Lunasonic wins support from Water Discovery Challenge
Published: 21 July 2026
University of Glasgow chemists are set to advance their research into how sound waves can remove harmful pollutants from drinking water after being named as a finalist in a national funding competition.
University of Glasgow chemists are set to advance their research into how sound waves can remove harmful pollutants from drinking water after being named as a finalist in a national funding competition.
The Lunasonic project, based at the School of Chemistry, has received £100,000 from Ofwat’s Water Discovery Challenge to support their research in sonochemistry, a technique which uses focused beams of ultrasound to drive chemical reactions.
Lunasonic are one of 20 projects selected by Ofwat to share in £7.5m in new funding. The Water Discovery Challenge is part of Ofwat’s Water Innovation Fund which is supporting a multitude of solutions that tackle the water sector’s greatest challenges across multiple competitions. The Water Discovery Challenge is dedicated to supporting the development of ideas from innovators across industries, particularly those new to the water sector.
As well as benefiting from the seed funding, Lunasonic will also be supported with seven months of mentorship to support commercialisation and expert guidance from water companies, to push solutions further and test the feasibility of the solutions in real-world settings at scale.
Lunasonic was formed by Shaun Fletcher and Dr Lukman Yusuf, who are part of the School of Chemistry’s Symes Group, led by Professor Mark Symes. The group have been working to develop an ultrasonic treatment technology that destroys persistent organic pollutants in water.
They have already demonstrated in lab tests how focused waves of sound can be used to create conditions similar to the surface of the sun in microscopic bubbles of contaminated water.
The heat energy briefly created in those bubbles is strong enough to break molecules of common water pollutants like BPA into harmless substances including carbon dioxide without the use of additional chemicals or catalysts.
The new funding will help the team test the technique’s effectiveness in conditions closer to how it might be used in real-world environments like water treatment plants.
They will explore how their technology can be used to remove pollutants from larger quantities of free-flowing water which contain additional waste materials alongside their target chemicals.
Lunasonic's Shaun Fletcher
Shaun Fletcher said: “We’re pleased and proud to have been selected to receive this funding from Ofwat. The technology we’re developing has a great deal of potential to help the water sector tackle the contamination of our water supplies by actively destroying harmful pollutants, contrast to the expensive techniques currently in use which separate the pollutants instead.”
Dr Yusuf said: “This support will help us further validate our technique and demonstrate the potential of a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly, and more effective method of ensuring our water is free of forever chemicals like PFAS. We’re planning to work with partners in the water sector in the future to set up field trials and move towards establishing our technology as ready for adoption by industry.”
Jo Jolly, Director, Innovation, Ofwat, said: “With our rapidly changing climate, it is more vital more than ever that we double down on our efforts to create a water system able to support lives and livelihoods, including for future generations we will never meet. In opening our doors to innovators outside the water sector, we have invited fresh perspectives to tackle head-on some of our greatest challenges. With this line-up of finalist projects, we are reminded that tackling the climate and nature crises isn’t limited by intellect or creativity. The array of new ideas from new players is astounding. The challenge is getting these ideas delivering impact on the ground, with the sense of urgency these times need.”
In April 2027, as many as 10 of the 20 finalists will go on to win up to £550,000 each to further develop and test their ideas, and will be offered an additional five-month package of non-financial support and sector mentorship, to maximise the chance of the innovations launching and succeeding in the water sector.
The challenge is run by innovation prize experts Challenge Works, part of Nesta, in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities, and is part of a series of competitions from the Water Innovation Fund.
The Water Innovation Fund is a key pillar in Ofwat’s mission to drive innovation that ensures the water sector is ready for the challenges of the future and results in better outcomes for customers and the environment.
To find out more about all 20 finalists, visit the Water Discovery Challenge website.
First published: 21 July 2026