Event: WEX Global 2022 – Water & Energy Exchange

Date: June 2022

Location: Valencia, Spain

Type of CPD: International conference / technical speaking / innovation and strategic networking

Duration: Multi‑day event (speaker + participant)

Summary of the Event

I attended WEX Global 2022 in Valencia, an international forum that brings together senior leaders from utilities, technology companies, investors, policymakers and environmental organisations. The event focuses on accelerating innovation across the water, energy and environmental sectors through high‑level dialogue, technology showcases and collaborative workshops.

I participated as a speaker, delivering a technical presentation on microbial activity sensing and its growing role in real‑time monitoring for water and wastewater systems. My session explored how biological activity data can support operational optimisation, early‑warning capabilities and improved environmental performance.

WEX Global provided an excellent platform for strategic engagement, enabling discussions with global utilities and innovators on the future of digital water, monitoring technologies and climate‑resilient operations.

My Contribution: Speaker on Microbial Activity Sensing

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

Key points delivered:

• Explained the scientific foundations of microbial activity sensing, including metabolic indicators and biological response patterns.
• Demonstrated how continuous biological data enhances process stability, treatment optimisation and pollution event detection.
• Presented case studies showing improved operational outcomes through real‑time microbial monitoring.
• Discussed integration with digital platforms, including analytics dashboards, automated alerts and AI‑driven optimisation tools.
• Highlighted opportunities for utilities to adopt biological sensing as part of broader digital transformation strategies.
• Engaged in panel discussions and follow‑up conversations with international delegates.

Key Themes Covered

Global collaboration International perspectives on digital water, innovation ecosystems and future research priorities.

Digital transformation and real‑time monitoring 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 toxicity, shock loads and treatment failures.

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

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