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Invitation 20.10.2025: Visible Solutions for Invisible Threats

2025/08/21

Researchers, policymakers, and public health authorities are increasingly focusing their examination on Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs). While not (yet) fully regulated, CECs might be candidates for future regulation, depending on their potential ecological and health impacts. 

 

What contaminants are we dealing with specifically? What do we already know about their harmful effects? And what are the expectations in terms of regulation over time? But at the same time, what can we do about them now? What technologies are already available or currently being developed? And how can you make sure to be prepared for future regulation? 


This event on October 20, 2025 at the Science Park University of Antwerp, Niel brings together academic experts, industry frontrunners, policymakers and innovators to address these invisible threats. Discover existing technologies, engage with ongoing research, and help shape future policy and innovation.

 

WHO BENEFITS FROM ATTENDING THIS AFTERNOON:
Anyone being confronted with contamination, including industrial players, study and engineering offices, remediation consultants and contractors, local authorities etc. 
Companies and academics working on soil and water pollution challenge, to represent the current and future monitoring and remediation technologies.

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
• Timing: October 20th, 2025 - 13h30 – 19h30
• Venue: Isala Building, Science Park University of Antwerp, Niel, Belgium
• Price: € 90 (VAT excl.) - This fee includes access to all speeches, keynotes, the panel debate, break-out session, site visit, networking opportunities, poster presentations and a catered network reception.

Register now

 

LATEST PROGRAMME UPDATE:

13:30 Registration
14:00 Welcome – Luk Lemmens, Vice governor Province of Antwerp & Chairman of POM Antwerp
14:10 Keynote – Prof. Dr. Ronny Blust of University of Antwerp
14:40 Panel Debate: Impact of CECs on Society, Health and Economy
Moderated by Christian Montag, Managing Director of iFLUX
Bringing together the perspectives from the industry, research, technology development and policy. 

  • • Maarten De Jonge, Head of the Lab Department at the Flemish Environment Agency of VMM
  • • Industry representative (tbc)
  • • Koen Rummens, R&D Engineer of Aquafin
  • • Michel Caluwé, Research & Development Director of Waterleau 

15:40 Break
16:10 Thematic Breakout Sessions

  • • “Help! I failed my environmental permit. What does it entail and what next?” – Hosted by ARCHE Consulting
    In this breakout session several advanced tools will be presented that allow companies to evaluate the potential risks of their discharges to the local environment in a more realistic way. This approach entails the use of bioassays, bioavailability models and innovative techniques such as eDNA etc. 

  • • “Clean water through ozonation & activated carbon” – Hosted by the ‘Schone Waterlopen door O3G’ consortium
     
  • • "Aim before you shoot – selecting the right solution for CECs in industrial wastewater. " – Hosted by Inopsys:
    Emerging contaminants in industrial wastewater pose diverse challenges. While broad-range solutions exist, they may not always be the best fit for a specific situation. In this session, we explore how to match the right technology to the problem by screening relevant options against the full water matrix and identifying the most effective treatment location in the process. By linking water characterization to tailored treatment strategies, we show how informed decision-making can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure effective micropollutant removal.

17:00 Closing – Prof. Dr. Steven Van Passel of University of Antwerp
17:15 Site visits & demo’s 

  • • Experience Water Innovation Firsthand: Blueprint for Resilient Business Parks by VITO:
    Step into VITO’s water experience container and explore how smart water solutions can future-proof business parks. Through interactive setups, you’ll hear, see, and feel the tangible impact of innovation when facing emerging challenges. Join us to exchange ideas with VITO’s water experts and discover how your actions can shape a next generation of water-smart industrial sites.
  • • PFAS water treatment demo by Sodecon
  • • From lab to underground with iFLUX:
    Visit our sensor labs and discover behind-the-scenes how the iFLUX solutions deliver reliable data for effective groundwater management to contaminated site owners, remediation consultants, water utilities, and municipalities. See how our sensors come to life and become part of monitoring networks that provide accurate insights into (emerging) contaminant spread risks and groundwater dynamics.

18:05 Networking Reception & Academic Poster Presentations

ORGANISED BY:

The Science Park University of Antwerp, POM Antwerp and University of Antwerp

WITH THE SUPPORT OF:
iFLUX, Sodecon, Inopsys, ARCHE Consulting, INTERREG Schone Waterlopen door O3G consortium and Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

 

Interested in becoming a sponsor as well? Contact us via e-mail.