The Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet) has launched its report on The State of UK Biorefining: Progress, Performance and Pathways for Growth. The report assesses the evolution, current status and future prospects of the UK biorefining sector. It draws on a decade of published literature (2014–2024), stakeholder engagement conducted in 2025, …
This working group was originally set up with a focus on the underlying microbiology and the quantification of N2O emissions; its remit then broadened to include methane as another major GHG from sanitation systems. The two areas provide an interesting contrast in terms of where emissions arise (primarily in aerobic …
The EMISI Final Dissemination Webinar, which presents key findings and reflections from the Emissions Measurement to Improve Sanitation in Indonesia (EMISI) project, is now available on EBNet’s YouTube channel, by kind request of the EMISI Project team. EMISI activities involved extensive work on the direct empirical measurement of nitrous oxide …
More good science, good engineering, and good news coming out of the ongoing programme of work on slow sand filtration (SSF) by Dr Francis Hassard and colleagues at Cranfield and Thames Water. The latest paper on their new underwater cleaning technique reports improved removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts in comparison with …
Registration deadline: 25 March 2026 Date and venue: 20 May 2026, Cardiff The Microbial Interactions in Biofilms and Microbiomes conference is a one-day international event bringing together leading scientists and early-career researchers working on microbial ecology, biofilms, microbiomes, evolution and biotechnology. This event aims to explore how microorganisms interact, organise …
Congratulations to Dr Sharon Velasquez-Orta who has been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Green Futures Fellowship to work on a project entitled CHANGE: Carbon dioxide conversion by intensified electrobiocatalysis. The Fellowship is one of 13 In in a new programme funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology …
Congratulations to our colleagues in the EBIC Hub on the outcomes of the recent flexible funding round. Over ÂŁ800k in total has been awarded to four projects, including one on Development of Peptide/Aptamer-Based Biosensing Platforms for Real-Time, Ultrasensitive Detection of PFAS with PI Dr Dhiman Chakravarty and co-Leads including Prof …
Congratulations to Prof Jhuma Sadhukhan and colleagues on a new paper that combines several areas of interest for EBNet members, including microbial H2 production, utilisation of waste feedstocks to generate high-value products, and tools for sustainability assessment. The paper, published in Nature Chemistry, demonstrates a novel strategy for coupling cogenerated …
In March 2024, EBNet supported Prof Tom Curtis and Angela Bywater to attend a meeting on anaerobic digestion (AD) in remote and off-grid applications, hosted by the US National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and funded by NATO Science for Peace and Security (NATO SPS): see here for more details of …
A new report by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and Zero Waste Europe considers the case for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for food products in the European Union. Although the EU mandated separate collection of bio-waste under the revised Waste Framework Directive in 2025, it is estimated that only 26% of around 60 …
Planned outputs for the next few months include feedback from the fascinating Microenvironments workshop led by Dr Joe Weaver, then of Newcastle, now at Durham University. Journal papers in preparation or review include those based on a study of the implications of emerging biotech for bioreactor materials, and from the …
This month, the EU introduced mandatory systematic monitoring requirements for per and polyfluoroalkyl-substances (PFAS) in drinking water, aimed at promoting compliance with new limit values in the revised EU Drinking Water Directive (2024/2184). The new limits are 0.5 µg/L for total PFAS and 0.1 µg/L for the sum of 20 …
The AF Working Group is working on follow‑on outputs from its Anaerobic Fermentation workshop, with a detailed outcomes report and a WG Position Statement to be published later in 2026. In parallel, the WG has been carrying out small-scale proof‑of‑concept studies investigating chemical‑free product extraction as a means to facilitate …
Dr Yongqiang Liu and colleagues in the Aerobic Granulation Processes WG have been working with water companies to take samples of granular sludge and conventional activated sludge (AS) from full-scale wastewater treatment plants in the UK. One aim of the study is to investigate the performance of granular sludge in …
A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Delivering Sustainable Fuels: Pathways to 2035 highlights the benefits to the energy sector and to wider economic and environmental sustainability. Liquid biofuels, biogases, low-emissions hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels enable and support the energy transition. They are particularly important for sectors …
