Innovative technology transforms wastewater into ultra-pure water

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Innovative technology transforms wastewater into ultra-pure water

Innovative technology transforms wastewater into ultra-pure water

06 June 2025

OfWat has awarded £2m in funding to a recycling project for high-quality water which could be used to produce hydrogen fuel or high-tech electronic components.
 

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 £2 million 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, 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 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 reusable 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 750m³ 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 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”.

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