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Treatment versus transport: smart use of local and distant water sources in coastal areas
SENSE PhD candidate Alessio Belmondo Bianchi studied smart ways to match the increasing water demands by the chemical industry DowDuPont in Terneuzen. By combining previously developed simulation models, he concluded that a combination of treating local brackish water and transporting fresh water from distant sources was the most cost-effective and sustainable way to balance the companies water demands.
Website Wageningen UR
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A new bio-recovery method for efficient selenium retrieval from wastewater
SENSE PhD researcher Bingnan Song developed an improved biological method to remove and recover selenium from wastewater. Specialized bacteria converted more than 95 % of the selenate present into elemental selenium. In addition to this high efficiency, conversion rates were about 6 times higher than in traditional methods.
Website Wageningen UR
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Natural capital – blogpost by prof.dr. Lars Hein
Nature provides us with resources and food, regulates our climate and purifies air and water. Moreover, it provides us with a pleasant living and leisure environment. These properties are not included in the price of products. A United Nations ratified method can measure nature’s contribution to the economy. This may stimulate sustainable resource management. Want to know the value of the forest near you?
Website Wageningen UR
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Climate Bonds Initiative launches hydropower criteria for sustainable hydropower projects
Recently launched: hydropower criteria that provide guidance for developers on ensuring climate change resilience, improving environmental & social sustainability. Miroslav Marence, IHE Delft's Associate Professor of Storage and Hydropower, was involved as member of a technical working group.
Website IHE Delft
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Five years of the climate agreement: “We can keep the earth habitable”
Exactly five years ago, 196 countries signed the UN Paris Climate Agreement. The ambitious agreements have not been collecting dust over the past five years, to the great delight of Rik Leemans, professor of Environmental Systems Analysis at WUR. He feels that global warming is being taken seriously at last. And with the proposed measures it looks like we will manage to significantly curb the increase in temperature over the next 80 years.
Website Wageningen UR
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Pradip Saha (WUR): Combining different technologies for cleaningsaline wastewater with organic contamination: a step-by-step solution to the problem
Together with project partner Dow Benelux in Terneuzen, ETE researcher Pradip Saha developed a method to clean saline, industrial wastewater. A complex task, since single technologies didn’t do the job. Therefore, he combined three different technologies for an effective cleaning: oxidation to remove most organic compounds followed by the use of constructed wetlands to remove some remaining organics. The last step included salt removal by standard membrane desalination technology.
Science: Combining different technologies for cleaningsaline wastewater with organic contamination: a step-by-step solution to the problem
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Prestigious Green Talent Award for SENSE PhD candidate Glory Edwards (WUR-ESA)
Every year, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) hosts the prestigious Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development. The award honours young researchers each year. The winners come from numerous countries and scientific disciplines and are recognised for their outstanding achievements in making our societies more sustainable.
Glory Ikponmwosa Edwards (WUR) works on developing scenarios for pathways to a sustainable rice system in Nigeria. She develops these pathways from a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods including stakeholder participation.
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