Any outreach
Last week was European Biomethane Week, organised by the European Biogas Association (EBA). The flagship event was a 2-day conference and workshops in Brussels, Belgium featuring high-profile speakers from industry and the European Union’s DG ENERGY and a wide range of sponsors including the UK’s Future Biogas. In parallel with …
A review paper by colleagues in the ESWS WG focuses on the more technical aspects of a tricky topic that often attracts public debate over ethical and privacy concerns – the use of wastewater surveillance to provide insights into illicit drug use. Analysis of drug biomarkers in wastewater can provide …
A recent report from UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) examines revisions to the European Union’s Urban Wastewater Treatment directive (UWWTD) and considers their implications for the UK water sector. The report comments that the revised UWWTD “…has the potential to be the largest step-change in wastewater treatment for member states …
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a first-of-its-kind global spatial analysis assessing the potential for developing biogases from organic waste streams. Modelling carried out for the analysis suggests that nearly 900 billion m3/year of natural gas equivalent could be sustainably produced, meeting 20% of current global demand. More than …
Further to our recent item on this topic, Dr Maira Anam has kindly made a recorded version of her talk on Impact of fluid flow on microbial community development in pilot-scale MEC, presented at the EBIC EBES Conference 2026. The talk is now available here on EBNet’s YouTube Channel. She also …
Digestates from anaerobic digestion of organic wastes and wastewater treatment residues are a hot topic at present, for several reasons. On the one hand they represent a largely unrealised resource in terms of nutrients and other potential products: on the other, there are growing concerns about the impact of emerging …
Dr Maira Anam of Newcastle University has had a busy few weeks. Early last month she attended the Better Water 4 All Network+ ECR conference, where she won a prize for her poster on Impact of hydrodynamics on pilot scale Microbial Electrolysis Cells. And in mid-September she was at the …
A colleague using AI for thematic analysis of some contributions by EBNet WG Leads noticed an interesting sub-heading: ‘Designed biology versus managed natural communities’. The distinction being made was apparently between microbially-mediated treatment systems based on synthetic biology, and those not involving genetically manipulated organisms or components. This is rather …
Earlier this year Defra and the devolved UK administrations ran a Public Consultation on reforming the UK Fertilising Product Regulations (FPR). The topic of fertiliser products is going through a period of intensive review across Europe; and, since nutrients are both a problem and a key opportunity for the Environmental …
Following a recent successful flash-fiction competition on the theme of ‘Epiphanies’, the Green Stories Project led by Prof Denise Baden is now inviting people to bring one of the winning short stories from the anthology to life in the form of a short film or animation. The item should last …
A very successful ECR conference by the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC) this week, with excellent presentations – and participants not just from the EBIC partner universities, but across the UK and around the world. Good to meet up with many EBNet members there too. See the EBIC LinkedIn page …
The Circular Bioeconomy Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has made a series of interactive dashboards available, covering programme statistics and country participation; key performance indicators; and project portfolio information. The dashboards provide an accessible way to explore data on funded projects. They show the markets targeted by bio-based solutions, the investment …
A piece in the latest issue of CIWEM’s The Environment magazine describes Scottish Water’s newly-upgraded Winchburg wastewater treatment works (WWTW). The upgrade was required both because the existing facility was reaching the end of its operational life, and as the local area is projected to experience significant growth over the …
Don’t miss the chance to participate in the public consultation on PAS 3500:2026 Engineered biological assets – Requirements for DNA bar coding, which is open for comments until 25 Sept 2025. As part of their work on standards, traceability and responsible engineering biology, colleagues from the EBIC Hub have been …
Last week saw the first Better Water 4 All Network+ ECR Conference hosted by the University of Surrey. The event was attended by lots of EBNet members, as the two Networks have many topics in common: EBNet’s emphasis is on biotech and its remit also covers solid waste and contaminated …
