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New funding for net zero water projects

Hydro Nation Chair’s Catalyst Fund
Hydro Nation Chair’s Catalyst Fund
“Working with people and exploring new technologies is vital if we are to find solutions to global challenges such as wastewater management and greenhouse gas emissions. We are extremely grateful to have been awarded this funding which will allow us to carry out scientific research in these critical areas”

The first four projects to help Scotland’s water sector get to net zero by 2040 have been funded through the Hydro Nation Chair’s Catalyst Fund.

Two projects from the James Hutton Institute, one from the University of Glasgow and one from the University of Stirling, in collaboration with University of Strathclyde, will help tackle the challenge of reducing process emissions associated with wastewater treatment – an urgent priority in the water sector’s journey to net zero.

The Hydro Nation Chair Research and Innovation Programme, led by Professor Andrew Tyler of the University of Stirling and funded by Scottish Water, aims to bring research, industry and community together to meet the challenges of a sustainable water sector in a changing climate.

Professor Andrew Tyler said: “As the current drought conditions in the UK, as well as floods and fires elsewhere in the world, show us, we are increasingly at the mercy of extreme weather events, and how we manage the precious resource of water will at the heart of our survival.

“We need new ways of working and thinking, and our mission at the Hydro Nation Chair Programme is to bring people together to address key water-related challenges, including the high emissions associated with wastewater treatment. Our crucible aims to finance innovation in the sector.”

The James Hutton Institute will receive nearly £30,000 to develop two projects: one to test whether integrating conductive materials (bioelectrochemistry) into biological filters will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and one to engage with communities around wastewater management through a community co-production framework that will create a blueprint for engagement.

Dr Diana Valero, MDT Fellow in Rural Water Security at The James Hutton Institute, said: “Working with people and exploring new technologies is vital if we are to find solutions to global challenges such as wastewater management and greenhouse gas emissions. We are extremely grateful to have been awarded this funding which will allow us to carry out scientific research in these critical areas.”

The University of Glasgow will receive £12,000 to develop a novel gas flux hood with integrated methane sensing that will enable real time collection of methane emissions from small scale wastewater treatment plants. From this data, low-cost mitigation and management of on-site greenhouse emissions can be developed in the future.

And the University of Stirling, in collaboration with University of Strathclyde, will receive £8,915 to reimagine the wastewater treatment system by re-thinking wastewater treatment flow sheet to utilise existing geothermal high heat and pressure. The preliminary project aims to explore the basic fundamentals of geothermal energy which if successful would transform treatment efficiency.

A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “Harnessing research and innovation will be crucial to the success of Scottish Water’s mission to reach net zero by 2040.

“The funding that we are providing through the Hydro Nation Chair is a catalyst to build on the great reputation that the Scottish research community has, and for Scotland and the public water service model to become internationally recognised as a leader in water research and innovation.”

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Adam Walker, Communications Officer, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395095 (direct line), +44 (0)344 928 5428 (switchboard).


Printed from /news/new-funding-net-zero-water-projects on 29/03/24 12:36:02 PM

The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.