UGent and AquaFlanders launch academic chair for sustainable drinking water
Ghent University and AquaFlanders, the sector federation of Flemish water and sewage companies, launched the academic chair for sustainable drinking water. The aim is to join forces in order to conduct research into how the sustainability and quality of our drinking water can be guaranteed into the future.
Ghent University and AquaFlanders, the sector federation of Flemish water and sewage companies, launched the academic chair for sustainable drinking water. The aim is to join forces in order to conduct research into how the sustainability and quality of our drinking water can be guaranteed into the future.
Ghent University and AquaFlanders, the sector federation of Flemish water and sewage companies, launched the academic chair for sustainable drinking water. The aim is to join forces in order to conduct research into how the sustainability and quality of our drinking water can be guaranteed into the future.
Climate change and the resulting periods of drought and intense rainfall are putting pressure on the water supply in Flanders. In order to increase the knowledge about drinking water and to motivate citizens to use more tap water as drinking water, UGent and AquaFlanders founded the chair for sustainable drinking water.
In the first place, the aim is to improve the knowledge of tap water, both in terms of quality, odor and taste, and to conduct research to further reduce the use of chemicals, such as chlorine. In addition, the microbial composition and biostability of the water will also be examined closely, as will the use of materials. However, the intention is to eventually open up the collaboration to address other issues such as climate change and the resulting periods of drought.
The supervisor of the chair will be Nico Boon, professor of Bioengineering. He will be assisted by co-supervisors Professor Elena Torfs (mathematical modeling) and Prof. Dr. Bart De Gusseme (water technologist). The collaboration between UGent and AquaFlanders runs initially until 2025.
Latest insights & stories
CLEAN POWER FOR TRANSPORT
To fulfil climate targets, we need to make mobility greener. In doing so, we need to focus not only on making current mobility solutions greener, but also on shifting to more environmentally friendly forms of transport. Thus, the Clean Power for Transport action plan focuses on greening the vehicle fleet across all segments and rolling out the necessary infrastructure. For this, the Department of Mobility and Public Works also works together with foreign partners where possible for knowledge exchange and cross-border solutions.
MOBILITY AS A SERVICE
To promote sustainable combimobility, we are working on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in Flanders. MaaS gives users access to multimodal transport solutions with greater user-friendliness, putting the end user at the centre. But organising mobility is a complex task. Users want control and reliability, but also freedom and flexibility. For this, we need reliable apps and agreements with providers and all MaaS actors. A full-fledged MaaS ecosystem, as it were. We are on the lookout for international knowledge sharing and cooperation to ensure combimobility reaches far beyond our own borders.
Vandersanden's new Pirrouet® factory extracts up to 2280 tons of CO₂ annually
Vandersanden, Europe's largest family-owned brick manufacturing company, has officially opened the first Pirrouet® factory in Lanklaar. It involves an investment of 32.5 million euros. The plant produces 20 million CO₂-negative Pirrouet® facing bricks annually when at maximum capacity. One ton of these bricks absorbs 60 kg of CO₂ during curing, and the entire production process is powered by green energy from the factory’s solar panels and wind turbine. “With the plant, we are making a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction and reinforcing our ambition to operate completely CO₂ neutral by 2050,” said Johan Deburchgrave, CEO of Vandersanden.