Wetsus

Wetsus - European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology is a research centre for water technology in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Over one hundred companies and twenty knowledge institutes work together at Wetsus to develop solutions for global water issues.^[1]

History

Wetsus was established as part of Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (a public-private partnership in the northern Netherlands, covering Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe), the Frisian Water Alliance, the University of Twente, the University of Groningen and Wageningen University & Research to strengthen the position of the region as major player in the water sector.^[2][3] In 2007 the institute was labeled Top Technological Institute.^[4]

Collaboration

Together with other actors of the WaterCampus Leeuwarden, Wetsus collaborates with several initiatives, such as:

• the Water Alliance to take technological innovations to the market,
• the Centrum voor innovatief vakmanschap water (Centre for innovative craftmanship water) for vocational education;
• the Centre of Expertise Water Technology (CEW) for collaboration in the applied sciences.^[5]

Wetsus is home to the MSc Water Technology, a joint degree of the University of Groningen, the University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research.^[6]

Innovation & research

Wetsus studied reverse electrodialysis to generate osmotic power. That research resulted in a spin-off company called REDstack that generates blue energy at the Afsluitdijk in the Netherlands.^[7] Wetsus also promoted decentralized sanitation and wastewater reuse in the Netherlands through the spin-off company DeSaH.^[8][9]

As of 2024, research is focused on removing PFAS from water, and the removal of micro and nanoplastics from water.^[10][4]