Category: <span>Outreach</span>

Bleeding to death? HoL Science & Technology Committee report

There have been numerous recent surveys, reports and editorials on the challenges facing new (bio)technologies for a more sustainable economy: some focusing on training and education to address the shortage of skilled and qualified people, others on facilities and funding for scale-up and implementation. But the prize for one of …

Green Story highlights – November 2025

Each month we showcase 2-3 stories from our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue anthology, equivalent to about 30 mins in the Audiobook version. The anthology is also available as a free eBook on the Resources page. November’s choices are: Chapter 8:  Microbial Intelligence by Jane Norris, UK  –  a short story told from a microbial …

PFAS enforcement notices in UK drinking water supplies

A BBC News item reports that seven UK water companies have been issued with enforcement notices requiring them to take action on potentially harmful concentrations of PFAS ‘Forever chemicals’ in water supplies to an estimated 6 million people. The cases were identified through analysis of Freedom of Information requests to …

Rags to riches, muck to brass?  Waste Crime finally hits the news

The UK’s huge problem with waste crime  –  the illegal and dangerous disposal of waste materials  –  is finally attracting some attention:  see BBC News, other media and responses from bodies such as CIWM, Environment Agency etc. A short report from the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee …

Biochar WG – BBNet Conference presentation now available

A version of the invited talk by Dr Meredith Barr on Integrating Thermal and Bio-Conversion and the Future of the EBNet Biochar Working Group is now available here on EBNet’s YouTube Channel. The talk was presented at the 4th BBNet conference The Future Prospects for Biorefining: Feedstocks, Technologies & Products, …

Bioenergy and bioeconomy network synergies – IEA Report

An IEA Inter-Task report on Synergies for bioenergy supply chain in Bioeconomy networks describes efforts to expand the current linear value chain perspective into a broader network-based view of bioenergy and bioeconomy systems. The report introduces a framework to help identify and leverage synergies between bioenergy supply chains, biobased materials …

Frozen fun – with interesting lipids

A recent paper looks at the revival rates for microorganisms found in ancient permafrost cores from the Permafrost Research Tunnel near Fairbanks, Alaska. The researchers compared microbial growth rates, marker gene sequences and greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4) emissions across cores held anaerobically at ambient (−4°C) and elevated (4°C, 12°C) temperatures. …

Green Stories – October 2025 highlights

Every month we are highlighting selected items from our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue anthology, equivalent to about 30 mins in the Audiobook version. The anthology is also available as a free eBook on the Resources page. This month’s authors are both from Australia but with rather different stories to tell: Chapter 7:  Interview with …