About NANAQUA
NANAQUA project at a glance
Top-level training to a new generation of high-potential Doctoral Candidates
NANAQUA offers top-level training to a new generation of high-potential doctoral candidates (DC) in emerging water treatment techniques, providing them with both transferable and scientific skills that are essential for thriving careers in this vital and rapidly expanding field. In this interdisciplinary training through research program, NANAQUA DCs will focus on nano(functionalized) materials that are redefining the possibilities for safe, efficient, and sustainable water treatment solutions.
NANAQUA is set to create a tangible impact through a synergistic mix of pioneering doctoral research, intersectoral secondments, international mobility, and cross-disciplinary education. By fostering this dynamic and multifaceted environment, NANAQUA not only aims to advance scientific knowledge but also to cultivate a new generation of innovators motivated to ensure sustainable water resources globally.
The challenge
Freshwater resources, vital for ecosystems, face risks by contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) originating from human activities, such as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products.
Current limitations
Current wastewater treatment systems predominantly rely on biodegradation processes, which, while effective for general organic matter reduction, typically remove less than 40% of CECs. To enhance CEC removal, various Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), including ozone and Fenton’s reaction, have been introduced. These processes generate reactive radicals to break down CECs and can be used alone or in conjunction with biological treatments, potentially reducing effluent toxicity by about 36% across the EU.
Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize water treatment by providing innovative solutions to filter and degrade harmful contaminants that conventional methods cannot address. The precise manipulation at the molecular level allows for the creation of nanomaterials with tailored properties, such as increased reactivity and selectivity, ideal for targeting specific waterborne pollutants. To advance this field, researchers are focusing on developing more efficient nanocatalysts and integrating smart nanosensors for real-time water quality monitoring.
Solutions
NANAQUA is set to integrate nanotechnology and nano(functionalized) materials (NMs) into (photo)chemical and biological degradation systems. The unique attributes of these materials enhance the generation of reactive species and effectiveness of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), enabling a superior degradation of CECs. Concurrently, in biological systems, NMs act as microscale catalysts, boosting the metabolic rates of bacteria and leading to a faster and more complete biodegradation. This dual enhancement strategy will set a new benchmark in the efficiency and sustainability of water treatment technologies and will be evaluated by a comprehensive life cycle assessment. Risks associated with the release of NMs into the environment will be addressed by developing sophisticated toxicity assessment methods, along with inline biosensors for precise tracking purification results.
The project
NANAQUA sets up the first European doctoral training network specifically dedicated to the integration of NMs in water treatment. NANAQUA will train 16 creative and entrepreneurially minded professionals, which are crucial to ensure the proper implementation in industrial applications, via an international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training program.
The unique combinationof various training disciplines, including (bio)chemical water treatment, materials science, (eco-)toxicology, and environmental sustainability assessment, is the key to becoming experts in this pivotal field, granting DCs highly valuable competences forthe job market.
Long-term impact
Scientific goal
Enhance the efficacy of water treatment by developing and integrating NMs in advanced oxidation processes and biological degradation, while ensuring environmental safety through comprehensive toxicity assessments and life cycle analysis
Research objectives
The 16 DCs will realize the project-specific goals through their individual research projects (IRPs), which form the basis of the 3 scientific WPs.
NANAQUA project in numbers:
Beneficiaries
Associated partners
DC positions
Years
NANAQUA Scientific Work Packages:
open positions
16 PhD positions available in MSCA
Doctoral Network NANAQUA
John Richmond
Seven Consulting - executive director
Alexander Brown
Seven Creative - marketing director
Tiffany Anderson
Seve Media - CEO
Bernard Blackwood
Seven & CO - marketing director
Maria Green
Seven Dev - marketing director
Consortium
Meet the NANAQUA international, interdisciplinary consortium of academic and non-academic partners
KU Leuven
University of Santiago de Compostela
University of Salerno
TU Delft
PureBlue Water
University of Tartu
Norgenotech
University of Glasgow
Atlantic Technological University
BACO
Watchfrog
BIOTEC
REMONDIS
Inopsys
SUEZ
Western Sydney University
University of California, Irvine
watercircle.be
Karnatak University
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How we work
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Jan Pieter de Nayerlaan 5, 2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, BE
KU Leuven, project coordinator