Engineers from the University of Nottingham have been awarded funding to develop a new AI monitoring system for wastewater.
Researchers from the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering are finalists in the £7.5 million Water Discovery Challenge from Ofwat's Water Innovation Fund and have been awarded £100,000 to develop BioSense: AI-Enabled Monitoring of Biofilm State for Resilient Wastewater Treatment.
The Nottingham team led by Dr Oliver Fisher will develop an intelligent monitoring approach capable of providing continuous insight into the condition and activity of microbial biofilms without disrupting treatment processes. The technology has the potential to help operators detect biological changes earlier, optimise treatment performance and build greater resilience into wastewater infrastructure as pressures from climate change, population growth and stricter environmental regulations continue to increase.
Wastewater treatment relies on billions of microscopic microorganisms working continuously to remove pollutants from water before it is safely returned to the environment. Yet, despite being the backbone of biological treatment, these microbial communities remain largely hidden from operators. Their performance is often inferred from indirect process measurements or laboratory testing after changes have already occurred. Just as smart sensors have transformed the monitoring of mechanical assets, BioSense aims to bring the same level of visibility to the living biology that underpins wastewater treatment, enabling operators to better understand how biological systems are responding before performance begins to decline.
The Water Discovery Challenge is part of Ofwat's Water Innovation Fund which is supporting a multitude of solutions that tackle the water sector's greatest challenges across multiple competitions. The Water Discovery Challenge is dedicated to supporting the development of ideas from innovators across industries, particularly those new to the water sector.
As well as seed funding, as finalists, Oliver Fisher and Asma Ahmed will receive seven months of commercialisation support and mentorship from water companies and sector experts to accelerate development and evaluate the solution in real-world settings.
Dr Oliver Fisher, Assistant Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham, said: "Wastewater treatment depends on healthy microbial communities, yet we currently have very limited visibility of how these systems are performing until problems have already developed. By providing continuous insight into biofilm health."
BioSense has the potential to give operators the information they need to proactively optimise treatment performance, improve resilience and reduce environmental risk from untreated wastewater. Ultimately, we want to help the water sector move from reacting to biological failures towards anticipating and preventing them.
With our rapidly changing climate, it is more vital more than ever that we double down on our efforts to create a water system able to support lives and livelihoods, including for future generations we will never meet. In opening our doors to innovators outside the water sector, we have invited fresh perspectives to tackle head-on some of our greatest challenges. With this line-up of finalist projects, we are reminded that tackling the climate and nature crises isn't limited by intellect or creativity. The array of new ideas from new players is astounding. The challenge is getting these ideas delivering impact on the ground, with the sense of urgency these times need.
In April 2027, as many as 10 of the 20 finalists will go on to win up to £550,000 each to further develop and test their ideas, and will be offered an additional five-month package of non-financial support and sector mentorship, to maximise the chance of the innovations launching and succeeding in the water sector.
The challenge is run by innovation prize experts Challenge Works, part of Nesta, in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities, and is part of a series of competitions from the Water Innovation Fund.
The Water 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.
To find out more about all twenty finalists, visit: https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/water-discovery-challenge/
