Category: <span>News</span>

Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts – UK/Canada Visit

The Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB) aims to develop environmentally and economically sustainable bio-derived composites and plastics, utilising waste biomass to replace petroleum and its derivatives. It started early this year, and is one of six worldwide Global Bioeconomy Centers which will run for 5 years with funding from …

Exploring environmental biotechnology as a field – UK AsSIT presentation

A new video presents the results of a small study carried out by EBNet’s Environmental Biotechnology and Social Sciences WG (EBSS), led by Prof Adrian Ely of the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex. The work aimed to explore the past, present and future of environmental …

EA Statement and CIWEM Podcast on Nature-based solutions

The Environment Agency’s new Position Paper on Nature-Based Solutions is the starting point for an episode in the Planet Possible podcast series, featuring Helen Wakeham, the EA’s Director of Water, and Mark Lloyd, CEO of the Rivers Trust.  A wide-ranging discussion includes the challenges presented by lack of performance data, …

CIWEM/Severn Trent – Minworth WWTW tour 25 Sept 2025: don’t miss!

Minworth WWTW on the outskirts of Birmingham and is operated by Severn Trent Water and is one of the UK’s largest, serving around 2 million people.  The West Midlands branch of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has arranged a site visit on 25 September 2025 which …

IEA’s first global Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its first Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane: a global geospatial assessment. The report analyses the sector, reviewing current policies, business models, consumption patterns and supply trends. It examines potential environmental impacts, highlighting the importance of minimising associated methane emissions and responsibly managing organic …

Global Experts Converge for ISM2S 2025: Microfluidics Advancing Health and Environmental Solutions

Prof Zhugen Yang of Cranfield University, who leads EBNet’s Environmental Sensors and Wastewater Surveillance Working Group (ESWS WG), reports here on a very successful international symposium: The 2nd International Symposium on Microfluidics for Sensing and Sequencing (ISM2S 2025), held in Oxford from 29–30 July, marked another milestone in advancing interdisciplinary …

New: PFAS animation – POC Project output

An EBNet-funded POC awarded to Dr Tao Lyu, the PFAS WG Lead, looked at the use of molecular docking and dynamics simulations to investigate interactions between enzymes and PFAS compounds, with the goal of helping to elucidate potential mechanisms for PFAS biodegradation and providing tools to bridge the gap between …

Cunliffe Review

The Independent Water Commission’s Review of the Water Sector in England and Wales was released on 21 July 2025, but the public response has been more muted than some anticipated (see Prepare for a drubbing). In part this may be because, while the report recognises that all parties involved bear …

Spring Innovation – calling people who work in PFAS!

Deadline for responses: 18 Aug 2025 08:00 am UK Spring Innovation is calling for case studies, trials and research to add to a water sector database on PFAS research. The goals of this survey include: Mapping what is being done: research, trials, innovation fund entries, and supplier activity Identifying where …

Cranfield PhD opportunities in Nature-based solutions – closing soon!

Deadline: 6 August 2025 Don’t miss these funded PhD studentships at Cranfield University which are closing soon: Unveiling and enhancing nature-based solutions for mitigating emerging micropollutants Establishing the potential for improved management of intermittent sewage discharges with nature-based solutions These topics build on the work carried out by Dr Tao …