Congratulations to Dr Seongbong Heo and co-authors for their recent paper on enhancing PHA enrichment in granular sludges through control of settling strategies. This paper is an excellent example of several key issues and themes within EBNet: the importance of interactions between engineering-scale interventions and complex microbial systems; the need …
A very successful ECR conference by the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC) this week, with excellent presentations – and participants not just from the EBIC partner universities, but across the UK and around the world. Good to meet up with many EBNet members there too. See the EBIC LinkedIn page …
A piece in the latest issue of CIWEM’s The Environment magazine describes Scottish Water’s newly-upgraded Winchburg wastewater treatment works (WWTW). The upgrade was required both because the existing facility was reaching the end of its operational life, and as the local area is projected to experience significant growth over the …
Date: 16 Oct 2026, 16:00 UK Don’t miss this much-anticipated webinar on Environmental Biotechnology: How to Partner with Microbial Communities; a topic at the heart of EBNet’s Theme 2, and central to many of the processes and systems that we work on. The speaker is the internationally-renowned Prof Bruce Rittmann …
We quite often highlight publications by EBNet members that are relevant to our themes. But this is the big one, as far as our remit to look at engineered microbial systems is concerned. A newly-published paper puts forward equations that govern some simple but vitally important processes in microbial ecology. …
Congratulations to Dr Maria Ramos Suarez and co-Authors on the publication of a new paper on the implications of producing bio-based commodity chemicals from waste feedstocks for the selection and testing of bioreactor materials. The paper identifies the top 10 commodity chemicals that can be derived from waste-related feedstocks in …
Two recent papers by EBIC and EBNet’s Prof Frederic Coulon and colleagues look at different aspects of bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. The first carries out an extensive review of the challenges associated with field-scale bioaugmentation and bioremediation techniques, covering key factors that affect microbial survival and the practicalities of application …
Date and venue: 7 Oct 2026, Natural History Museum, London The Elemental Hub is running a 1-day event exploring the role of Engineering Biology in the environmental recovery and processing of metals. This event brings together researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and strategic organisations, the event to provide a platform for …
Date: 4 August 2026 16:00 UK, online The Better Water for All Network+ invites participants to a webinar on Biotransformation of Emerging Organic Contaminants. The speaker is Dr Yaochun Yu of Stanford University. His talk will describe the biological processes behind contaminant removal, and how these processes can improve our …
An interesting item from Suzy Hill, an Engineering Innovation Project Manager at United Utilities, in CIWEM’s News pages. Talking to Jo Caird, the Editor of CIWEM’s Environment magazine, she briefly outlines how the Making Microbes Matter project is using metagenomics to analyse and track microbial communities with a view to improving …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Date: 30 June 2026, 12-13:00 Register HERE or scan the QR code The BetterWater4All Network+ is hosting a webinar on Microbial Ecology of Free-Living Amoebae in Water Supply Systems: Community Assembly, Driving Factors and Control Strategies. The speaker is Dr Hong Wang: see below for biography. Free-living amoebae (FLA) are …
Date: 3-4 Sept 2026 Location: University of Surrey Registration is now open for the first annual BetterWater4All Network+ Early Career Researcher & Professional Conference 2026. This event will showcase the latest research and innovation, with a wide range of presentations and posters, opportunities to network across disciplines, and a chance …
