Prof.dr. Jan Peter van der Hoek

Profile

Jan Peter van der Hoek is Professor of Drinking Water Engineering. He also is Chief Innovation Officer at Waternet, the water cycle company of Amsterdam and surroundings, and Principal Investigator at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions.

Jan Peter van der Hoek is a member of Standard Commission 1 of EurEau, the European Federation of National Associations of Water Suppliers and Waste Water Services. Standard Commission 1 deals with drinking water affairs.

Jan Peter van der Hoek is chair of the Program Committee of the joint research program of the Dutch drinking water companies, and vice-chair of the Program Council of the TKI Watertechnologie, part of the Dutch Topsector Water & Maritime. He is chair of the foundation International Water Conferences (IWC).

Research

Jan Peter van der Hoek focuses on three research themes:

1. Organic micropollutants in the water cycle and the effect on drinking water supply:
   Presence of contaminants of emerging concern, chemical as well as microbiological contaminants, requires continuous monitoring of the drinking water resources, assessment of existing treatment technologies and development of new advanced treatment technologies. Especially the PMT compounds (Persistent – Mobile – Toxic) require special attention to safeguard the drinking water quality.
    
2. Climate change and the effect on drinking water supply:
   Climate change offers opportunities for thermal energy recovery from wastewater, surface water ànd drinking water. Climate change however also results in periods of drought and necessitates the development of new drinking water resources and the introduction of water conservation strategies. These require a paradigm shift in the drinking water supply system, either centralized or decentralized, and a holistic approach including surface water management, storm water management and wastewater treatment.
    
3. Circular economy and drinking water supply:
   Topics in this research theme are aquathermal energy, the energy transition and the Water-Energy nexus. In the topic aquathermal energy the recovery of thermal energy from drinking water and surface water is explored. In the energy transition the application of district heating networks and cooling networks is considered. This offers opportunities for the drinking water sector, as these networks have similarities with drinking water networks, but also results in threats, e.g. the heating of drinking water networks.
    
4. Policy developments in drinking water supply:
   On a European level and national level new standards are being introduced (e.g. PFAS compounds) that may have a huge effect on the drinking water supply. New treatment technologies may be required to comply with these standards. The need for water conservation strategies, new drinking water resources, combined with the societal trend for more self-sufficiency, may result to apply decentralized drinking water supply systems. However, the present policy and legislation is focused on central systems, so the question is how to introduce these decentralized systems, not only from a technological viewpoint, but also from a policy and legislative viewpoint.

Drinking water supply covers the whole field of water abstraction, drinking water treatment, and drinking water transport and distribution.