Fabio Fava
Professor of Industrial & Environmental Biotechnology at the Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna.
Niels Jørn Hahn
President of the International Solid Waste Association.
Cees buisman
Cees Buisman took his doctoral degree on biological sulfide oxidation at Wageningen University in 1989. After that, he worked at the Dutch environmental technology company Paques B.V. on biological desulphurization of biogas, natural gas, methane from dumping sites, gas from refineries and from combustion, and on biological removal of sulphate and heavy metals from water. Since April 2003 Buisman has been professor in biologically sustainable technology at Wageningen University and Research centre in the Netherlands. He combines this position with his task as scientific director of Wetsus, a centre of excellence for sustainable water technology based in the Netherlands.
Michel Dutang
Head of research at Veolia Environnement.
Cees Buisman
Professor in biologically sustainable technology and scientific director of Wetsus
Cees Buisman is convinced that purification of waste water will expand in the coming years.
The water purification system that we use in the Netherlands is capable, by different steps, to purge oxygen demanding substances, phosphate and nitrogen from our sewage water. There are also biotechnological techniques used in this system – to also get rid of poisonous substances like zinc and copper, we might have to develop a complete new way of purification, with which we purge water from all such substances at one time.
It is not feasible to provide the rest of the world population with the same drinking water that we are used to in the Netherlands. A process technology approach is more feasible. Because a person actually needs only a few liters of clean water a day, we should develop a system that provides water locally, without the use of an extensive network of water pipes.