A.S. Boersma (Alje)

I do research on the role of bacteria in the production of drinking water using rapid sand filtration. During rapid sand filtration water is passed through a bed of sand, where a combination of chemical and biological processes remove compounds from the water we do not want to drink, mainly ammonium, iron and manganese. The role of bacteria in the removal of these compounds and their interaction with chemical processes is not fully understood. By investigating this we hope to make the production of drinking water from groundwater more efficient, which is increasingly important with a warming climate and increasing water use.