vocational students in a water-related field”, says initiator Erna van der Werff.

“The main question was how to connect them with students elsewhere in Europe. This programme enables students from Leeuwarden to complete part of their education in these countries. Water is a theme that lends itself very well to international cooperation. For example, we have several cooperation partners in Europe, and since early June, we are also working with partners in South Africa. The knowledge gained there regarding working in drought is also sorely needed in Europe.”

what is required of vocational students by the business community?

“Dutch secondary vocational education is highly regarded in Europe”, says Hoekstra. “Brussels is very interested in how we do things here. In addition to instilling knowledge and skills, our education develops professional attitudes to achieve versatile craftsmanship.”

“We want students to develop competencies and skills through international collaboration”, says Van der Werff. “When you work with people from different backgrounds, you learn to be flexible and not to shy away from differences. If you get young people to work together in a European learning week, they develop so much more in a broader perspective. Proactive action, entrepreneurialism and agility can develop at an incredible pace, which is important for the development of the rest of their careers. They will no longer stay with an employer for twenty years. They will move more from job to job.”

what are the plans and ambitions for 2022 and 2023?

“The partners have changed”, says Hoekstra. “Scotland has dropped out due to Brexit, but we have been able to attract new countries and schools. We started with twelve partners last year, and we now have twenty-three. We first need to get to know each other well in the coming time. We also need to continue developing the exchange of students, teachers and professionals. We will be working

with virtual reality to keep the knowledge flowing remotely. We are learning from each other as regions.”

why are these developments good for the frisian economy?

“Frisian students learn from other parties”, says Hoekstra. “Our partner Vitens [see info panel, ed.], for example, is increasingly having to deal with groundwater salinization. Our partners in Malta have experience with this issue, and we can learn from them. In Spain, wastewater is reused for irrigation in the aridest areas where they grow cucumbers and tomatoes; we are also experiencing more and more drought, so we can learn from that too. That knowledge is shared in our programme. CIV Water serves as an intermediary within the PoVE Water program, offering companies the opportunity to visit these regions to gain experience.”

More info: povewater.eu

civ water

CIV Water is not a school but an intermediary between industry and education. Both worlds have their own focus. CIV Water draws them to a common focus. CIV Water wants to form a sustainable network and establish a basis for educational innovation through that cooperation. “If you can organize that properly, knowledge flows back and forth, and you bring development to students and professionals”, says Hoekstra.

learning hub friesland

Learning Hub Friesland understands European funding opportunities. In addition to applying for grants, the organization participates in the projects it applies for. “We work closely with the school to coordinate European cooperation. We collect good ideas in a consortium and translate them into classroom teaching materials,” explains Van der Werff. “We believe that every young Frisian person should have a European experience and expand their worldview!”

Erna van der Werff and Pieter Hoekstra photo Lucas Kemper

OPTIMISM DESPITE TURBULENT TIMES

It may seem like a long time ago in these turbulent times, but we would like to take a moment to reflect on the IFAT held in Munich from 30 May to 3 June. It was a welcome return after the havoc wreaked by COVID in the event industry. “The high international attendance at the trade show during this challenging time was impressive”, said Dr Johannes F. Kirchhoff, Chairman of the IFAT Munich Advisory Board, in a press release. “It’s great to see IFAT making such a strong restart, as it is a very important, sustainable driver for circular economy and the environmental industry.”

WaterProof was also in Munich and visited some Water Alliance members—what did they hope to achieve at IFAT, and how do Water Alliance members see the future in light of climate change, a post-COVID economy and the Ukraine war?

“IFAT was a great stage for Ferr-Tech to showcase our innovation”, says Ludo Tissingh, co-owner of Ferr-Tech. “Together with our German partner, BUFA, we made many new contacts in the water tech sector. We spoke with several international delegations, and many follow-up appointments are currently being made. Our outlook is very positive—with all the uncertainty in the world and the subsequent energy price developments, the market for Ferrate VI looks very promising indeed. Ferrate VI can be used for several essential processes in wastewater treatment with significant energy savings, which is also very important in tackling water scarcity.  With all the turmoil in the world right now— war, climate change and COVID recovery— Ferr-Tech is happy to add something positive to the world and to contribute to one of the defining issues of the 21st century: preventing water scarcity.”

During Aquatech in November, Ferr-Tech was part of the Holland Innovation Park, an innovation hotspot. It was there that they were first introduced to what would turn out to be one of their revenue generators. Following their recent success in America at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronic fair, Ferrate VI has also found its way to several major players in hydroponic horticulture in the US.

“It was great to see that the IFAT was as big as before the COVID pandemic”, says Age de Boer, General Manager at NIQO Systems. “The exhibitors were clearly keen to get their products out there. It was a great event for NIQO Systems, even though visitor numbers were still a bit down compared to the last IFAT. We mostly attended to promote our 2nd-generation water level sensor based on radar technology, and we received great feedback.”

“NIQO Systems is a solution provider for water technology”,

continues De Boer. “We enable our clients to monitor and control their remote systems and processes to detect and resolve issues before they become problems. Controllers and sensors are engineered in-house, and we are always looking for new and innovative solutions. Our main concern is currently the lack of availability of certain electronic components such as ICs, which immediately impacts our delivery times. Hopefully, the production of these parts will get back on track soon. Overall, we feel confident about the future.”

“Water is essential for everyone, so I expect the water sector to be less affected than others, no matter what happens”, says Ruud de Vetter, International Sales Engineer at Pure Water Group. His company is recognized as a global water expert. For more than 20 years, they have built top-of-the-line systems for highend water treatment process

solutions. “We are experiencing some ramifications in the current market, with difficulty finding the right people to fill open positions.

I was also part of the Ecomondo Netherlands lounge; we participated in the one-on-one matchmaking activities through Water Alliance and the local partner, Proaxxes. This led to the first contact with EXXRO; we had a follow-up interaction during Aquatech and continued developing that connection at IFAT.”

“It is a turbulent time in the world— let’s hope for a quick resolution for the struggling Ukrainian people as soon as possible”, says Henk Postma, Channel Manager at Hydraloop. “Meanwhile, the global water crisis is now a fact of life. Every day, more countries suffer permanent water shortages, people use more tapwater, more wastewater needs treatment, and infrastructure is already insufficient. While clean water is relatively cheap in some parts of the world, this will change

STRONG RESTART FOR IFAT MUNICH

soon.  In southern Europe, the big water consumers are already being taxed more heavily, paying according to use.” Hydraloop empowers people and organizations to save water and energy with smart and affordable water recycling products without any loss of comfort. “Hydraloop reduces water usage and wastewater production by up to 45 per cent, saves energy and reduces the user’s carbon footprint”, Postma explains.  “Our systems contribute to keeping water supplies available for your home, commercial building or hotel. Hydraloop products can be used everywhere: in dense cities, rural areas and off-grid situations where water supply is unstable or insufficient.”

The Messe in Munich was home to IFAT Munich from 30 May until 3 June, making a strong comeback following the challenges of the last two years. IFAT gathered the most innovative industry players from all over the world, with 2,984 exhibitors and 119,000 visitors (half of them from abroad). NWP, Water Alliance and ENVAQUA again co-organized the Netherlands Pavilion in typical Dutch “King’s Orange”. It was clear from the start that IFAT is popular among the Dutch, as all spots in the pavilion were sold out in no time.

klaren international from barneveld, the netherlands, is creating a stir with its self-cleaning heat exchangers. an increasing number of parties who treat wastewater by evaporation are discovering the benefits. klaren technology keeps evaporators clean, improving heat transfer in the system’s pipes, reducing energy consumption and increasing production capacity. extensive cleaning procedures are also a thing of the past.

Full steam ahead

The Klaren system is suitable for a wide range of processes and industries, from mining to sunflower oil production. This spring, the Barneveld-based company received orders from two prominent pharmaceutical companies in India. Asia is an important market for Klaren, as many industries use large amounts of water in their processes, explains managing director and CFO Eric Veen. Klaren, a member of the Water Alliance, has been active in India since 2017. “An Indian evaporator supplier contacted us. One of their customers was looking for a solution for their clogged evaporation systems. After two weeks of production, they had to clean everything, which halted the process for a week.” Klaren provided self-cleaning heat exchangers for the Indian party’s system. “A fluidized bed of solid particles is used on the side of the pipe where the polluting liquid flows through”, says Veen. “It could be ceramic balls, but we also often use chopped metal wire of different materials. The fluidized bed removes contaminants from the pipe wall without damaging the pipes.”

collaboration

Dick Klaren conceived the technique in the 1970s. “He first applied it to seawater desalination”, says Marco van Beek, managing director and CTO at Klaren. “The focus was broadened in the 1980s and 1990s following the emergence of energy-efficient membrane technology in seawater desalination. Klaren went on to apply his invention in the pulp and paper and petrochemical industries.”

Five years ago, Klaren International partnered with an Indian evaporator manufacturer who contacted them. In addition to incorporating the Klaren

technology into customers’ existing systems, they have also teamed up to develop complete multi-effect evaporators (MEE) based on the selfcleaning technology. These MEEs can be made more compact than conventional MEE installations. An Indian dye manufacturer recently commissioned three. “We find our buyers through partners, trade shows, webinars, the website and LinkedIn, among other things”, says Veen. “For example, clients in the textile and chemical industries.” Klaren has a second sales channel in India, thanks to Taprogge. Klaren has been part of this German cleaning systems specialist since 2017, which has offices in Europe, North America and Asia. “We are a great addition to the Taprogge business in that we can take on heavier contamination cases in a wider range of industries”, says Van Beek. Creating and installing an MEE takes nine to twelve months, depending on the size. “We try to do as much as possible on location, partly because of the cost”, says Veen. “We work with local engineers in India, who are managed from Barneveld.”

too early for europe

Asia is currently Klaren’s largest market. “In Asia, industries often choose evaporators to treat industrial wastewater streams”, says Veen. He believes that European companies will also move to zero liquid discharge (ZLD), which is partly the reason for joining the Water Alliance. “It’s still too early for the Western market. Legislation has not yet given European companies much incentive to take that final step. They can still dispose of increasingly specific residual streams at a low cost. This must change because water is becoming increasingly scarce.” Meanwhile, Klaren has also moved into mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) in conjunction with Klaren technology. The process upgrades and reuses the vapour generated from evaporation. “These systems are up to thirty percent more efficient than regular MEEs”, says Van Beek. “The first self-cleaning MVR went into operation late last year.”

Eric Veen

Marco van Beek

Pharmaceutical application

Desalination application