Category: <span>Publications</span>

September 2025 – Green Stories selection

Each month we are showcasing selected 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. The first two have a futuristic flavour: Chapter 15:  Future Tree by Nick Sidwell, UK – environmental biotechnology …

Wastewater surveillance – special RSC issue and new book chapter

The Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology has a new themed issue on wastewater surveillance. The issue opens with an editorial entitled Wastewater surveillance for public health: Quo Vadis? It includes articles on integration of point-of-care diagnostics in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology, use of wastewater surveillance …

PFAS: EBNet update and other statements – inviting your input

Earlier this year EBNet’s PFAS WG presented a Position Statement identifying knowledge gaps and the need for development of cost-effective approaches able to degrade PFAS. Since then the WG has: run a successful international workshop co-sponsored by EBNet and the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC) – see video playlist presented …

Organic Waste Feedstocks for Bioenergy and Biorefinery production

Two recent reports by IEA Bioenergy’s Task 43 add to the literature on assessing and tracking the availability of biomass feedstocks for production of bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts. The Review of feedstock supply for bioenergy in selected IEA Bioenergy member countries aims to define and inform a structured framework for …

Summer listening or reading – Green Stories for August 2025

Each month we are highlighting selected 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. This month’s choices are: Chapter 5:  What Any Fool Can Do by Vienna O’Shea, UK  –  a tale …

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 …

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 …

Integration of biorefineries and green hydrogen – TEA and case studies

A new report from IEA Bioenergy’s Task 42: Biorefining in a Circular Economy highlights the potential of combining biomass-based processes with locally-sourced hydrogen derived from surplus renewable energy.  The report includes four case studies – in Australia, Brazil, Italy and the USA – and suggests some guidelines for the establishment …

GHG Emissions in sanitation systems – Workshop reports and update

In January 2025 EBNet supported a by-invitation workshop on GHG emissions in sanitation systems.  The workshop was run by EBNet’s N2O WG in conjunction with Prof Barbara Evans and her team at the University of Leeds, and included participants from half a dozen countries.  The focus was on measurement of …

UKWIR – Sustainable and resilient alternatives to traditional water treatment

A recent UKWIR report aims to evaluate alternatives to traditional water treatment, in particular the effectiveness of low or non-chemical treatments that could replace conventional clarification processes.  The research considers a variety of systems with different benefits, and emphasises that each may have advantages in different conditions. Ceramic membranes and …

IEA Task 37 Biogas Newsletter

For anyone who doesn’t already use it, a big shout-out from our AD WG for IEA Bioenergy’s Task 37 Newsletter. This astonishingly comprehensive round-up draws attention to anaerobic digestion, biogas and biomethane developments around the world: for example, the July 2025 edition covers IEA’s first Outlook for Biogases and Biomethane …

UKWIR Report – Hazardous chemicals treatment at sewer entry

A recent UKWIR report investigates which technologies and solutions are available to remove hazardous chemicals from various sources (trade, commercial, run-off and small-scale domestic), either at point of entry to sewer or in the sewer itself. The main groups of chemicals considered were industrial compounds (solvents, surfactants, dyes etc); metals; …