1 Water Innovation and Research Centre - University of Bath · The researchers worked with Wessex...

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Water Innovation and Research Centre

Introducing the Water Innovation and Research CentreIn October 2014, The University of Bath and Wessex Water established the Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC). The Centre brings together all the water research carried out at the University, enabling us to find new opportunities across a range of disciplines.

Water is essential to society in so many ways. Research and innovation in water are vital in creating and sustaining economic prosperity, maintaining a healthy environment and preserving nature in all its beauty and biodiversity.

WIRC brings together world-leading expertise to tackle the grand challenges of water in the modern world. Our highly qualified, multi-disciplinary project teams have a long history of collaborating with industrial partners, and our excellent research facilities are helping to generate practical and sustainable solutions. We occupy a unique position in water research in the UK and are an ideal partner for solving long-term water challenges.

This brochure gives you an overview of some of the projects our teams are involved in. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you would like to work with us or study in our centre.

Professor Jan HofmanDirector of the Water Innovation and Research Centre

ContentsPostgraduate research & teaching 5 at WIRC@Bath

FRESH CDT: Experimental wetland 7 project with Wessex Water

Meeting the key challenges 8 faced by the water sector

Catchment area management 8

Coastal and ocean engineering 10

Sensors and data 12

Urban water management 14

Wastewater collection and treatment 16

Water awareness and human behaviour 18

Water in the circular economy 20

Water supply from source to tap 22

GW4 Water Security Alliance 25

Work with us at WIRC@Bath 26

Postgraduate research & teaching at WIRC@BathIn our highly successful Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), scientists and students from the GW4 universities – Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter – as well as the world-class research organisations the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and British Geological Survey (BGS), collaborate with partners from the water sector to develop new innovative solutions for today’s water challenges, and create impact for society.

You will find a wide range of options for studying and carrying on your research with us. Our Centres for Doctoral Training include:

Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) CSCT’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Chemical Technologies offers four-year integrated PhD studentships, also funded by EPSRC, including a theme on water quality and water treatment.

Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability (FRESH) Our NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Biosciences and Sustainability (FRESH CDT) provides a world-class doctoral research and training environment with focus on freshwater biology and ecology.

Water Informatics: Science and Engineering (WISE) The WISE CDT is an EPSRC-funded partnership between the GW4 universities of Exeter, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff, and gives you the chance to develop and carry out PhD-level research with focus on modelling, data and sensors for water.

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FRESH CDT: Experimental wetland project with Wessex Water

Wessex Water is constructing a new wetland for wastewater effluent polishing of the Cromhall Sewage Treatment Works near Bristol. The aim is to further reduce phosphorous emissions coming from the wastewater and create a better understanding of the biological and chemical processes involved.

The project provides a unique opportunity for combining science and with a full-scale trial. As this is a new development, we can investigate the plant growth in the wetland and the influence of different substrates.

The FRESH CDT supports this project with three studentships investigating the following topics

• The microbial ecology and the fate of pathogens in the wetland

• The biological and chemical processes that control the availability of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous in the wetland

• The speciation and removal of organic micro pollutants such as medicines and their metabolites

Globally leading experts from the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter supervise the students on these projects.

“Wessex Water is excited to be working with the FRESH CDT to better understand the nutrient, emerging contaminant and bacterial cycling within a new tertiary treatment wetland.This will be the largest experimental wetland in the UK and the research will enable us to better design more sustainable treatment solutions in the future.”Ruth Barden, Wessex Water

Collaborators

Funded by

1. Catchment area managementWe are researching how to protect and enhance the natural environment, while also preventing pollution through land and sustaining water resources.

Example project: PhD project ‘Integrating water resources and asset management at a catchment scale: a life-cycle improvement approach’

Water companies are required to include natural capital in their Asset Management Programmes (AMPs). This project is taking a novel, large-scale approach to asset management, considering natural systems and their ecosystems as part of the whole.

The research has harnessed inputs from a number of disciplines, designing and implementing catchment-based management strategies, and then assessing the environmental performance.

The researchers worked with Wessex Water Services Ltd to evaluate the approach, with the Poole catchment as a case study. The findings show that a holistic approach will enable asset management planning and that the water basin or catchment is the ideal scale to consider. The work will help water companies devise management strategies to meet challenging regulatory demands.

Members of the teamDr Marcelle McManus Department of Mechanical EngineeringProfessor Linda Newnes Department of Mechanical Engineering

SensorsandDataW

ater

in

the Circular Economy

Catc

hmen

t Areas

Water SupplyW

aste Water

Coastal Engineer

ing

Urban water management

“The Catchment Metabolism schema is based on the robust synthesis of concepts, tools and methods from a spectrum of disciplines. These include Industrial Ecology, Water Accounting, Environmental Regional Input-Output Analysis, hydrology, software engineering and functional modelling.”Dr Chrysoula Papacharalampou, former PhD student

Find out more about this theme and other projects at:www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/catchment-area-management

Sponsored by

Meeting the key challenges faced by the water sector

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Water Awareness & Human Behaviours

11 10 Meeting the key challenges faced by the water sector

2. Coastal and ocean engineeringWe are investigating all aspects of coastal water management to benefit coastal communities and areas impacted by climate change.

Example project: Dynamic coastal protection: Resilience of dynamic revetments under sea level rise (DynaRev)

Rising sea levels and storms present a challenge to beaches and the hinterland beyond. This study looks at what are known as ‘dynamic revetments’, ridges of cobbles that provide protection to the shore. The revetments are inspired by the natural example of composite beaches, where a lower foreshore of sand leads up to a backshore ridge of coarse material that stabilises the upper beach.

The project will examine the stability and performance of the revetment, and monitor the results in an energetic wave climate with rising seas. The findings will help to establish how revetments can be used as a coastal defence to help guide future developments.

Members of the teamPaul Bayle Department of Chemical Engineering: WISE/WEIR studentChris Blenkinsopp (Project Lead) Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering: Research Unit for Water, Environment and Infrastructure Resilience (WEIR)Alan Hunter Department of Mechanical Engineering

Find out more about this theme and other projects at: www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/coastal-and-ocean-engineering

Partners

“Coastal regions are becoming ever more at risk from damaging storms due to increasing storm magnitudes and rising water levels caused by our changing climate. In many areas, new coastal protection will be required to maintain the current coastal land area and in areas that are already defended, existing defences will become obsolete.”Dr Chris Blenkinsopp


3. Sensors and dataWe are developing new sensors along with innovative data processing and interpretation for reliable monitoring of water quality, sustainability and system monitoring.

Example project: Water monitoring in vulnerable communities across Colombia

Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right. Yet in Colombia, illegal mining severely affects water used for direct consumption, agriculture and fishing across rural and indigenous communities. Mercury-derived diseases in these areas are common.

We have developed a low-cost, portable and easy-to-use water sensing tool to empower communities. Users can gain an overview of water quality in real time and detect the presence of any toxic heavy metals. The tool also enables the collection of data to give an overview of the environmental and health issues facing over eight million citizens in mining areas.

Watch a short feature film “Water Sweet Water” documenting the work of the researchers: vimeo.com/272734334

This project was nominated and highly commended for the 2018 IChemE Global Award for Water.

Members of the teamDr Elena Bernalte Morgado Department of Chemical EngineeringDr Mirella Di Lorenzo Department of Chemical EngineeringDr Pedro Estrela Department of Electronic & Electrical EngineeringDr Jannis Wenk Department of Chemical Engineering

“In order to guarantee the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities in Colombia and to protect the environment, it is necessary to have a control of the level of pollution of drinking water… it is crucial to implement effective monitoring tools that are cheap, easy-to-use and that can operate on-site and in real time.”Dr Elena Bernalte Morgado

Partner

Find out more about the theme and other projects at: www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/sensors-and-data


4. Urban water managementWe are developing new approaches to urban water management and water governance to deal with growing urbanisation in society.

Example project: ReNEW; Developing resilient nations – towards a public health early warning system via urban water profiling

Urbanisation, population growth, lack of infrastructure and climate change are all posing huge risks to public and environmental health, particularly in low and middle income (LMIC) countries. This project aims to develop an innovative solution by rapidly identifying and responding to deteriorating public health and environmental conditions.

The project measures specific hazard biomarkers in urban water from different communities in real time. This will enable authorities to rapidly evaluate public health, predict any future crisis and mitigate any hazards before they lead to casualties or fatalities.

This cutting-edge project will develop innovative tools for public health analysis, helping to reduce morbidity and mortality while increasing the resilience of the urban environment. The study will focus on the city of Stellenbosch in particular, assessing exactly what is required of a multi-hazard early warning system in South Africa and beyond.

Team leadsProfessor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern Department of ChemistryProfessor Gideon Wolfaardt (Stellenbosch University)

Partner

Funded by

Find out more about this theme and other projects at www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/urban-water-management

“Easy to operate and cost effective [early warning systems] are urgently needed to provide timely response and to tackle key public health issues in communities that need it most, and to reduce disease spread globally. Urban water profiling can provide such a response in real-time and, if linked with a timely response system, it could reduce burden on public health in LMIC and ultimately worldwide.”Prof. Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern


5. Wastewater collection and treatmentWe are developing novel waste water treatment and processing options to optimise the use of waste water as a resource and improve urban drainage.

Example project: Sewer systems of the future – development of a stochastic sewer model to support sewer design under water conservation measures

As water becomes scarcer and the pressure for sustainable and efficient water use rises, we will see a reduction in water consumption. That, in turn, means less water flowing to the sewer. So what effect will this have on our sewer systems and the way we dispose of wastewater? This project investigates the impact of water conservation on our sewers, aiming to identify ways to improve the design of a low-flow system.

The research findings will help to shape sewer design in the future, ensuring suitability and sustainability. The work will develop a model that will be used in a larger project alongside TU Delft to monitor the entire urban water system, paving the way for new urban water transport systems. The project will look into opportunities for recovering resources and reducing water use to ensure a sustainable water system in the future.

Members of the teamOlivia Bailey (PhD student and Project Lead) Department of Chemical EngineeringJan Hofman Department of Chemical EngineeringTom Arnot Department of Chemical EngineeringZoran Kapelan TU DelftMiriam Blokker KWR Water Research Institute (NL)Jan Vreeburg Evides Water Company (NL)Dave Searby Wessex Water Find out more about this theme and other projects at: www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/wastewater-collection-and-treatment

Collaborators“Reducing water demand is a top priority within the water industry, both in the UK and globally.”Olivia Bailey, MEng AIChemEt

Funded by


6. Water awareness and human behaviourWe are investigating new ways in which we can influence domestic and commercial users of water, with the aim to reduce costs and improve sustainability.

Example project: Reducing energy dependency in Atlantic area water networks (REDAWN)

The water industry is the fourth most energy-intensive sector in the Atlantic area (AA), playing a significant part in climate change and hampering the region’s economic competitiveness. The REDAWN project brings together 15 partners from five countries around the Atlantic coast working towards greater efficiency in water networks through innovative micro-hydropower (MHP) technology.

There is currently great potential to save energy, costs and environmental impacts across the AA networks, but a number of barriers are hindering progress. This project’s MHP technology will recover wasted energy across irrigation, water supply, process industry and wastewater networks. REDAWN will help to develop technology and policy, and will raise awareness to overcome the barriers, improving the energy efficiency of water suppliers and end users across the region. That could lead to lower energy consumption, and cut costs and prices for producers and consumers. REDAWN could also have an impact on competitiveness and food production and bring down the cost of water to benefit the socially disadvantaged.

Project lead at BathDr Kemi Adeyeye Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

“REDAWN aims to improve the energy efficiency of water networks through the installation of innovative micro-hydropower technology. This technology will recover wasted energy in existing pipe networks across irrigation, public water supply, process industry, and wastewater network settings.”Dr Kemi Adeyeye

The REDAWN project brings together 15 partners from five countries around the Atlantic coast working towards greater efficiency in water networks.

Find out more about this theme and other projects at: www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/water-awareness-and-human-behaviour

Find out more about this project: www.redawn.eu

Funded by

20 Meeting the key challenges faced by the water sector

7. Water in the circular economyWe explore ways to get the most out of water by reducing waste production as much as possible and recovering waste materials and residuals as a valuable resource.

Example project: Towards a next generation of water systems and services for the circular economy (NextGen)

This Horizon2020 Framework Programme project will look at different technologies to find ways of reusing and recovering important resources, including water, energy and materials, by taking a circular economy approach.

The project will focus on ten high profile, large-scale case studies across Europe, demonstrating new and effective ways for closing the water, energy and materials cycles in the water sector. The research will also pinpoint any challenges and opportunities across policy and regulatory frameworks that circular solutions introduce.

By engaging end-users and the public, and by analysing economic and political bottlenecks, we expect that the technological advances will be supported by evidence-based social, economic and political mechanisms, such as news articles and policy briefs. The project also aims at creating new market opportunities for businesses in Europe.

Members of the teamJan Hofman Department of Chemical EngineeringAna Lanham Department of Chemical EngineeringAlistair Hunt Department of EconomicsJessica Lloyd-Evans Institute for Policy Research

Fresh watersource

Natural flows Diverted flows

Supply systems

Replenish(Infiltration, ponds,aquifer recharge)

Nature Managed Human Managed

Replenish(Managed aquifer recharge,

indirect potable reuse)

Re-optimise(Ecosystem Adaptation/Evolution)

Reuse(TreatmentWetlands)

Recycle

AvoidReduceReuse

Storage

Water use

Outflows

Find out more about this project: www.nextgenwater.eu www.nextgenwater.eu/demonstration-cases/filton-airfield Find out more about this theme and other projects at www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/water-in-the-circular-economy

“The demand for water, energy and resources is growing rapidly in the world. To sustain economic growth, the principles of circular economy have to be adopted.”Professor Jan HofmanDepartment of Chemical Engineering

Partners


8. Water supply from source to tapWe are developing an integrated approach to deliver drinking water in a robust and sustainable manner that complies with modern standards.

Example project: New microbubble method for dissolved air flotation The main aim of this PhD project is to investigate the effectiveness of a new method of microbubble production. The project will use and assess a dissolution type microbubble generator for Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) in water treatment. The hope is that the new method will enhance the energy efficiency of the separation process.

If the project demonstrates that the microbubble method is more effective, it could pave the way for the upgrading of existing water treatment facilities. The project’s modelling and experimental work should also provide new insights into the existing DAF process.

Members of the teamBert Swart Department of Chemical EngineeringDr John Chew Department of Chemical EngineeringDr Jannis Wenk Department of Chemical Engineering

Find out more about this theme and other projects at www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/water-supply-from-source-to-tap

“Three phase modelling of DAF [at the gas/liquid/solid interface] is an area which hasn’t been explored extensively by researchers… This presents an opportunity to provide new insights into DAF via the proposed project.”Bert Swart

Funded by

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GW4 Water Security AllianceWIRC@Bath is part of GW4 Water Security Alliance (WSA), an inter-disciplinary water research partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter.

Water security means making sure there is enough water of the right quality in the right place at the right time, underpinning the ecosystems that provide for people, industry, agriculture and the wider environment.

With 200+ academics across four leading UK research institutions, the GW4 Water Security Alliance (WSA) is the largest UK water research consortium – and one of the largest worldwide. It brings together academics and stakeholders with a common vision of addressing the impact of global change on water to benefit people and the environment.

The Alliance is a platform for:

• Increasing cross-institutional working;

• Sharing state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, equipment and training resources;

• Forging long-term collaborative relationships across multiple sectors and industries;

• Fostering multidisciplinary water research excellence to increase international recognition and impact.

Learn more about the alliance:

www.gw4water.com/

@Gw4Water

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Work with us at WIRC@BathIf you would like to harness the knowledge and skills at one of the world’s leading centres for water research, we would be very happy to discuss the potential. The Research and Innovation Services (RIS) at the University of Bath is your first port of call.

If you are interested in collaborating or engaging with us, please get in touch:

Dr Izaro Lopez Garcia Business Development ManagerResearch and Innovation Services (RIS)Email: [email protected]: +44 (0)1225 38 3904

You can find more information on Research and Innovation Services here:www.bath.ac.uk/ris

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University of BathClaverton DownBathBA2 7AY

Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3140Email: [email protected]

@WIRCBath blogs.bath.ac.uk/water/ go.bath.ac.uk/wirc

Water Innovation & Research

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Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC@Bath)

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