Acknowledgements
Attaining a PhD was not the initial plan. After my
Master’s degree I wanted to jump straight in and
make an immediate difference to society. Coming
from a region where water scarcity (and rolling
blackouts) is rife and shockingly real, my goal has
always been to give back to these communities.
When I read the Sewer Mining project description, I
found it an offer too tempting to resist. The concept
of water and energy seemed to fit in perfectly with
my ambitions.
Many a PhD candidate will tell you that passion
can carry you a long way, but when your legs tire,
only an amazing support group will carry you across
the finish line. The completion of this dissertation
would therefore not have been possible without the
many, many people supporting me along the way.
Firstly, I would like to thank my promotor, Prof.
Luuk Rietveld, for accepting to take on this project,
and me as his PhD student. Thank you for giving me
this platform to grow, for your advice,
understanding, guidance and for keeping me
focussed. And for responding to my relentless
emails regardless of the hour, I am very grateful.
Furthermore, your work in developing countries
truly inspires me.
To my daily supervisor, Emile Cornelissen, I
could not have been luckier! It was an honour
working with you. Thank you for driving me to be
the best I could be, for the encouraging and
inspirational discussions and for never failing to read
and re-read my roughest of drafts. Your expertise
and criticism were invaluable to this research and
my growth as a researcher. Thank you for all the
sandpapering to make this thesis what it is today. I
am grateful also, for introducing me to your
network, for allowing me to gain confidence in the
field and to execute my own ideas. Also, the meals
shared with your family were always very special
and memorable.
Much appreciation goes to Kees Roest for all the
significant and arbitrary conversations, for your
genuine concern, invaluable knowledge in wastewater,
for all the laughs, ridiculousness and word
games. You too worked closely with me at the