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Innovation & Technology Request

A Dutch company is looking for a rapid online detection method to determine the microbial water quality in non-chlorinated swimming pool water.

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20200219001
Publication Date: 19 February 2020

Summary

A Dutch company designs, builds and operates technical installations in complex buildings, such as swimming pools. The company is currently looking for a technology or test in order to economically and efficiently determine the microbial contamination in non-chlorinated swimming pool water. The cooperation with partners would be in the frame of a research or a technical cooperation agreement. This request refers to an innovation challenge published on an open platform.

Description

A Dutch company designs, builds and operates technical installations in complex buildings, such as swimming pools. Safeguarding of the water quality of the swimming pools is an important topic for the company. In a chlorinated swimming pool, the combined measurement of free chlorine and pH gives indirect information whether the microbial water quality is safe enough to swim or not.

Currently, the company is developing pool water treatment for non-chlorinated public indoor swimming pools. In a non-chlorinated swimming pool, the measurement of free chlorine and pH can’t be used. Alternatively, agar plates could be used to determine the microbial water quality. However, the results will take several days, which is unwanted.

Recently, non-chlorinated pool water treatment has been tested in the laboratory and is now being scaled up to a full pilot. In this full pilot the company will include real swimmers. Therefore, safeguarding of the water quality is important.

In their current design the company is planning to use online adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurement. ATP measurement has shown its worth during the laboratory tests. However, the disadvantages of ATP measurement are the high investment and exploitation costs. 

It’s the company's challenge to find an alternative method, similar to the chlorinated swimming pools, to efficiently determine the water quality others than by means of agar-plate or ATP-measurement.

The envisioned method will be used in an online setting, is rapid, robust and economical in use. The detection method or test will be conclusive to determine whether it is safe enough to swim or not. Cooperation with skilled partners is sought and collaboration would be in the frame of a research or a technical cooperation agreement.



IMPORTANT NOTE: This technology request is part of an innovation challenge and is published on an open innovation platform from the 2nd of March until the 13th of April 2020. If an organisation does express interest in cooperation with this firm before closing date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform on which one can get in touch with the company experts. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential.

Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After that, the firm will select the SME's with whom they would like to cooperate in the development of a solution. Once the challenge is closed, EOI's for this technology request will be treated in the traditional way.

Expertise sought

The company is looking for real-time rapid detection technologies, methods and further ideas in order to economically and efficiently determine the microbial contamination in non-chlorinated pool water.

Stage Of Development

Available for demonstration

Stage Of Development Comment

The company is open to many stages of development, but focus is on implementation within 3 years or less.

Requested partner

SME’s, academic institutions and other innovators with a focus on the research & development of rapid microbial detection in water. 

Partners are invited to contribute to a creative open innovation process, design thinking and further technical development regarding the online measurement of microbial water quality.



Type of partner collaboration:

The Dutch company wants to work together as equal partners, IPR conditions to be determined, this could be in the form of:

Technical cooperation agreement or Research agreement or any other kind of agreement that suits the purpose.