The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee continues its inquiry into the efficient use and management of reactive nitrogen by focussing on the role of the wastewater sector.
The session will start at 10am on Wednesday 12 March in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster and can be followed live or afterwards on Parliament TV.
Giving evidence at 10am will be:
- David Johnson,
Technical Director, The Rivers Trust; - Pär Larshans,
Sustainability Director, Ragn-Sells; - Mike Rose,
CEO, UK Water Industry Research.
Members are expected to ask questions on:
- sources of pollution from wastewater;
- current nitrogen management approaches;
- upstream nitrogen management approaches;
- technologies to capture and re-use nitrogen;
- policy barriers and solutions.
Nitrogen (N) is a naturally abundant element with nearly 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere composed of the inert gas di-nitrogen, N2. Over the last century, conversion of N2 into reactive forms has increased significantly through the Haber-Bosch process – primarily for fertiliser production – and the burning of fossil fuels. This has caused unprecedented changes to the global nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen pollution has significant public health and environmental impacts: on water quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem health and biodiversity, and soil quality.
