Environmental Biotechnology Network

CIWEM/Severn Trent – Minworth WWTW tour 25 Sept 2025: don’t miss!

Minworth WWTW on the outskirts of Birmingham and is operated by Severn Trent Water and is one of the UK’s largest, serving around 2 million people.  The West Midlands branch of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has arranged a site visit on 25 September 2025 which …

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 …

Global Experts Converge for ISM2S 2025: Microfluidics Advancing Health and Environmental Solutions

Prof Zhugen Yang of Cranfield University, who leads EBNet’s Environmental Sensors and Wastewater Surveillance Working Group (ESWS WG), reports here on a very successful international symposium: The 2nd International Symposium on Microfluidics for Sensing and Sequencing (ISM2S 2025), held in Oxford from 29–30 July, marked another milestone in advancing interdisciplinary …

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 …

Cunliffe Review

The Independent Water Commission’s Review of the Water Sector in England and Wales was released on 21 July 2025, but the public response has been more muted than some anticipated (see Prepare for a drubbing). In part this may be because, while the report recognises that all parties involved bear …

Electrochem 2025 – Working Table confirmed, abstracts invited

EBNet’s Bioelectrochemical Systems WG, led by Dr Sharon Velaquez-Orta, is organising a Working Table on the Present and future of environmental bioelectrochemical systems at the Electrochem 2025 conference. The event will take place from 17-18:30 on Tues 2 September. See HERE for proposed aims and topics of the Working Table:  …

Spring Innovation – calling people who work in PFAS!

Deadline for responses: 18 Aug 2025 08:00 am UK Spring Innovation is calling for case studies, trials and research to add to a water sector database on PFAS research. The goals of this survey include: Mapping what is being done: research, trials, innovation fund entries, and supplier activity Identifying where …

Royal Society Industry Fellowships – deadline 18 Sept 2025

The Royal Society’s Industry Fellowship scheme is open to UK-based academic and industrial researchers from early to senior career stages. The scheme aims to: Support the mobility of excellent researchers between the two sectors in the UK across the natural sciences Enable the Industry Fellow to develop and establish collaborative …

Cranfield PhD opportunities in Nature-based solutions – closing soon!

Deadline: 6 August 2025 Don’t miss these funded PhD studentships at Cranfield University which are closing soon: Unveiling and enhancing nature-based solutions for mitigating emerging micropollutants Establishing the potential for improved management of intermittent sewage discharges with nature-based solutions These topics build on the work carried out by Dr Tao …

ELEMENTAL Showcase now available

The UKRI webinar showcasing the ELEMENTAL Hub is now available to watch online. It includes an introduction to the overall Engineering Biology Mission Hubs programme by Dr Tom Pearson, followed by spotlight presentations on Enzyme-based metal/metalloid biosensors, and Efficient and effective methods for metal biorecovery and biorecycling, and descriptions of …

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 …