Category: <span>Publications</span>

CO2 Biomethanation – joint CRNet/EBNet report

The full report on a study of gaps and opportunities for scale-up of CO2 biomethanisation is now available on EBNet’s Resources page, along with an Executive Summary.  The report is the main output from a study jointly funded by EBNet and our sister-NIBB, the Carbon Recycling Network, with the lion’s …

Global Environmental Outlook – launched 9 Dec 2025

‘The circular bioeconomy is directly linked to environmental systems and is essential for the sustainable use of biological resources’, states the seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), a major UN report launched on 9 December 2025. The report highlights that circular economy and biobased solutions hold key opportunities to align economic …

NBIC additions

Two new items from the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) in its Biofilm 2025 Week. The results of the Biofilm Create! 2025 Competition were announed   –  and are just as impressive as we have come to expect. And a new Blog Series Beyond the Biofilm has launched, spotlighting researchers driving …

MAGqual – A tool for complex microbial communities

In a rather belated piece of dissemination, our congratulations to the authors of a paper published last year which concerns one of our recurring topics. From its inception EBNet has championed the importance of complex microbial communities for environmental protection and remediation, whether in engineered systems or the open environment.  …

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Assessment and Surveillance – special issue

Submission deadline: 15 Jan 2026 The journal Environments has announced a special issue on Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Assessment and Surveillance (see here for details). Topics include: Pathogen surveillance (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, emerging viruses, and antimicrobial resistance genes); Community exposure assessment for illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals, and environmental toxins; Technological innovations in sample collection, high-throughput sequencing, …

Microbial ecology in drinking water biofilms – a taster with more to come

Continuing a theme from a recent post on Microbial ecology and drinking water biofiltration, two papers below are well worth a look. They are on linked topics and are published in conference proceedings, with full papers on the way: so a thought-provoking taster for what is to come. Prof Cindy …

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 …

Microbial ecology and drinking water biofiltration

A recent study in Water Research examining microbiomes in water filtration is central to the theme of our Water Biofilms WG, and to EBNet’s ongoing interest in complex microbial ecosystems that prevent or remediate pollution and protect public health. Prof Cindy Smith, a key figure in the University of Glasgow …

BB-REG-NET report on biodegradable plastics (but where’s the AD?)

A new report from BB-REG-NET examines the breakdown of biodegradable plastics in the environment. Based on case studies in composting, agriculture and forestry, it concludes that certified biodegradable plastics break down at similar rates to their rate of entry into environment, preventing long-term accumulation. Scenarios considered include direct placement of …

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 …