METREAU: Microbial Electrochemical Technologies for REsource recovery And Utilisation
Amount awarded: £1,656,489
Led by: Northumbrian Water
Partners: Isle Utilities, METzero, Newcastle University, Thames Water, Uisce Éireann, Yorkshire Water
METREAU will ready Microbial Electrolysis Cells for scaled use in wastewater utilities to support against capacity pressures, reduce energy needs and carbon footprint and recover resources of economic value. A high-performing mobile unit will be developed for companies to evaluate the benefits to their wastewater treatment, ready for roll out.
“Now more than ever we need energy and carbon efficient solutions to treat wastewater and recover the resources it contains. Our collaboration with Newcastle University saw the first successful use of microbial electrochemical technology to treat domestic wastewater, so we’re very excited to accelerate this technology towards deployment at scale.” – Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director, Northumbrian Water Group
The METREAU project has now commenced following the formal agreement by all parties. Governance cadences have been established, including bi-weekly delivery team meetings and monthly steering group reviews to monitor progress. A high-level project plan has been finalised, with timelines agreed upon by the delivery team. Ahead of the conceptual design phase, a techno-economic assessment (TEA) workshop is being planned to evaluate solution use cases, define success criteria, and inform key design parameters. This structured approach ensures alignment on technical, economic, and operational objectives while keeping the project on track. Next steps include finalizing the TEA workshop agenda and engaging stakeholders for input.
