CAPTURE Newsletter December 2023

Opinion piece on (digital) deposit return system in Knack

"If we succesfully implement a digital deposit return system for plastic waste, lots of other countries would follow our lead". CAPTURE Plastics lead prof. Steven De Meester published an opinion piece (NL) with this title in Knack. He did so to call upon legislators in Belgium who have to vote this Friday on the implementation of this system. The piece is supported by Vanbroekhoven Karolien , Dirk Nelen (both VITO), Jean-Marie Raquez (UMons) and CAPTURE.

‘Als we met succes digitaal statiegeld invoeren, zullen andere landen ons voorbeeld volgen’ - Prof. Steven De Meester

Welcoming our first strategic partners

CAPTURE is setting up strategic partnerships with organizations and institutes that add value in terms of complementary research and/or interesting positioning for research funding calls. In 2023, we welcomed the first two of these partners:

The first strategic partner to join the CAPTURE network is Université de Liège . As this partner is active in all 3 pipelines, we will explore their complementary knowledge and expertise. We will keep close contact with professors Stephanie Lambert (water), Philippe Lecomte (plastics) and Gregoire LEONARD (CO2).

The Antwerp Maritime Academy is the second strategic partner to join. Their expertise lies mainly in the maritime sector and in particular in corrosion phenomena and material interactions. They are already involved in a few projects within the CAPTURE water pipeline. Navigating these topics with us is AMA head of research dr. Geert Potters .

CO2 Bazaar - Bridging minds for a greener tomorrow

At BlueApp (Antwerp), another succesful CO2 bazaar was organized on December 14th. Bringing together academics and industrial representatives, the groundwork was laid for future projects on CCU, CCU technologies were showcased and of course a lot of connections were rekindled or made.For further inquiries or assistance in facilitating post-event interactions, please don't hesitate to contact Pipeline Manager Barbara Sowa .

Upcoming project events

The CAPTURE Flagship project 'Schone waterlopen door O3G' (Interreg Vlaaneren-Nederland) recently started. Through the innovative application of ozonation and granular activated carbon, the project explores the removal of organic micropollutants from domestic wastewater. On February 8th, the project will officially kick off with an event and tour of the Aquafin test site. Registration is possible here, places are limited!

WaterFRAME is another recent project, focused on water fit for reuse digital achritecture and modeling ecosystem. On the 15th of January, the first stakeholder event is planned in the CAPTURE building. Welcome! Register here.

Members in the picture

Sometimes our members take the time and effort to introduce themselves and their work. Below, you can find a few examples of CAPTURE CO2 prof. Sammy Verbruggen (University of Antwerp) and CAPTURE Water prof. Jo De Vrieze (UGent).