Muscat, Oman – 17 March 2019 – Wetskills Water Challenge Day 2
By Ilsa Phillips (Wageningen University)
Yesterday was the first day at the Sultan Quaboos University and the day we got assigned a case! I was among the lucky ones that got assigned the first choice case. Ever since I went to a conference on sustainable sanitation solutions a few months ago I got more interested in sanitation and waste water treatment, moreover the concept of renewable energy from waste has always been fascinating to me. So I was very happy to hear to be part of the team that will work on a case from Haya Water Oman on converting sludge into renewable energy.
Fortunately, two of our team members work at Haya Water so they could tell us all about the case and are familiar with many technologies, whereas I have more a background in agricultural science and soil science, they are educated and specialized as environmental engineers and thus know all about waste water treatment.
I think for us the challenge lies in finding a innovative technology that has proven to be feasible in other cases (like the Netherlands or the Gulf Region), but can be adapted within the Oman context.
From the Brain Hurricane (an interactive brainstorm session with experts in the field) later that day, I think it became clear that the solution should not only cover the technology, but should also by implementable and made attractive to decision-makers that in the end decide if a technology is used or not. This session was very useful and we went back to the hotel after a long day with our head full of information and excited about the new challenges ahead!
