In December 2024, as part of a fruitful ongoing relationship with Waternet in Amsterdam, major advanced drinking water purification equipment was installed at the School of Engineering and Materials Science.

A team from Waternet travelled from Amsterdam to Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to install the equipment.

Waternet is the water service provider for Amsterdam and are developing sustainable solutions for safe water.

The equipment includes pilot state-of-the-art upflow Foam Fractionation and downflow Filtration columns, aimed at the removal of emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, from drinking water resources. PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals that pose a serious threat to our environment and health. They also developed and installed a renewed fluidised bed reactor system (The Expansion Column), and a brand-new setup: the Hydrometer, an advanced sensor that precisely measures the performance of a multiphase reactor.

Led by Dr Onno Kramer, Senior Process Technologist at Waternet and a Visiting Senior Lecturer at QMUL, working with Dr Edo Boek, Reader in Chemical Engineering and Renewable Energy at QMUL, almost a year of preparation was required to ensure the successful delivery of equipment, including design, manufacture and transportation from Europe to the UK - complicated by Brexit regulations.

“Ensuring clean and safe drinking water is a critical responsibility for water companies. That’s why Waternet the water cycle company of Amsterdam, works closely with leading partners such as Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to this global issue,” said Dr Kramer.

“In recent years, we’ve worked together on groundbreaking projects, including the development of experimental system designs that effectively remove PFAS through various methods.”

The equipment will be used in research as well as teaching for PhD, Postgraduate and Undergraduate students, enabling them to engage in fundamental research while developing practical solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.