Research and Development

Aqua Enviro links technical and regulatory expertise to bring new practices and technologies to market. 

We are engaged by industry and government bodies to undertake research that shapes future strategic and policy investments. We disseminate information though conferences and training, and this, combined with our industry contacts and knowledge of the market, enables us to deliver practical and tangible innovations.

Our purpose-built research laboratory allows us to evaluate independently new treatment processes as well as helping to develop existing technologies. We work from early stage laboratory development to full-scale demonstration trials.

We are always looking to collaborate in new research projects with partners in the water, wastewater and bioresources industries.

Industry Leading Research: Case Studies

Ecopharma CFIS:  €1M EU project to bring to market an innovative device to monitor priority substances that pose a risk to human and aquatic health. Labaqua’s ‘Continuous Flow Integrative Sampler’ (CFIS-ecopharma) is capable of obtaining composite samples.  Aqua Enviro is disseminating project findings through conferences and workshops and providing a technical and commercial appraisal.

New Sustainable Fertiliser: formulating a sustainable and nutrient balanced fertiliser from biomass ashes blended with digestates.  Aqua Enviro is working on optimising product blends.

Enhancing Digestate and Organic Waste Value:  For this WRAP-funded project Aqua Enviro carried out a global technical review using  Rapid Evaluation Assessment (REA) to inform future UK government funding to help build a sustainable Bioeconomy.
We have a track record of delivering industry-leading research for organisations including the Waste & Resources Action programme (WRAP), Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) and UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) as well as collaborative research funded by the European Union, Innovate UK, and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Other current and recent development projects include:

• Aqua Enviro and Scottish Water INNOQUA Project:  €7M EU Horizon 2020 Funding to develop novel modular sustainable rural wastewater treatment systems
• EU FP7 – Project ‘End-O-Sludg’ – Aqua Enviro were commissioned by a consortium as specialists to operate an Organo-Mineral Fertiliser Pilot Plant generating enhanced fertiliser products from sewage sludge.
• UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) ‘Determining the Impacts of Co-digestion’
• UK Government Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) ‘Determining the fate of Herbicides in AD’, ‘Driving Innovation in AD Technical Assessors,’ ‘Fate of Plant Pathogens in AD’.
• UK Water Utility ‘Phosphorus Removal and Capture Using Ion Exchange Media.’
• UK Water Utility Consortium ‘Recovery of Energy and Nutrients from Sewage Screenings.’