Mark van Loosdrecht (born 1959) is a Dutch professor in

environmental biotechnology Environmental biotechnology is biotechnology that is applied to and used to study the natural environment. Environmental biotechnology could also imply that one try to harness biological process for commercial uses and exploitation. The Internat ...

Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

. He was the creator of

Nereda Nereda is a wastewater treatment technology invented by Mark van Loosdrecht of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The technology is based on aerobic granulation and is a modification of the activated sludge process. Aerobic g ...

, a

wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environme ...

technology developed by a cooperation between the

, the Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA) and

Royal HaskoningDHV Royal HaskoningDHV is an international, non-listed engineering consultancy firm with headquarters in Amersfoort, Netherlands. It has offices in 30 countries, employing 5,800 professionals worldwide. Royal HaskoningDHV is active in aviation, build ...

Life and career

Van Loosdrecht was born in

Loon op Zand Loon op Zand () is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of in . The western part of national park the Loonse en Drunense Duinen is located in the municipality of Loon op Zand. Population centres Topog ...

in 1959. He studied environmental hygiene at

Wageningen University and Research Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

and obtained his PhD in 1988. He became a professor at

in 1999. Van Loosdrecht is chief editor of the scientific journal ''

Water Research ''Water Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on the science and technology of water quality and its management. It was established in 1967 and is published by Elsevier on behalf of the International Water Associatio ...

''.

Awards and honours

Van Loosdrecht was elected a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 2004. In 2015 he was elected an international member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

of the United States. In 2019 he was elected a foreign member of the

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...

. Van Loosdrecht was named Knight in the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

in 2011. In 2012 Van Loosdrecht was nominated for the

European Inventor Award The European Inventor Award(formerly European Inventor of the Year Award, renamed in 2010), are presented annually by the European Patent Office, sometimes supported by the respective Presidency of the Council of the European Union and by the Eur ...

in the Research category for a water purification technology. In 2014 he was one of four winners of the Dutch

Spinoza Prize The Spinoza Prize ( nl, Spinozapremie) is an annual award of 2.5 million euro, to be spent on new research given by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The award is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. It is named after the philosopher ...

and received a 2,5 million euro grant. He received the award for his research and development on the field of the behaviour of biomass in dynamic conditions. In March 2018 Van Loosdrecht won the

Stockholm Water Prize Presented annually since 1991, the Stockholm Water Prize is an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in water related activities. Over the past three decades, Stockholm Water Prize Laureates have come from across the world and represente ...

for revolutionizing

. A second laureate in that year was Professor

Bruce Rittmann Bruce E. Rittmann is Regents' Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. He was also elected a member of the National Academy of ...

. Their research demonstrated the possibilities to remove harmful contaminants from water, cut wastewater treatment costs, reduce

energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical activity ...

, and even recover chemicals and nutrients for recycling.

References

External links

Profile at Delft University of Technology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loosdrecht, Mark van 1959 births Living people Biotechnologists Academic staff of the Delft University of Technology Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Engineering Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering People from Loon op Zand Spinoza Prize winners Wageningen University and Research alumni