In the 'Rewarding project', researchers have succeeded in using existing technologies to develop some promising concepts to solve the brine problem. In spring 2025, a pilot will start in which various technologies will be unleashed on the ground and drain water. The aim is to extract as much irrigation water as possible from groundwater and reuse drain water in substrate crops and drainage water in soil-based crops for longer. It also aims to recover nutrients and find solutions for the concentrated streams (brine) that still arise when treated groundwater is used.
The three-year project is now halfway to completion. During this period, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (WFBR) and KWR have evaluated many existing techniques and tested them in laboratories. According to the researchers involved, Marc Lanting (WFBR) and Nienke Koeman (KWR), different treatment concepts offer prospects. These can be applied in various configurations on horticultural farms, often in combination with already existing reverse osmosis plants. The application does depend on the crop and the initial situation, as the quality of groundwater can vary greatly from area to area.
Jan van Staalduinen spoke to the researchers and wrote about it on Glastuinbouw Waterproof. For groundwater demos, the project group is in talks with a company in Bommelerwaard. The plan is to release the three concepts there from spring 2025 on groundwater containing relatively high levels of iron and calcium. Some new techniques for draining (age) water are not yet ready for a pilot.