Companies, farmers, nature and consumers alike depend on water. Yet despite the fact that 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, only 1% of it is drinkable. And as climate change progresses, ensuring sufficient water for everyone is becoming increasingly challenging. Advancing water purification technologies is therefore more essential than ever.
At the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ivaylo Hitsov collaborates with water utility company Evides Industriewater to develop installations that allow wastewater to be reused. The collaboration is part of the Ghent University–Evides Industriewater Chair in Industrial and Circular Water Technology.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
“I visit companies that have questions about treating their wastewater. Together, we explore which technology is most suitable for their specific context. My tasks are varied: I analyse data, write reports and liaise with industrial partners – but sometimes I’m simply carrying buckets of water around. I really enjoy that combination. I don’t like sitting behind my computer all day; I’m happiest when I can put on my helmet and check things on site.”
How do you turn ‘dirty’ water back into clean water?
“We use several techniques, depending on the required level of purity. Water destined for a cooling tower, for example, does not need to be as clean as water used to generate steam.”
“We often work with membrane technology. You can picture a membrane as a sieve with extremely fine pores through which the water is pushed. Depending on the membrane type, we can determine which particles we retain.”
Ivaylo Hitsov: “I don’t like sitting behind my computer all day; I much prefer putting on my helmet and checking everything on site.”
How much of the water can be reused?
“That depends on the water source and the technology we apply. In most cases, we can reuse between 60% and 80% of the wastewater.”
How do you conduct this research?
“I always start in the lab, where I can quickly test a water purification setup. If the results are promising, I move on to a larger pilot project at the company’s site. During such a project, I treat the company’s water for three months. I monitor how quickly the membranes foul and how often they need cleaning. I observe what goes wrong and how to resolve it.”
“These pilot projects are truly innovative: we integrate several techniques from our lab into a shipping container and take the installation directly to companies. All we need is wastewater and electricity – and an alarm system to alert us when something goes wrong.”
Does something go wrong from time to time?
“It does. At a factory in Terneuzen, for example, the pilot installation was located 200 metres away from the water inlet point. The water flowed so quickly that a pipe burst. Suddenly water was everywhere – like a waterfall, straight into our analysis equipment! Fortunately, nothing was damaged and there was no impact on the environment. Afterwards, we investigated the cause thoroughly to ensure it could never happen again. It was the biggest stress test of my career.” (laughs)
How do companies respond to your work on site?
“Very positively. In the past, companies were sometimes concerned about the quality of reused water. Today we know exactly how to treat wastewater to make it suitable for reuse.”
“Companies are increasingly committed to sustainability. Moreover, water reuse can sometimes be more cost-effective. And finally, it provides greater certainty: thanks to our systems, companies do not have to compete with farmers or consumers for water – even during dry periods.”
Ivaylo Hitsov works at the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. He has a passion for automating water treatment systems. At home he records everything too — to the point where his wife jokes that he’ll soon start counting the ants in the street.
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