Meet Gatze Lettinga

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Gatze Lettinga was a Dutch environmental engineer and professor who made significant contributions to the field of anaerobic wastewater treatment. He was known for developing the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor, which has become a widely used technology for treating industrial wastewater. 

By choosing not to patent his work, he strived to make it available all over the world. The technology is now used in three-quarters of the world’s anaerobic systems for treating industrial and residential wastewater. 

Lettinga developed the UASB reactor, which uses anaerobic microorganisms to break down organic matter in wastewater. This process is more efficient than traditional aerobic treatment methods and produces biogas, which can be used as a renewable energy source.

Lettinga and his team discovered the anammox process, which converts ammonium and nitrite into nitrogen gas using anaerobic microorganisms. This process is important for reducing the amount of nitrogen in wastewater, which can cause eutrophication in bodies of water.