Water infrastructure fit for the 21st century
The centralised model for water infrastructure established in the 19th century has served us well, but it comes with high energy, capital and maintenance costs that are not compatible with a global net-zero carbon and sustainable economy.
Our vision is a future for off-grid water and wastewater biological treatment systems that operate with the ease, convenience and reliability of commercial domestic appliances (or community-scale versions of them).
Our Objectives
- Reliability
New systems must be reliable so that they are dependable for end users. - Ease of maintenance
New solutions require the development of new maintenance approaches. - Safety
Safety is paramount. End users will be able to take control of their water-related health. - Desirable to end users
Technologies must be desirable to end users. We will work to overcome barriers to adoption. - Affordable
We will work to ensure new solutions are economically viable for communities. - Effective
New off-grid test solutions to ensure efficacy will be developed. - Desirable to legislators
New approaches must be acceptable to regulators and legislators.
Updates
- From Lab Bench to Reservoirs: our “Artificial Tongue” goes field-ready
October 8, 2025
From Lab Bench to Reservoirs: our “Artificial Tongue” goes field-ready
A team led by Prof. Alasdair Clark and Prof. Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay has turned a promising lab invention into a rugged, portable chemical-fingerprinting tool that’s now being put to work with the Faroe Islands Water Authority and at Scottish Water treatment sites. In Tórshavn, our system has already been used by the national testing laboratory to fingerprint diverse real-world samples—from reservoirs and rivers to aquaculture ...
- Dr. Baptiste Poursat leads new VOC sampling campaign at Gauldry septic system
August 27, 2025
Dr. Baptiste Poursat leads new VOC sampling campaign at Gauldry septic system
Dr. Baptiste Poursat has recently launched a field sampling campaign to uncover the volatile organic compound (VOC) fingerprints of septic systems. This work combines a three months on-site sampling campaign with new advanced analytical methods, including thermal desorption and non-targeted GC–MS analysis, to characterise the wide range of chemicals present in real-world septic environments. The ...
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