Microvi and Cranfield University Advance Bio Mineral Phosphorus Removal (BMPR) Following Ofwat Award and Global Recognition
Hayward, CA (November 11, 2025) –Congratulations to our partners, Prof. Ana Soares and the team from Cranfield University and Severn Trent, for the incredible recognition from The Earthshot Prize for BMPR and the global importance of nutrient recovery and on advancing the groundbreaking work in the Bio-Mineral P Removal (BMPR).
Microvi Biotech Inc. is proud to support BMPR with our MicroNiche Engineering™ (MNE™) biocatalysts, which create optimized microenvironments that stabilize specialized microbial pathways and enable high-efficiency phosphorus removal and recovery without chemical coagulants.
Seeing this approach progress from concept to real-world operation at Minworth is a major step for scalable, low-sludge, circular-economy solutions in wastewater. Excited for what comes next.
This OFWAT Discovery Challenge winner, explores a novel, coagulant-free biological process for phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater with reduced environmental impact and substantial benefits over existing technologies.
The Bio-Mineral P Removal (BMPR) process is transformative and has shown over 97% phosphorus removal and recovery within 2-10 hours. It uses immobilized microorganisms with novel pathways to remove and recover nutrients in water. The result? no chemical coagulant use to remove phosphorus from wastewater, lower sludge production, reduced reliance on phosphate mining, and a scalable solution aligned with circular-economy principles. Trials confirm its effectiveness in mainstream and sidestream wastewater, as well as urine, including in European Space Agency-funded applications for Moon and Mars missions.
We are now demonstrating BMPR by treating centrate from Severn Trent’s Minworth wastewater treatment plant—one of the largest in the UK—showing how the approach can work at real-world scale. BMPR is adaptable for small rural works, large urban plants, and decentralized systems in developing nations - with very high versatility.
About Ana Soares
Professor Ana Soares holds a MEng in Biotechnology Engineering from Algarve University (Portugal) and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Lund University (Sweden) with a project entitled 'Biodegradation of the Recalcitrant Endocrine Disruptor Nonylphenol'. Her PhD formed part of national research program COLDREM (Soil Remediation in Cold Climate) and was supported by MISTRA (Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
About Cranfield University
Cranfield University works in partnership with business, academia, governments, and other organizations to develop and deliver applied research and innovative education in science, technology, engineering, and management.
Cranfield's distinctive expertise is in their deep understanding of technology and management and how these work together to benefit the world.
Their education portfolio is renowned for its relevance to business and industry. They are the largest UK provider of master's-level graduates in engineering and offer a flagship MBA, extensive world-class customized executive education, and professional development programs. Their work informs government policy and leads the way in producing innovative new technologies and products in partnership with industry.
The research and consultancy that Cranfield carries out for industry, government and business provides the students with a real-world learning environment, allowing them to develop as professionals and then transfer their knowledge to the global economy. This has always been the 'Cranfield way' but it has never been more important than in today's world.
About Severn Trent
As one of Britain’s largest water companies, Severn Trent has an impact on the lives of millions of people across the Midlands, from the outskirts of Sheffield, down to Bristol, and into north and mid-Wales.
They provide over eight million people across our region with fresh, clean drinking water every day – that is about two billion liters. And when they have finished with it, it is taken away again and clean and treat it before returning it safely to the environment.
About The Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize finds, supports, and celebrates those who turn bold ideas into solutions for our planet.
The world faces its greatest challenge: to regenerate the place we all call home during this decade.
They search the globe for game-changing examples of climate leadership and innovation, helping them to grow and awarding the very best five solutions each year with £1 million each to scale their work.
About Microvi
Microvi is an applied biotechnology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that develops and commercializes next generation biosolutions to address critical challenges in climate change, water, energy, waste, health, and environmental sustainability. Powered by its proprietary MicroNiche Engineering™ (MNE) platform, Microvi delivers proven, high-performance biosolutions worldwide – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste while increasing productivity and cost-efficiency for its customers. Microvi’s scalable biosolutions are deployed globally across diverse sectors, providing disruptive economic value for industry partners, and ultimately contributing to a cleaner environment and healthier communities
Learn more at Microvi Biotech.
Contact
Microvi Marketing
+1 (510) 344-0668