Nineteen pioneering options to a few of the greatest challenges going through the water sector have been awarded £58 million, because the winners of the sixth Water Breakthrough Problem are introduced.
The profitable tasks, which span technological, engineering and nature-based approaches, will obtain the funding from Ofwat’s Water Innovation Fund, which is investing £600 million between 2020 and 2030 to advance and scale modern tasks in England and Wales that may assist to attain internet zero, shield pure ecosystems, and stop leaks and air pollution.
Every mission sees water corporations work in collaboration with a various set of companions – from environmental charities and main universities to expertise and engineering corporations – with the aim of adjusting how the water sector operates to remodel its influence for purchasers, communities and the atmosphere.
The successful tasks embrace Mycofiltration: Utilizing Fungi as a Pure Option to Enhance Water High quality, which has been awarded £1.5 million to trial fungal-based filters at storm overflows and run-off websites to take away pollution from river water in a low-carbon, cost-effective means.
Mycelia are distinctive at filtering water – a course of often called mycofiltration – as a consequence of their dense, fibrous construction, which acts as a bodily mesh, and their means to secrete highly effective enzymes that chemically break down contaminants together with heavy metals, pesticides, and micro organism – turning them into innocent compounds. The mission is led by Anglian Water, in partnership with Spore & Anvil, Flete Subject Lab, Barhale, College of Essex, Imperial School London, South East Water, Spring Innovation and others.
Good Vibrations: Ecoacoustic river well being monitoring has been awarded £1.5 million to develop expertise that makes use of acoustic alerts and AI to hearken to the well being of rivers. Wholesome rivers are wealthy in life, which in flip produces sound and this mission will use underwater microphones to seize these acoustic alerts. AI will then analyse the recordings and translate them into insights about river ecosystem well being. This resolution overcomes challenges confronted by conventional monitoring strategies, which supply solely occasional snapshots of river well being. It’s led by Severn Trent Water, in partnership with SUEZ, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and others.
Tackling the problem of upgrading infrastructure and constructing further capability within the water system, Printfrastructure 2.0 has been awarded £1.9 million to advance 3D concrete printing for wastewater infrastructure to allow onsite building of bigger storage tanks utilizing low-carbon, water-approved supplies. Constructing on earlier success in Water Breakthrough Problem 3, which demonstrated as much as 50% discount in CO2e for concrete infrastructure whereas slicing building prices by 8%, Printfrastructure 2.0 goals to hurry up supply, lower prices and carbon, and scale back stress on constrained provide chains. It’s led by Northumbrian Water, in partnership with Changemaker 3D Restricted and others.
£2 million has been awarded to a 12-month pilot mission in Leicester to watch wastewater within the metropolis for antibiotic resistant infections – often known as superbugs. Smoke within the Water: Uncovering Public Well being Information in Sewers, will mix AI, scientific knowledge, and in-sewer monitoring to establish resistance developments – working to assist public well being safety throughout the UK. It’s led by Severn Trent Water in partnership with the College Hospitals of Leicester NHS Belief, Kando Environmental, Resistomap and others.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the flexibility of micro organism to withstand antibiotics – it’s a silent pandemic predicted to kill 10 million folks a 12 months by 2050 globally. Wastewater monitoring can be utilized to detect AMR inside populations earlier, since antibiotic resistant microbes are discharged into wastewater from folks taking antibiotics who’ve drug resistant micro organism.
Jo Jolly, Director, Innovation, Ofwat, stated:
“The water sector goes via its greatest transformation in 30 years. We’ve to ensure these adjustments drive much better outcomes for society and the atmosphere. A number of pressing challenges have to be solved. And, importantly, our mindset should change. In order that’s our mission: daring, modern options that take a long-term strategy to the well being of our very important water system and the influence of the water trade on environments and communities. This line-up of winners exhibits us simply what will be achieved once we set our minds to it.”
Phil Buckingham, Head of Analysis and Innovation, Anglian Water, lead accomplice of Mycofiltration: Utilizing Fungi as a Pure Option to Enhance Water High quality, stated:
“This funding will play a pivotal position in increasing pure applied sciences throughout the water sector. It can allow us to scale up our modern strategy: harnessing the filtration superpower of mycelia to boost water high quality, which can have a direct profit on native wildlife and ecosystems, in addition to the communities who use these environments day-to-day. Our instant focus is to trial our fungal-based filters at storm overflows and run-off websites and collect the proof wanted to scale what works.”
Dr Lori Lawson Handley, Senior Freshwater Molecular Ecologist UK on the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, accomplice of the Good Vibrations: Ecoacoustic river well being monitoring mission, stated:
“Our mission is a novel alternative to mix eco-acoustics with environmental DNA analyses to offer detailed, real-time insights into how river biodiversity responds to emphasize from air pollution and local weather change. This helps us to grasp the well being of our rivers and showcase their biodiversity, which is often hidden from view. With the £1.5 million that we’ve acquired via the problem, we’ll floor reality and upscale rising applied sciences to have a far-reaching influence on river biodiversity monitoring, whereas delivering advantages to the water sector and communities nationwide.”
Different winners embrace Headstart: unlocking the worth of headwater catchments, which is led by Anglian Water in partnership with the Nationwide Belief, Freshwater Habitats Belief, Recreation and Wildlife Conservation Belief, Nottingham Trent College and others. It has been awarded £7 million to check sensible upgrades to therapy works and nature‑primarily based options in headwater catchments – which is the place rivers and streams start.
Group Water Enterprises: Native Individuals Caring for Native Nature and Water, led by Wessex Water in partnership with the King’s Belief, Nationwide Belief, Thames 21, Rivers Belief and others, has received £5 million to carry collectively prospects, communities, utilities, councils, charities and past, to take care of and keep nature-based water administration options similar to rain gardens and wetlands.
I’m a P-Leaver: Utilising Biochar for Phosphorus and PFAS removing, led by Severn Trent Water in partnership with Harper Adams College, the College of Exeter, Shropshire County Council, Nijhuis Saur Industries and others, has been awarded £1.6 million to engineer a round resolution to take away PFAS and phosphorus from wastewater utilizing biochar made out of pyrolysed sewage sludge.
The Water Breakthrough Problem is delivered by innovation prize specialists Problem Works (a part of Nesta), in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities, and funded by Ofwat’s Water Innovation Fund. The seventh Water Breakthrough Problem will open for entries on 7 September 2026.
The Water Innovation Fund is a key pillar in Ofwat’s mission to drive innovation that ensures the water sector is prepared for the challenges of the longer term and leads to higher outcomes for purchasers and the atmosphere.
To seek out out extra about all 19 winners of the sixth Water Breakthrough Problem or to find earlier winners, go to waterinnovation.challenges.org
