How do you tackle groundwater contamination in a targeted, swift, and efficient manner? How do you prevent nature reserves and cities from running dry? These are the questions that iFLUX experts answer with the help of objective data coming from state-of-the-art sensor technology.
Groundwater constitutes just 0,65% of Earth’s water, yet it’s our main source of freshwater, with 99% of the planet’s liquid freshwater hidden underground. This invaluable resource is under systematic pressure due to climate change and rising sea levels, contamination, and escalating global demand. Sustainable groundwater management is essential to securing reliable drinking water supplies and protecting the environment.
iFLUX brings visibility to groundwater dynamics, enabling insights for evidence-based groundwater management. This Belgian company helps manage complex groundwater challenges for cities, conservation, and nature parks, the remediation and construction industries, and drinking water utilities.
Christian Montag, Managing Director iFLUX: “Systemic pressures are driving changes beyond the natural flow of our groundwater systems. Human activities are not just influencing the movement but also the quality of water. This is why understanding and mastering the dynamics is critical to our future.”
Roots in academia
iFLUX was founded in 2017 based on the research of Dr. Goedele Verreydt, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp and VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research). As Technical Director, Dr. Verreydt remains active in the leadership team of iFLUX.
Needless to say, innovation remains deeply embedded in the company’s DNA. Built on strong academic foundations, a diverse team of experts is uniquely equipped to tackle the most challenging groundwater issues.
Montag: “We enable optimal groundwater management based on objective measurements. We successfully combine state-of-the-art solutions with the in-depth expertise of our hydrogeologists. This lets us formulate a clear approach to solving groundwater challenges.”
Innovative groundwater monitoring
iFLUX offers two state-of-the-art technological solutions: iFLUX Samplers and iFLUX Sensing Solutions. Both are developed with a common goal: minimizing groundwater-related risks to people and the environment. The iFLUX Samplers enable faster and more cost-efficient remediation projects, by measuring groundwater and contaminant movement over time. The results provide soil experts with the key insights they need to reduce the risk and uncertainty of soil contamination management.
The iFLUX Sensing Solutions combine leading commercial sensors and external data with unique vertical and horizontal flux sensors, creating the most effective real-time digital monitoring networks. This real-time continuous and accurate data flow allows the immediate detection of the influence of groundwater-related activities and trends. “We provide a continuous ‘live stream’ of groundwater dynamics. By offering this type of solution, threats become visible instantly. This allows taking action on time before an actual problem occurs”, explains Montag.
The iFLUX groundwater monitoring networks translate secured data into concrete insights on a personalized dashboard. Public and company-specific data can be easily integrated into the dashboard, making it possible to analyze and interpret data, resulting in actionable insights.
One of iFLUX’s customers is Dunea, a Dutch drinking water company that extracts 8 billion liters of groundwater annually. For the drinking water utilities industry, it is crucial that iFLUX supports ensuring a long-term supply of clean drinking water without relying on costly cleaning or desalination techniques.
“In this case shifting watersheds, saltwater intrusion, and pollution threats from a World War II zone make groundwater extraction challenging. However, through collaboration with us, Dunea now has real-time insights into all groundwater dynamics, enabling them to respond quickly to the risks of over-extraction and contamination”, Montag says.
International expansion
Since 2017, iFLUX has completed more than 200 projects across Europe. Based in Belgium, iFLUX has fostered strong relationships with international consultants, naturally leading to project requests from other European countries. Presently, iFLUX operates throughout Europe, with approximately 40% of its projects in Belgium and 60% in other countries.
Seeking partnerships and local representatives, iFLUX has already established collaborations in Poland and Sweden. Currently, active explorations extend to Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France and the United States. In the summer of 2024, iFLUX successfully secured €1.8 million in a new investment round, strengthening its foundation for further international expansion.
