UK government’s attempt to loosen nutrient neutrality rules blocked by the House of Lords

The government has lost its bid to scrap nutrient neutrality rules for housing developments, with Labour Lords voting to reject the proposed amendments (to...

Ofwat and the EA must go further: Lords’ report on sewage pollution welcomed by...

How might the water industry be better regulated to reduce the sewage pollution that floods waterways in England and Wales? A report from the...

Mangroves are environmental guardians of the coastline, says research

They are the salt-tolerant shrubs that thrive in the toughest of conditions, but according to new research, mangroves are also avid coastal protectors, capable...

Striving for environmental balance: nutrient neutrality to futureproof the development pipeline

By Wendy Furgusson, Associate, Environment and Health, Ramboll With Natural England's recent changes to planning policy causing a reduction in the number of new homes...

Ocean appointment: Fukushima water discharge facilities under construction

A coastal facility will dilute and release wastewater from the former nuclear plant at Fukushima Daiichi, beginning in Spring 2023. Not all dangerous isotopes will be removed, notably Tritium.

Growing demand for storm overflow cameras

Water companies are now legally obliged to publish data on their storm overflows, but many of these discharge points are also increasingly being monitored...

Reflections on a recent water industry event about micropollutants

Multiple solutions to the challenge on emerging contaminants were under discussion at British Water’s recent micropollutants conference. Here, Dr Fabio Bacci reflects on key...

New water treatment technology for organic pollutants

Sponsored content: Arvia developed and refined a unique next-generation water treatment process, called Nyex Rosalox™, designed to target and destroy persistent organic pollutants. 

Sponsored Content: Trials show new PFAS adsorbent outperforms current methods

Trials have been undertaken by two independent institutions, using a next generation PFAS adsorbent media developed by Puraffinity, the London based science materials company.

Sewage spills still a problem as EA report notes utilities’ winding path of improvement

Water and sewerage firms in England are still under-performing, according to the EA’s latest appraisal of their performance – in relation to spills from...

Dangers and opportunities of digital transformation explored at British Water Data Conference

The sixth British Water Data Conference, which took place on 3 November 2022, kicked off with a warning from keynote speaker Oliver Grieveson on...

New study finds that sewage release is worse for rivers than agriculture

New research by the University of Oxford seems to reveal that sewage discharge into rivers has a greater impact on water quality, and the...

Innovate UK funding for solution to tackle PFAS

London-based chemical technology firm Puraffinity has developed an innovative approach to eliminating PFAS from water supplies, with funding from Innovate UK. Its solution is a...

Measuring oil contamination in soil

Petroleum hydrocarbons in soil continues to be an area of interest for scientists as they are the most common contaminants that are toxic to...

Microplastics collect heavy metals, reports study from Ulaanbaatar

Surface cracks and biofilms on plastic particles might help spread pollution Concerns about microplastic pollution arise not only because of the particles themselves, but...

Against the grain: What can be done about microplastics in soils and digestate?

Microplastics are everywhere: We know that much. But should we be worried? What can we do about it? Some of the speakers at Aqua Enviro's European Biosolids and Bioresources Conference, in late November, presented findings from a project aiming to understand the levels of this contaminant in compost and AD digestate. A change in the policy landscape seems imminent, as Envirotec found out.

A new kind of online tool launches to tackle road runoff pollution

A new online tool highlights where opportunities exist to install nature-based solutions, such as wetlands, to tackle road runoff pollution before it ends up in...

Tool aims to improve the assessment of chemical persistence in the environment

Consultancy firm Ricardo has developed a seemingly first of its kind Persistence Assessment Tool to provide manufacturers and importers of chemical substances and products,...

Mercurial matter: Puzzling out PFAS removal in landfill

Envirotec struggles to find solid takeaways in the literature about PFAS contamination in landfills, and what might be done about it. As regulations tighten,...

Biosurfactants might offer an environmentally friendly solution for tackling oil spills

Can biosurfactants increase microbiological oil degradation in North Sea seawater? An international research team have been exploring the question and say the results reveal...