The Prime Talks, hosted by FEUP as part of its FEUP Prime programme, are a moment of sharing experience on topics relevant to companies and which aim to disseminate a culture of innovation and knowledge produced by FEUP Partner companies in collaboration with the Faculty.

This webinar addresses a key issue in the water sector at the present time, which needs to rethink treatment systems (water and wastewater), given the increasing pressure to which it is subjected, particularly as a result of the acceleration of variations in many of its factors, with the evolution of demand, climate change, emerging pollutants, ageing infrastructures, among others.

Watch the Webinar by clicking the image below

Wolf Merkel

Manages at board level the department water of the German Technical and Scientific Association of Gas and Water (DVGW). He graduated as engineer in the field of process engineering with specialization on water chemistry and received a doctor’s degree in industrial water treatment. Starting from 1998, Wolf Merkel worked as process engineer for water treatment at Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung (IWW) in Mülheim/Ruhr. 2002 he was nominated as technical director of the IWW. Under his direction the IWW built up the additional competence fields water networks as well as water economics and founded additional departments in Lower Saxony and Hesse (Germany). Since 2010 Wolf Merkel has successfully promoted the European expansion of the IWW research; the adaption to climate change as well as the digital transformation of the water supply industry have been important research issues.

Jaime Gabriel Silva

At Águas Douro e Paiva (a water utility from Águas de Portugal Group), since 1998, where he was Head of Engineering Department, until 2009. He is, currently, Advisor of the Board. Between 2009 and 2020, he was CEO and President of other AdP Group companies.

Teaching activity at ISEP, since 1990. He is Invited Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, responsible for curricular units of the MSc and the BSc programs and has oriented several MSc thesis.

Civil Engineer (Faculdade Engenharia Un. Porto, 1986), with a MSc (Faculdade Engenharia Un. Porto, 1997), Specialist on Construction Management (Instituto Politécnico Porto, 2012), and Specialist on Sanitary Engineering, by the Portuguese engineers organization (Ordem dos Engenheiros). Before 1998, he worked at a consultant company (Fase), a Construction’s Lab (CICCOPN), in the IT sector (IBM) and at a public development body (CCDR-N).

He has published several articles in indexed journals and conferences and he has presented communications to national and international events.