In this episode of The NextDrop Question, I speak with Mark van Loosdrecht, Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, during the IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies in Houston.
Mark is one of the people who fundamentally changed how the water sector thinks about biological wastewater treatment. His work has helped move biology from something we operate to something we can design with more intention, across areas such as Anammox, Nereda, Kaumera, nutrient removal, resource recovery, microbial ecology, and full-scale wastewater innovation.
This conversation focused on extracellular polymeric substances, or EPS. For many operators and engineers, EPS has often been associated with problems: biofouling in membranes, sludge flocculation behavior, poor dewatering, and operational nuisance. Mark’s point is that this view is becoming too narrow.
With better analytical tools, wastewater-derived polymers can be understood at a molecular level that was not possible decades ago. That opens a different question: can the same biological materials that create operational challenges also become useful products?
Mark discussed how EPS from granular sludge and biofilms may have value in applications such as composite materials, and why the path from wastewater to product needs more than a good lab result. It needs long-term consortia, universities, utilities, entrepreneurs, chemical companies, product developers, and end users who can define what the material needs to become.
One of the strongest parts of the conversation was his emphasis on champions inside organizations. Public utilities may support resource recovery and upcycling, but they are not always structured to commercialize new materials. Innovation often needs a person with enough passion, freedom, and organizational support to connect science, operations, and the market.
This is a useful reminder that the future of wastewater is not only better treatment. It is better use of the biology, chemistry, materials, and creativity already inside the system.
A focused question. A practical takeaway. See you next time.
