Public Funding for Rookwood Operations Ltd

Rookwood is a UK-based environmental SME with a core project team of Josh Hares (technical lead, egg farmer, business-diversification specialist and entrepreneur), Liam Pearce (BDM and sales and marketing specialist), Jane Pearce (operations director, business and product owner and entrepreneur) Phosphate is a finite resource containing phosphorus, an essential nutrient for life development on earth. Humans rely on phosphates in agricultural fertilisers to grow food. However, over half of the rivers in England lack a good ecological status due to phosphates, of which two-thirds come from wastewater-treatment plants. Excessive phosphate levels in water cause eutrophication (i.e. excessive plant and algal growth), stripping oxygen from the water and suffocating aquatic animals and plants. The resulting effect on water quality has economic impacts costing millions of pounds. Furthermore, the failure to mitigate phosphate pollution has contributed to an increase in the cost of water and has caused development-planning bans, which has reduced the housing supply and exacerbated affordability problems. To solve this issue, Rookwood is developing a carbon-negative water-based phosphate-adsorbing material, along with a container that can be recovered, reloaded and reused. With this product, wastewater-treatment businesses will be able to process wastewater effectively, capturing phosphates from wastewater without using toxic materials or intensive mechanical and chemical techniques, improving the working conditions of operators. This can be integrated into existing processes without the need for any major reinstallation or redevelopment. Rookwood's solution will enable the lifting of development-planning bans, which affect the economy considerably by hindering investment and affordable housing. This innovation directly aligns with the government's goal to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater, predicted to reduce eutrophication by 85% and improve natural habitats.