Sustainable Water Recycling Project Wins £2M Ofwat Funding

Bath Water Innovation and Research Consortium partners on Northumbrian Water project

University of Bath researchers are set to demonstrate the potential of an innovative new water recycling technology after winning major funding from UK water regulator Ofwat.

The Net Water PositHyve Project will receive close to £2M in funding as one of the winners of the Ofwat Innovation Fund’s fifth Water Breakthrough Challenge, announced today.

Researchers from Bath’s Water Innovation and Research Consortium (WIRC@Bath) will work with project leaders Northumbrian Water, and Waterwhelm, AtkinsRealis, SSE Thermal and others on the two-year project.

Based at the Bran Sands Wastewater Treatment Works near Middlesbrough, the project will be the first large-scale demonstration of a technology to create ultra-pure water from wastewater by using waste heat generated by industrial facilities neighbouring wastewater treatment centres. The method will use a process called forward osmosis to separate residual compounds from the treated wastewater, creating a very pure and reuseable water stream. Heat which otherwise goes unused is used to regenerate a ‘draw’ solution used in this separation, reducing the energy required in the process to make it more sustainable, and making use of an otherwise wasted asset.

The project will create up to 750 cubic metres of ultra-pure water each day. This very high-quality water could be used in a range of ways – to produce hydrogen fuel or high-tech electronic components, or by being reused in local industrial clusters to replace the fresh water supply.

WIRC@Bath researchers will carry out technical and economic analysis of the project to understand its potential value and viability across the UK.

Dr Tom Arnot, Director of WIRC@Bath, said: “This is a fantastic circular economy project utilising treated wastewater and waste heat to provide high-quality recycled water. This approach can enable and unlock sustainable fuel and energy in the form of hydrogen, or be used for a variety of industrial purposes, and it reduces, freshwater demand from the environment.

“If we manage water differently, collaboratively and creatively we can use it as an enabler to deliver net zero, combat climate change, and to stimulate regional development and economic growth. We must take water challenges as seriously as climate change and carbon reduction – it impacts every industrial sector and the way we live domestically.”

David Black, CEO of Ofwat, said: “Water underpins our society and economy, and the water sector faces a range of challenges requiring urgent solutions. The Ofwat Innovation Fund was established five years ago to incentivise the water sector to collaborate with partners across industry, charities, and academia to accelerate the pace of transformation and create lasting benefits for customers and the environment.

“The level of ambition of this year’s winners is remarkable. We are supporting these projects to prove their impact so that they can be scaled, not only here in England and Wales, but exported around the world as a driver of economic growth”. 

The Ofwat Innovation Fund is a key pillar in Ofwat’s mission to drive innovation that ensures the water sector is ready for the challenges of the future and results in better outcomes for customers and the environment. It is delivered by innovation prize experts Challenge Works (part of the Nesta group), in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities.