Category: <span>Publications</span>

Dr Angela Bywater

A very special set of congratulations from EBNet to Dr Angela Bywater, on her graduation this week with the award of PhD for a thesis on On-farm anaerobic digestion viability: policy perspectives and operational opportunities. Much of the work involved was carried out during her time  –  and in some …

Task 42: Overview of Current Developments on Biorefineries World-wide

Participants in the 34th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE 2026, 19-22 May) in The Hague, Netherlands were able to hear IEA Bioenergy Task 42‘s Lead Richard Gosselink give an overview of current developments on biorefineries world-wide, accompanied by a poster presentation on the goals, work plans and achievements of …

Biofilm Microenvironments: EBNet workshop report out now

Microenvironments can be defined as localised zones with chemical, biological or physical characteristics that differ significantly from those of the larger-scale surrounding environment. Because microbes respond primarily to these immediate conditions, microenvironments strongly influence the performance of microbially-based systems. Understanding and controlling these influences is essential for engineering improved systems. …

EBNet’s UKRI report available now

A report covering EBNet’s main activities and outputs during our UKRI funding period is now up on the Resources page, under More EBNet reports.  A bit later than originally planned, but brimming with information on our working groups, events and publications. The report is available in two formats, with a …

ISM2S Conference postponed – and a new paper on sensors

The organisers of the 3rd International Symposium on Microfluidics for Sensing and Sequencing (ISM2S) have reluctantly decided to postpone this year’s conference. Prof Zhugen Yang, who leads EBNet’s ESWS WG and is on the Conference organising committee, said: “Due to the merger between Cranfield and King’s College London and the …

Cryptosporidial oocysts and a persistent coliform – two new water treatment papers

A warm welcome for two new papers related to the work of EBNet’s Water Biofilms WG and to wider aspects of Theme 2. The first is a review of factors affecting removal of Cryptosporidium and other protozoal oocysts in slow sand filtration (SSF). Removal rates vary widely, and the review …

Our current knowledge: new paper on anode colonisation in MFC

A recent journal paper by several EBNet members adds to our knowledge of how microbes spread across anode surfaces in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The study investigated spatial and temporal dynamics of community assembly, using a novel multi-electrode MFC with two substrate conditions. Pre-inoculation led to successful current generation within …

AMR, Biochar, H2 production and microalgae videos now available

In the ongoing clean-up of the EBNet website, new presentations have been added to Travel bursary and Placement sections, which are now on the Outcomes page. For some examples from international conferences, see: Kathleen Dunbar, University of Surrey – ISME 19, 18-23 August 2024 Cape Town, South Africa. Increased hydrogen production from …

Two blogs on Stories from the Microbial World and other fiction

Habitat Press has published a newsletter focussing on the Stories from the Microbial World anthology, which includes entries from the EBNet-sponsored Microbes to the Rescue and the Clean vs Green competition rounds organised by the Green Stories Project. The Habitat Press Newsletter features interviews with a few of the authors …

AD optimisation and decision-making – an industry/academic perspective

Congratulations to our colleagues for their new paper in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews on requirements and approaches for optimising anaerobic digestion on a site-wide basis. The paper draws on work carried out for the AI for Net Zero project (EP/Y005600/1) led by Prof Michael Short, and with the Supergen …

Fibre Highways – Microbe translocation video

A short video of microbial translocation along different fibres (fungal mycelium and synthetic fabric), produced as part of the EBNet-funded Fibre Highways Proof-of-Concept (POC) project, is now available HERE on our YouTube channel. The project also provided the wonderful Ebb & Flow prototype – see image below; with an accompanying …

Machine learning for modelling environmental biotechnologies – and WG report

Results from a webinar organised by EBNet’s working group on AI & ML in the Bioeconomy have formed the basis for a recent Perspectives paper in Resources, Conservation and Recycling. The paper identifies the power of biotechnologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion and bioelectrochemical systems  –  all topics of sister …

BB-REG-NET report on biodegradability in LCA

BB-REG-NET has released its latest report on integrating biodegradability into life cycle assessment (LCA). The new report notes that LCA often under-emphasises biodegradation and end-of-life impacts, meaning that potential benefits may be overlooked in any comparison between bio-based products and conventional materials. While noting that test conditions are not fully …