AQUASAFE
Funding
Summary
AQUASAFE addresses a key challenge for the agri-food sector in Hauts-de-France, Flanders and Wallonia: how to reduce water consumption and increase water reuse without compromising food safety.
The project will develop and test practical solutions for safer water reuse in food processing, with a particular focus on the vegetable and potato sector. It will investigate both microbiological and chemical risks, including biofilm formation, pathogens, pesticides and their metabolites. Harmonised sampling and monitoring approaches will be developed to ensure that data can be compared across the three regions.
AQUASAFE will also evaluate innovative strategies to control these risks. These include new cleaning and disinfection approaches, preventive solutions to limit unwanted biofilms, and advanced water treatment technologies such as ozonation, activated carbon adsorption and other physical treatment processes.
In parallel, the project will develop improved monitoring strategies, combining sensors, real-time data and predictive tools to better understand water quality, detect changes at an early stage, and support decisions on water reuse, treatment and cleaning.
UGent will have a specific role in translating these results into practical water management. This includes the development of a water management plan linking water flows, water quality, food-safety requirements and fit-for-purpose reuse. UGent will focus on the monitoring and treatment of process and reuse water, with particular attention to pesticides and their metabolites, water-quality monitoring, and the selection and validation of appropriate water treatment technologies. The resulting data and knowledge will provide input for risk assessment and support decisions on when, where and under which conditions water can be safely reused.
Ultimately, AQUASAFE will provide companies with practical guidance, monitoring approaches and validated technologies to support safer and more sustainable water reuse. The cross-border collaboration will help ensure that the solutions are robust, transferable and relevant to both industry and public authorities.
Partners
Duration
- Start: 01/10/2026
- End: 30/09/2029
Contact
Prof. Imca Sampers - vegitec@ugent.be