Event: Ozwater’22 – Australia’s Premier Water Conference & Exhibition

Date: May 2022

Location: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia

Type of CPD: International conference / technical presentation / innovation and applied research

Duration: Multi‑day event (speaker + participant)

Summary of the Event

I attended Ozwater’22 in Brisbane, one of the largest and most influential water conferences in the Asia‑Pacific region. The event brought together utilities, researchers, technology companies, regulators and industry leaders to explore the future of water management, digital transformation, climate resilience and environmental protection.

I participated as a speaker, delivering a technical presentation on microbial activity sensing and its role in real‑time monitoring for water and wastewater systems. My session focused on how biological activity data can enhance operational performance, provide early‑warning capabilities and support more resilient, data‑driven treatment processes.

The conference provided a valuable opportunity to engage with Australian utilities and innovators, understand regional challenges and share global perspectives on emerging monitoring technologies.

My Contribution: Speaker on Microbial Activity Sensing

Presentation Title: Microbial Activity Sensing: Real‑Time Biological Insight for Smarter Water and Wastewater Operations

Key points delivered:

• Explained the scientific principles behind microbial activity sensing, including metabolic indicators and biological response signatures.
• Demonstrated how real‑time biological data can support process optimisation, treatment stability and early detection of toxicity or shock loads.
• Presented case studies showing improved operational outcomes through continuous microbial monitoring.
• Discussed integration with digital platforms, including analytics dashboards, automated alerts and AI‑driven optimisation.
• Highlighted opportunities for Australian utilities to adopt biological sensing technologies to improve resilience and environmental performance.
• Engaged in technical discussions with operators, researchers and technology partners.

Key Themes Covered

Asia‑Pacific water sector challenges Drought, decentralised systems, and the need for robust monitoring in remote areas.

Real‑time monitoring and digital transformation Biological, chemical and physical sensors integrated with analytics and automation.

Operational optimisation and resilience Using biological insight to stabilise processes and reduce unplanned events.

Water quality and environmental protection Early‑warning systems for pollution events and treatment failures.

Innovation and technology adoption How utilities can evaluate, pilot and scale emerging monitoring tools.

Climate and sustainability pressures The need for adaptive, data‑driven systems in a changing environment.