Welsh projects tackling sewage secure £100k funding

Two projects from a Welsh university aimed at developing new ways to treat wastewater and sewage have secured £100,000 after being named among the finalists in a major innovation competition.

The University of South Wales projects are among 20 finalists in the Water Discovery Challenge, a £7.5m competition seeking new approaches to challenges facing the water sector in Wales and England.

The competition aims to discover promising innovations outside the industry, while also providing a comprehensive package of support to help entrants break in and accelerate their adoption by the water sector.

The first USW project – Resilient Energy Efficient Wastewater Treatment with Microbial Fuel Cells: ERES-WWTP – is looking at creating a wastewater treatment system which cleans sewage while turning the organic material within it into renewable electricity, by using the natural electrochemical processes of bacteria.

By relying on microbial metabolism, the technology can operate reliably even when water flows change or the power grid is unstable.

Its biological activity can be monitored and controlled digitally without extra sensors, offering the water sector an  efficient and sustainable way to manage wastewater.

The second USW project will test the performance of a system developed at USW called SIFER – a new treatment which stabilises sewage-derived digestate by improving dewatering and locking in nutrients, creating a cleaner fertiliser product.

Crop trials will assess whether the resulting fertiliser improves crop yield, nutrient use efficiency, and on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.

Over the coming months each finalist will receive, alongside the funding, a comprehensive package of support, involving mentorship and expert guidance from water companies to test and develop their solutions.

Next April, up to ten of the teams will be selected to receive up to £550,000 each to further progress their solutions. They will also receive an additional package of support to help them attract the investment needed for long-term success in the water sector.

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