New study presents the first full life-cycle assessment of a wastewater treatment system, using Daphnia-based technology.
Tertiary wastewater treatment technology, using Daphnia, can dramatically reduce carbon emissions, water use, land use and chemical pollution, according to new research.
Daphnia, also as known as water fleas, are tiny freshwater biofilters that can ‘clean’ and filter water using natural biological processes, resulting in a near‑zero overall life‑cycle footprint.
In a new paper published in Water Research, University of Birmingham researchers found that treating one cubic metre of water using the Daphnia-based system produces just 0.0006 kg of CO₂, a 99.8% reduction in climate emissions when compared to conventional treatment technologies that produce up to 0.316 kg of CO₂.
Led by Nooshin Barzegar Marvasti and Professor Luisa Orsini, the research reveals that, at the scale of a typical installation treating 100,000 cubic metres of water per year, using this approach equates to around 31.5 tonnes of CO₂ eq emissions avoided annually; with even greater savings for larger systems.
The researchers also used life cycle assessments (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impact of the Daphnia-based tertiary wastewater treatment technology across its entire lifespan, rather than focusing only on how well it removes pollutants during operation.
This was achieved by explicitly and systematically including persistent, mobile and toxic chemicals (PMTs) and micropollutants in all phases of the life cycle assessment; substances such as PMTs are increasingly central to water-quality regulations but are typically excluded from standard environmental assessments.
Nooshin Barzegar Marvasti, a PhD student and lead author of the study, said: “Our objective was to demonstrate the low-cost, low-carbon nature of the Daphnia-based technology and to evaluate its capacity to reduce chemical pollutants associated with long-term risks to ecosystems and human health.
“By integrating chemical monitoring data into the life-cycle assessment of Daphnia, we’ve shown that it’s possible to capture these hidden impacts and make much more meaningful comparisons between standard treatment technologies versus this new approach.”
By applying advanced life-cycle assessment approaches that explicitly account for chemical burden, we address urgent and emerging threats driving the global water crisis and enable a comprehensive evaluation of the true environmental footprint of wastewater treatment technologies from end to end.
A team of scientists and engineers from the University of Birmingham previously discovered a method to harness Daphnia, to provide a scalable low-cost way of removing pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals from wastewater. This cost-effective approach avoids the toxic by-products typically associated with current technologies.
The latest study, published in Water Research, demonstrates the overall negligible carbon footprint of this innovative technology: unlike many existing technologies, the water flea-powered system uses no water, requires virtually no land, and generates minimal solid waste.
Treating 21 million litres of wastewater produces only 1–2 tonnes of residual solids per year. These solids are then converted into biochar, a charcoal-like, carbon-rich material made by heating organic matter in a low-oxygen environment. This reduces the final waste mass by around 80%, which is reusable.
The innovative technology also delivers important environmental protections beyond low carbon footprint. By removing excess nutrients, suspended solids and harmful micropollutants, it significantly reduces freshwater pollution and eutrophication – the over-enrichment of nutrients that causes poor water and soil quality- helping protect biodiversity.
Professor Luisa Orsini, the senior author of the study, said: “By combining scientific creativity and nature-based solutions, with a deep understanding of the regulatory landscapes, our team has developed a technology to harness Daphnia’s biofiltration capabilities to remove pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals from wastewater.
“By applying advanced life-cycle assessment approaches that explicitly account for chemical burden, we address urgent and emerging threats driving the global water crisis and enable a comprehensive evaluation of the true environmental footprint of wastewater treatment technologies from end to end. This approach allows us to determine whether a solution genuinely reduces environmental harm.”
This new research is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers across the University (Professor Mohamed Abdallah, Dr Iestyn Stead and Dr William Stubbings), external collaborators and industry partners.
Nooshin Barzegar Marvasti is an overseas PhD student supported by the Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP). Her doctoral research is co-funded by Stopford, an engineering consultancy, and Daphne Water Solutions, which provided access to operational sites, technology platforms and water-industry partners. The work was funded by the Horizon Europe HORIZON-IA project UPSTREAM (101112877).
For media enquiries and more information please contact Holly Young, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: +44 (0)7815 607 157.
Integrating persistent mobile toxic chemicals and micropollutants into life cycle assessment: a cradle-to-grave evaluation of a low-carbon, nature-based wastewater treatment technology - Nooshin Barzegar Marvasti, Iestyn Stead, Luisa Orsini et al is published in Water Research, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2026.125430
About the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
Professor of Evolutionary Systems Biology and Environmental Omics
Dr Orsini applies high throughput sequencing technologies and AI to understand the impact of environmental change on freshwater ecosystems.
