Two new lecturers at ETE

Sustainable solutions

The new ETE lecturers are both working in the water technology department at
Royal HaskoningDHV, an independent consultancy company that develops sustainable technological solutions to local and global environmental problems. Scherrenberg is R&D manager and Associate Director Waste water, while Kerstens is Leading Professional wastewater treatment and resource recovery. They will contribute with their expertise on aerobic water treatment to ETE’s course Water Treatment, but also to the course Biological water treatment and Recovery Technology at Wetsus European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology.

Solid foundation

The course provides a solid foundation of the theoretical aspects of wastewater treatment. ‘It’s about understanding the main concepts of aerobic and anaerobic processes and resource recovery’, Kerstens says. Scherrenberg adds: ‘The theory of aerobic wastewater treatment is the main core of our lectures, but we will illustrate the concepts with technological applications in the wastewater industry. Our background at Royal HaskoningDHV really helps to illustrate how the theory works out in the real world.’

Need for innovation

The lecturers have a somewhat different, but overlapping background, and are clearly up for the task. Former ETE student Kerstens has a doctorate in sanitation planning and resource recovery, while Scherrenberg is a chemical technologist, with a PhD in phosphate removal from Delft University of Technology. In addition, she is a qualified university teacher with almost 10 years of experience. Scherrenberg currently works as a Team Leader, R&D Manager and Associate Director wastewater. ‘My main focus is to develop more sustainable wastewater treatment technologies in order to reuse water and recover resources’, she says. ‘We are developing new concepts and ideas, leading to better and smarter treatment technologies.’ Kerstens has overlapping qualifications. He is a Leading Professional, working as a Process Engineer, specialized in wastewater resource recovery. ‘In my role as Process Engineer, I’m currently developing new innovative technologies including those that produce an effluent that can be reused’, he explains. ‘We had some pretty dry summers, while there is a continuous supply of wastewater that - after treatment - can be used for a variety of purposes. With the right technology, this could play a role in solving future drought issues.’

Environmental challenges

Within the framework of this existing course, the lecturers plan to follow the main headlines, while further building the course, by including their own interpretation, experience and knowledge. ‘With all environmental challenges, there is a lot of need for people in this discipline’, they say. ‘We are excited to contribute to this education, it really ties in with our inner motivation and drive.’