Impression of IWA 2024 Toronto: interactive, intensive and inspiring!

Net zero utilities

The programme – with 20 parallel workshops and technical sessions – gave a bit of choice stress. What an intensive congress, and what an overwhelming series of themes and subjects! Personally, I focused on net-zero utilities during the first days. In the session ‘New Perspectives on Net Zero Utilities’, we discussed emission reduction potential, climate action and GHG accounting.

• Ka Leung Lam (Duke Kunshan University) presented research on marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) in the urban water systems. The method gives a clear overview of the potential and costs of emission abatement measures. The case studies, among others of Amsterdam Waternet, show that the water industry has a role to play to support wider water-related opportunities in cities.
• Mel Harclerode (CDM Smith) gave an overview of decarbonization subjects. Among other things, she mentioned the WRF 5188-project to develop an Industry-Wide Guidance for Water Utility Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories. She also showed LCA assessment results of WWTP. It will be nice to compare and exchange with ongoing work at KWR on this theme.
• Jason Ren (Princeton University) emphasized the limitations of uniform emission factors. Actual emissions, measured in field campaigns and from literature, showed a variation of CH4 and N2O like 4-6 orders of magnitude! The differences come in part from treatment processes, monitoring methods, influent and effluent quality.
• Lastly, I presented ‘Examples of Scope 4 emission reduction in the water sector’. This presentation gave an overview of the work in my team, such as the Dutch standard for CO2 footprinting (PCD 11) for drinking water companies, and actual examples of cross sectoral emission reduction with aquathermal energy, flex-in-water and power-to-X solutions. Thanks to co-authors Jan Peter van der Hoek (Waternet), Ewout Hekhuizen (Dunea) en Joost Bouten (Vitens), I was able to give the drinking water companies’ perspective on these wider climate actions.

The session was inspiring, and widened my knowledge and perspective on Net Zero Utilities. Moreover, several connections were made with research groups in this field.

Circular Water

Water Alliance organized the workshop ‘Blueprint for a Circular Water Smart Society’, chaired by Hein Molenkamp. I presented the broad KWR research around the theme of Circular Water from a system perspective. The real challenge was putting the presentation together: how to squeeze so many KWR expert insights and so many KWR research projects in a 12 minute presentation? With help from many KWR colleagues, it was a very valuable exercise!

The presentation could be summarized in these bullets:

• Like energy, the trend is towards hybrid systems (central + decentral)
• Keep the overall goals of the water transition in mind
• The water transition has a regional and local scale (both can be circular)
• Quantitative analysis give insight in how to reach water saving goals
• Use scientific insights for public behaviour campaigns
• Assessment of environmental impact provide insight
• Costs: economy-of-scale
• Health: quality control and pathogen regrowth are key

Circular Water needs a cross-sectoral, integrated view. Let’s develop different circular blueprints for different situations, to provide safe, technical, legal, economical & social viable solutions.

Keynote topics: food for thought!

To conclude this blog, I will share some topics that inspired me during the keynotes. Two keynotes emphasized the importance of adaptive planning, or transformative adaptation. In times of transition, fixed planning pathways are inadequate and not cost effective. Another recurrent topic was water economics and the value of water. Among others, Henk Ovink (former Dutch water envoy) presented on redefining the way we value and govern water for the common good. Food for thought!

Another source of inspiration came from all fellow professionals and colleagues at this conference. All kinds of conversations about our valuable work on water, combined with having fun and getting to know each other better – definitely inspiring!