National Bioresources Strategy for the England

Introduction to Project The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) were commissioned by WaterUK to develop a bioresources strategy for England to 2050. The Atkins Bioresources team were competitively selected as the Technical Advisor for the development of the strategy. Atkins have also teamed up with world-class academics Cranfield University and Kenviro Consulting Ltd, the former president of CIWEM as a critical reviewer, to deliver this critical piece of research for the water industry. This project has brought together the English water industry, environmental and economic regulators and other key stakeholders to collaborate and co-create a long-term strategy for the safe and sustainable management of bioresources through to 2050. The engagement activities of this project underpin the collaborative development of a long-term strategy for bioresources with support from the technical Project Steering Group (PSG) and a Project Advisory Board (PAB). The PSG comprises senior managers of several key UK water companies, the UK environmental and economic regulators who provide technical input and review the detail of the project outputs. The PAB, independently Chaired by Baroness Anne McIntosh (ex-chairman of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee), provides strategic, high-level input into the direction of the project, this comprises senior Directors/managers from relevant organizations with authority to represent the organization they work for. Both groups represent a cross-section of the organizations responsible for the management of sludge and bioresources. Why is a national Bioresources strategy required for England? Globally, water utilities are seeing increased risks associated with application of biosolids to land. These risks are coming from various factors: -Constrained Land Bank soil quality, regulatory uncertainty, farmer acceptance and public acceptance are or could impact the amount of biosolids that can be applied to land -Emerging Contaminants PFAS, microplastics, anti-microbial resistance, endocrine disruptors to name a few -Water Quality risks associated with nutrient run off into water courses -Air Quality risks associated with diffuse emissions of air pollutants such as NOx and NH3 -Climate Change risks associated with diffuse emissions of greenhouse gases CO2, N2O and CH4 These risks surrounding biosolids application to land are emerging at the same time as the industry faces challenges around Net Zero Carbon aspirations, circular economy targets and self-sufficiency agendas. Whilst biosolids pose a challenge to manage, there is also incredible potential value in the output. An overview of global issues, risks and opportunities is shown in Figure 1. In the UK, the vast majority of sewage sludge is treated through anaerobic digestion processes and the biosolids digestate is applied to agricultural land (>90% of biosolids). The UK Water Industry is now at a critical juncture considering the cumulative impact of key sustainability challenges (e.g., Net Zero Carbon target ambitions), market challenge, supply chain resilience and the potential for opportunities around improved environmental outcomes. The English water industry decided that a national strategy bioresources was required. They sought to review the country's approach to biosolids management and to develop a strategic roadmap that will enable the industry to confidently invest in infrastructure that can effectively manage biosolids now and in the future. The objectives of this project are to: 1.Engage with key stakeholders that are involved in, or impacted by the lifecycle (or end to end) management of bioresources and obtain their input on the development of the strategy. 2.Undertake a literature review and engagement to understand the drivers for change and opportunities that can influence bioresource management within England. 3.Consider the research/technological and regulatory needs to support a long-term strategy for bioresources including any AMP8 enhancement investment drivers and the mechanisms for their inclusion in Price Review 2024 business plans. 4.Propose a long term (2050) strategy with adaptive pathways for bioresources with an appropriate regulatory roadmap and timeline. The Method Atkins have deployed their global bioresources strategic master planning framework (as used on project such as the NEOM biosolids strategy development). This process involves developing a situational awareness, developing strategic directions and assessing each strategic direction using multicriterial assessment and stress testing. The research involved a comprehensive review and analysis of literature, including technological research and regulation, to encapsulate the drivers, risks, uncertainties and opportunities impacting the future of bioresources management. Stakeholder engagement was at the heart of developing the national bioresources strategy. Our team know that stakeholder buy-in from every industry and organization that is or could be touched by biosolids is paramount in delivering a successful strategy. Our stakeholder list extends far beyond water utilities we included farmers and the national farmers union (NFU), regulators such as the Environmental Agency (EA), the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), technology providers, product off-takers, academics and more. We used the various stakeholder engagement techniques throughout the project including online surveys, interactive workshops using innovative online platforms, panel discussions with a range of global experts at the European Biosolids Conference in November 2022, in-depth interviews and more. Drivers for Change To understand the drivers for change several exercises were carried out. Four strategic themes were devised, and a Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) assessment was carried out over them to identify risks and opportunities (Figure 2). (red / yellow = risks, green = opportunity, blue = mix of risks and opportunities) Based on initial stakeholder engagement, six key Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for a national bioresources strategy were devised: -Risk based approach to bioresources outlets, protecting human health and minimizing environmental impact -To ensure the safe and sustainable management of all bioresources in the context of the circular economy / reduces waste -To realize Carbon benefits and contribute to Net Zero ambitions of the industry -Enable investment certainty/confidence and be affordable to customers -Protect bioresources quality -Supports the UK self-sufficiency agenda An Environmental Policy Framework was created to show the relationships between policy/strategies and CSFs to highlight where there are potential gaps or challenges ahead (Figure 3). Developing Future State Scenarios Over ten strategic options were identified including incineration, advanced thermal conversion options, energy maximization, full resource recovery options and continued biosolids to land. Each strategic option can be categorised as a 'recycle recover' strategy, 'resource products' strategy or 'disposal' strategy. The global trends associated biosolids management strategies are shown in Figure 4. An extensive multicriteria assessment of strategic options was carried out to determine the options that could meet the critical success factors. Conclusions The final strategic roadmap is due to be published in January 2023. This roadmap will show adaptive pathways and help the UK water industry make least regrets investment decisions, moving towards a more sustainable biosolids management solution. It is also hoped that global water utilities can learn from the UK's national strategy as we believe that world-wide collaboration is the key to unlocking the full potential value is biosolids management. During this session we will present our methodology, our key findings and the UK's strategic roadmap to 2050.