In August, funding was granted to the DoReMi project (Donnan Dialysis ReMineralisation) from the NWO Applied and Technical Sciences funding instrument Demonstrator. The aim of a ‘Demonstrator project’ is to stimulate valorisation by researchers and the transfer of intellectual property from a knowledge institution to the market and society.
Drinking water process
DoReMi is a UT-patented drinking water process based on the use of membranes. Heleen Sombekke, business developer EMI Twente and the MST cluster: 'In this drinking water process, we focus on providing high-quality drinking water, against a minimal loss of water loss and by re-using the minerals present in the source.'
Wiebe de Vos, adjunct professor of Membrane Surface Science: 'DoReMi is a promising technology that can contribute to solving the societal challenges concerning drought and the fact that the quality of drinking water sources is under pressure. The project started at the end of November. First, a Demonstrator will be built; a small pilot consisting of the three membrane filtration steps of the DoReMi process. This Demonstrator will be tested at two drinking water catchments of Oasen and Waterleiding Maatschappij Drenthe.’ The testing of the pilot and the definition of the requirements to be met by the process will be carried out in close co-operation with a sounding board consisting of water professionals from the drinking water sector, the future end-users. Heleen: 'At the same time, we will be approaching potential market parties who want to take over the patent.’
Connecting and strengthening
Heleen: 'There is a lot of knowledge in the MST cluster and we have learnt how to find and strengthen each other. The fact that this project has been honoured therefore is a good example of valorisation of research results. Wiebe de Vos, Walter van der Meer, and Timon Rijnaarts have invented this process; it was thought out at UT, tested in our lab, and now EMI Twente (as part of the MST cluster) has taken it over and will bring forward a number of TRL levels. We are all very eager to take the next step: bringing the idea to the market and putting it into practice'.
Schematic representation of the DoReMi process
Would you like to know more about (the progress of) this project? Please contact Heleen Sombekke.
