Science

Short news science – Delta 14

Inventor award
Professor Biotechnology Mark van Loosdrecht and his colleagues, Merle Krista de Kreuk and Joseph Heijnen, are nominated for the European inventor award.

The team is one of three nominees in the award’s research category, which is annually granted by the European Patent Office. Prof. Van Loosdrecht invented a wastewater treatment technology that uses aerobic granular biomass. His innovative technology reduces a quarter of the energy that must be used and requires 75 percent less space.

TU Delft electrical engineering alumnus, Jaap Haartsen, is also nominated. He invented the Bluetooth technology while working for LM Ericsson Telephone. He is nominated in the industry category. Haartsen is currently Chief Technology Officer of Tonalite. The winner of the award will be made public on the 14th of June in Copenhagen.




Helianthos saved

The Dutch manufacturer of thin solar films Helianthos in Arnhem has been bought by entrepreneur and TU alumnus Dr Rombout Swanborn, who has a degree in mining and purification technology. Helianthos’ future was uncertain since power company Nuon put it up for sale after a strategic re-orientation. The new name will be Hyet Solar and the company will continue the technical development of flexible low-cost photovoltaic films. Prof. Miro Zeman (EEMCS) worked closely with former Helianthos.


BE-Basic partnered

The Dutch cluster on ecological biochemistry and biofuels BE-Basic signed a memorandum of understanding with its German partner organisation CLIB2021 (Cluster for Industrial Biotechnology) at the BIO World Congress (Florida, 29 April – 2 May). “The collaboration ensures a continued European leadership in industrial and environmental biotechnology embedded in the very heart of the European Chemical and Energy industries,” said BE-Basic director Professor Luuk van der Wielen (Faculty of Applied Sciences).


Space research

Due to cut backs, Dutch scientists will no longer be able to perform research in the International Space Station ISS. Or so a group of 125 scientists believe. According to the newspaper de Volkskrant, the group of scientists signed a letter in which they warn the Ministry of Education and Science of this future scenario. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences recently advised the government to stop funding experiments in weightlessness.

Editor Redactie

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