100k for USW projects tackling water sector challenges

The University of South Wales (USW) has two projects which have been named among 20 finalists who will receive £100,000 seed funding in the second Water Discovery Challenge (Discovery).

The recipients of the fund include innovative projects from sectors including aerospace, agriculture, and Tech/AI, with the competition aiming 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.

A part of the £7.5 million competition from the Water Innovation Fund, these projects aim to bring fresh thinking to tackle urgent challenges facing the water sector in England and Wales.

The first USW project - Resilient Energy Efficient Wastewater Treatment with Microbial Fuel Cells: ERES-WWTP – is looking at creating a next‑generation 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, and its biological activity can be monitored and controlled digitally without extra sensors - offering the water sector a resilient, 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 and more predictable fertiliser product.

The project will investigate SIFER’s performance on wastewater digestate. 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 10 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.