What if the invisible could become… visible?
One of the world’s most important resources is invisible. Even though we cannot see groundwater flow, it is still responsible for 98% of our available freshwater, which we need as drinking water, for food processing, industrial processes and so on.
Over extraction, droughts due to climate change and pollution put big pressure on our groundwater system. To properly manage groundwater, and thus ensure we have the necessary amount of drinking water in the future, it is important to understand how groundwater and pollutants behave underground.
How is groundwater managed?
To manage groundwater, models are made that predict the underground dynamics, but a lot of these models are based on assumptions.
Take the example of pollution. Depending on how pollution is spreading, you have to take action accordingly. When there is a smaller amount of pollution that spreads fast and moves towards a river, it can pose a bigger threat to the environment compared to when there is a larger amount of pollution that is not moving at all. In the past, models often took into account the amount of pollution, but less so its movement, because of the uncertainty around it.
This needs to change in order to better prioritize groundwater issues and especially to better assess how and when action needs to be taken.
That is where iFLUX comes in. They reduce the uncertainties by actually measuring what is happening underground. Their vision is to make the invisible visible.
About iFLUX
Groundwater monitoring and data acquisition are prerequisites for any effective management of groundwater resources and preservation, in terms of both the groundwater quality and the availability of the groundwater resource itself. iFLUX measures in real-time how groundwater is moving underground and monitors the pollution flows that pose a risk to our groundwater.
They are the only company worldwide that offers direct and continuous measurement of groundwater flow dynamics and pollution spreading. By offering real-time monitoring, threats become visible instantly. This allows taking action on time, before an actual problem occurs.
As a university spin-off, based on many years of research by Goedele Verreydt, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp and VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), inventor of the iFLUX technology, they focus on soil remediation projects and groundwater issues. This Belgian company has won the European Innovation Award for Contaminated Land Owners and already has two technology patents that cover Europe, the US and China.
By measuring how groundwater and pollutants move underground, they enable industries, agriculture, environmental consultants and governments to better manage groundwater, prevent risks, and take more effective remediation actions – and all of this in a more cost-efficient way than before.
