Nineteen pioneering solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the water sector have been awarded £58 million, as the winners of the sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge are announced.

Trials are continuing in Seaham, County Durham for Pipebot Patrol, a £1.8 million innovation project led by Northumbrian Water. A blockage-detecting robot is sending back its first signals from inside the sewer network, helping engineers to spot early build-ups before they cause flooding.

Wastewater digestion technology originally developed by Anglian Water in the UK is set to play a central role in one of the largest wastewater treatment upgrades in the world, following its selection by Sabesp for major treatment plants in São Paulo, Brazil.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have demonstrated a new method to break down toxic pollutants in wastewater, using sunlight and molecular-thin catalysts created using an innovative ‘mechanical’ approach -  with confidence that the method could be used to produce photocatalysts at an industrial scale.

United Utilities has started work this week on a project to improve water quality in Elterwater, within the Windermere catchment.

International consulting engineering company Haskoning has signed a patent transfer agreement with Kemira for ViviMag, a technology expected to set new standards for phosphorous recovery from sewage sludge.