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KennisOnline Magazine 2024: wind farms, water lentils, coffee capsules, AI and more
The 2024 edition of KennisOnline Magazine is published. In this annual magazine you read about research that Wageningen University & Research has conducted with co-financing from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and talk about research into fish around offshore wind turbines, water lentils as food and more.
Passive fishing between the windmills
The Netherlands is building ever more wind farms in the North Sea, even in locations that were formerly designated as fishing areas. As a result, the area available to fishers is continuously shrinking. Wageningen University & Research is investigating potential opportunities for fishing activities between the windmills using hand lines or gill nets.
A green peek in the life of a European in 2120
What will the future bring if nature is made a guiding principle in urban and landscape planning? Building on NL2120, scientists and Wageningen students sketched a hopeful future for all of Europe: EU2120. What will the daily life of an average European look like in 100 years?
Extracting drinking water, salt and energy from seawater
Generating eight gigawatts of electricity from hydrogen: that’s the government’s goal for 2032. This is a staggering task, since the current method is far from ideal, says Irma Steemers-Rijkse of Wageningen University & Research. In the SeaHydrogen project, she aims to combine various processes into a single, total concept that will be used to produce drinking water, salt and energy.
How can we preserve the European dark bee in the Netherlands?
A remarkable species is kept frozen at the Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN) of Wageningen University & Research: the European dark bee. In collaboration with various other organisations, the CGN strives to preserve the only indigenous bee species in the Netherlands, for a future with robust agriculture and a high degree of biodiversity.
The route to circular coffee capsules
In 2023, Europeans used about 53 billion coffee capsules. That mound of coffee-ground-filled capsules is proving a serious challenge for waste processing companies. Only a small amount of the materials are currently recycled, so the environmental impact remains significant. Which coffee capsules are currently the most sustainable? And what is the best way to process them?
The New Landscape Contractor helps priority neighbourhoods with greenery
Residents that create and maintain their own green spaces with the assistance of a landscaper. Why is this so effective, especially in so-called priority neighbourhoods? Project leader Carmen Aalbers of Wageningen University & Research uses her expertise to answer these questions in the Nieuwe Hovenier (New Landscape Contractor) project. Now that this project is nearing its conclusion, she shares the successes of this collaborative research project.
A contagious animal disease outbreak: now what?
If a contagious animal disease were to break out in the Netherlands tomorrow, Wageningen University & Research would spring into action. By testing rapidly and offering reliable advice, WUR helps the government keep outbreaks of animal diseases in check. But what does this process look like in practice?
AI doesn’t need to stay a black box
Artificial Intelligence may yield impressive results, but its inner workings often remain a mystery. Is our only option to blindly trust these algorithms? Fortunately, it isn’t. Innovations in the field of Explainable AI can offer us more insight into AI, or even allow AI to explain itself.
Water lentils: sustainable vegetable of the future
Water lentils are healthy, rich in proteins and can be cultivated sustainably. They can make a meaningful contribution to the protein transition and the global food issue. However, in order to bring this about, both producers and consumers need to get more familiar with this innovative vegetable.
The search for circulair potting soil for growers and garden lovers
Plants thrive in the potting soil that’s available from any gardening store, but the peat used in this mix is bad for the environment. That’s why the Greenhouse Horticulture Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research, in collaboration with potting soil companies, is looking for sustainable alternatives. Biochar, a type of charcoal, could be a likely candidate. But is replacing peat with biochar really that easy?