Hi! My name is Diona and I am 18 years old. I enjoy reading, cooking and I like to play videogames in my free time. I loved spending time doing research in the laboratory, however I’m unsure if I want to study a subject related to water science. I just finished my final year of highschool and will now be taking a gap year. I’m looking forward to meeting new people from all around the world in Stockholm!
Tell us what the water concern in your country is!A big water concern is that surface water in the Netherlands is being polluted by drug residues. Due to the increasing drought and the aging of the population the concentration of drug residues in surface water will only increase.
Reducing pharmaceuticals in surface water
Many pharmaceuticals used daily by millions of people end up in the sewer. Because these molecules are small, they are difficult to filter out of sewage. The drug residues thus enter surface water, posing a threat to the water chain. To address this problem, research was conducted to see if it is possible to develop toilet paper that will bond with the drug residues, so that they are better removed from sewage. Lignin, a common network polymer in plants, was found to bond well with the micropollutants. Our research showed that it is possible to significantly reduce the pollutant pharmaceuticals in surface water using toilet paper containing lignin.
