FOM and Wetsus dive into water research together
FOM and Wetsus, centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, will sign a contract this week for the start of a joint fundamental research programme in the area of water purification and quality control. The programme will be carried out over the next five years in the laboratories of Wetsus, University of Twente, FOM institute AMOLF and Delft University of Technology. With this research they will strengthen the Netherlands' position as a high-tech country in the field of water. Together with the neighbouring water molecules, dissolved particles in water form a new combined particle with other characteristics. Understanding how these combined particles behave is vital for the development of new purification techniques.
Programme leader Dr. Herman Offerhaus (University of Twente) is thrilled about the start: "We want to tackle these fascinating scientific questions and strengthen the Netherlands' position as a high-tech country in the field of water by doing fundamental research on subjects with a clear potential for applications." All of the projects are using non-linear optical spectroscopy techniques to study the behaviour of particles in water. We will focus on four specific subjects: the behaviour of water in the vicinity of hydrophobic membranes, ion-specific membranes, the initial stages of calcium scaling and the early detection of pathogens. The applications are in various areas: water desalination, water purification, counteracting calcium scaling and the monitoring of water quality.
Water in the world
The demand for clean water is increasing due to the growing world population, pollution and climate change. We will only have enough clean water in the future if new technologies are developed to purify water in a sustainable manner. Such new technologies require energy-efficient processes, the recycling of water and a greater knowledge about various purification processes.
Scientific challenge
The research focuses on the interaction between water and the particles dissolved in it. Ions or dissolved particles are surrounded by 'skins' of water molecules. The interaction between the particles and those skins can be so strong that they can no longer be viewed as separate particles but must instead be seen as a single combined entity. These combined particles are much bigger and have other characteristics, such as their own polarisability and mobility. At the same time, the combined particles are not that sharply defined; water molecules can attach or detach so that the size and shape of the combined particle can adjust to changing conditions.
Prof. Cees Buisman, scientific director of Wetsus, is happy that the research can start now: "We expect an awful lot from the powerful collaboration between science and technology. This collaboration is ideally suited to the multidisciplinary platform of Wetsus".
Public-private partnership
FOM and Wetsus are collaborating in one of FOM's Industrial Partnership Programmes (IPPs). IPPs are research programmes in which FOM links academic knowledge to industrial ambitions by means of pioneering physics research in close cooperation with industry. Companies involved finance at least 50% of the research. The research programme of FOM and Wetsus will run for five years and will be carried out by four PhD students at the laboratories of Wetsus, the University of Twente, FOM institute AMOLF and Delft University of Technology.
About FOM
The Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) facilitates fundamental physics research in the Netherlands. FOM's activities benefit society in general and higher education and industry in particular. With more than 1000 employees and an annual turnover of 91.2 million euros, FOM carries out top physics research at 3 institutes and at 149 workgroups at Dutch universities. FOM has set aside a budget of 3 million euros per year for collaboration with industrial researchers (Industrial Partnership Programmes). For further information about FOM see www.fom.nl.
About Wetsus
Wetsus, centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, is a facilitating intermediary for trendsetting knowledge development in the area of sustainable water technology. Wetsus creates a unique environment and strategic collaboration for the development of profitable and sustainable state-of-the-art water technology. The inspiring and multidisciplinary collaboration between more than 90 companies and 16 knowledge institutions from 8 EU countries in Wetsus makes a significant contribution to innovative solutions for global water problems. For further information see www.wetsus.nl.
Information
For further information please contact:
Marcel Bartels, Programme coordinator IPP, telephone +31 (0)30 600 12 30.
Dr. G.J.W. Euverink, Wetsus, telephone +31 (0)58 284 30 00.