On June 25, 2025, our lab celebrated an important milestone: Jan Myron Tan (Chang-Lung Tsai) became the first master’s student to graduate from our newly established research group. Jan completed his MSc in Biomedical Engineering at Delft University of Technology, earning his degree cum laude for an outstanding thesis titled
“A Journey Towards Green Dialysis: Exploring Technologies for Sustainable Dialysate Production.”
Jan’s work represents a deeply thoughtful and technically robust response to one of the often-overlooked challenges in kidney care: the environmental impact of hemodialysis. During the course of his thesis, he explored how hospitals—particularly dialysis units—might reduce their carbon footprint and resource use, while still delivering high-quality treatment to patients with kidney failure.
Hemodialysis, though life-sustaining, is a highly resource-intensive therapy. Jan’s research began with a detailed case study at the University Medical Center Utrecht, where he quantified the environmental footprint of the dialysate production system. His findings were sobering: the system consumes over 2.2 million liters of water and 17 MWh of electricity annually to treat just 60 patients. Transport and disposal of acid and bicarbonate concentrates contributed to a total of 35 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions and an estimated environmental cost of more than €24,000 per year.
What sets Jan’s work apart is not only the clarity with which he presented this problem, but the practical and scalable solutions he offered. He investigated two technologies in detail. First, a centralized concentrate delivery system introduced at UMC Utrecht, which replaced single-use liquid canisters with reusable powder-based barrels. This change alone led to a 75% reduction in transport weight, a 95% drop in plastic waste, and a 58% reduction in acid-related emissions.
The second part of his thesis focused on a novel forward osmosis membrane system, tested as an alternative to the conventional energy-intensive reverse osmosis units. The system, developed by Aquaporin, passively purified water for dialysate preparation using osmotic gradients—achieving 90% water recovery and consuming just a fraction of the energy required by conventional systems.
When modeled together, these two technologies offered a compelling vision for the future of dialysis: a system in which environmental emissions could be reduced by two-thirds, and the associated environmental costs halved.
Jan’s research was not only academically rigorous but also grounded in real-world healthcare challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where access to sustainable treatment options is urgently needed. He conducted part of his internship in Eldoret, Kenya, and his perspective was shaped by a lifelong interest in equitable access to healthcare across different regions.
Following his graduation, Jan will continue his work as a PhD candidate within the ESCH-R and Kitnewcare projects. His research will expand on the concepts developed in his thesis, contributing to national and international efforts to make kidney care more sustainable and resilient.
His graduation was supported by an excellent thesis committee, to whom we extend our sincere thanks:
Prof. Dr. Jenny Dankelman (chair), Dr. Karin Gerritsen (supervisor), Dr. Ir. Jeroen Vollenbroek (supervisor), Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan-Carel Diehl (external member), and Dr. Nicole Hunfeld (external member). Their mentorship and guidance were essential to Jan’s successful defense.
As a lab, we are proud of Jan’s thoughtful, technically sound, and socially engaged work. His graduation marks the beginning of a new chapter—not only in his career but in the development of our group. We look forward to the insights and innovations he will bring in the coming years.