From polluted to drinkable water in a quick, cheap and green way.

Professor Erik Roesink from Hertme is the founder of NX Filtration and an extraordinary professor of membrane technology at the University of Twente. He is proud of what he and his team have achieved. “We have developed a technology that can remove medicine residues, pesticides and PFAS (chemical substances) as well as viruses and bacteria from water in a single process. The necessary minerals stay in the water thanks to our nanotechnology and do not have to be added again later to obtain drinkable water, as is the case with other methods. We can thus contribute to solving the world’s water shortage.”

This innovation from Twente has already gained the world’s interest. The technology from NX Filtration is already being used in the Philippines, Indonesia, Sweden and the United States because it is cheaper than current methods – only one step is required instead of two – and it is also more sustainable. “We do not use any chemicals for the purification, and our method uses much less energy. We are not the only ones to say that, by the way”, says Roesink. “The independent Cicero institute in Norway has given us a ‘dark-green’ label.” That is the highest achievable ‘shade of green’.

Officially, the product that comes out of the NX-filters may not be called drinking water. That would require 24/7 monitoring, and that is not something that the company does. But it is certainly drinkable. “We have a test setup at the Twente Canal, at rowing club Euros in Enschede; the purified water is drinkable.”

NX Filtration will build a factory in Hengelo, where the membrane filters will be produced on a large scale. The factory will be located on the Thales site in Hengelo, and it will be ready for production at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024. “We have not considered leaving Twente for even a moment”, says Roesink. “Our core team is from Twente and the infrastructure here is excellent with the University, Saxion and the ROC. Plus: living here is nice. The fact that we will soon be able to create many jobs here is also something to be proud of.”

Around 250 to 300 people will soon be working at the production lines in Hengelo. NX Filtration, which currently operates in two locations in Enschede, currently has a production capacity of 2,500 membrane filters. That will soon turn into 80,000. Roesink is not worried about finding employees. “NX Filtration contributes to a better and more sustainable world. More and more people choose to work for employers who contribute to the world. We have noticed that investors see this and act accordingly. Our product is wonderful and we can also make money with it, that is a great thing. I am certain that people will be happy to come work for us and make an impact.”