Winners of OFWAT’s latest Water Breakthrough Challenge were announced on 16 May, and included a project to turn sewage sludge into hydrogen, and another one investigating treatment options for PFAS.
Seventeen firms were awarded a share of the £40 million prize pot, with each one demonstrating commitment to fostering innovative approaches to water and waste management.
Yorkshire Water’ s Sewage Sludge Gasification project presents a novel approach to sludge management. The product is said to be pathogen–free, rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, and has for many years been used in agriculture to enrich soil and improve its moisture retention. The project has been awarded £2.3 million to seek to alleviate significant challenges for the UK water industry and offer an alternative to recycling sludge to land.
An Aston University project with engineering consultancy ICMEA-UK involves extracting energy from the waste produced during sewage and water treatment and transforming it into hydrogen and/or methane, which can then be used generate energy for homes or industry.
More information about the winners is available here.
