Holistic Approaches to Sustainable Water Supply
IAA and Wessex Water Partnership Development Award
Departments of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology & Biochemistry, Mechanical Engineering and the School of Management, with Wessex Water
The Project
This is a major interdisciplinary project which is co-funded by Wessex Water and the University of Bath’s EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account.
The project is an integrated research programme, focussing on reedbeds and algae as sustainable water treatment processes, enhanced biogas generation from anaerobic digestion, through life costing and capital asset management, advanced analytical chemistry, and consumer perception and innovation in the water sector.
Vacancies
We are currently recruiting the following six posts to deliver this exciting project.
PhD student, Department of Mechanical Engineering
The PhD student will focus on providing an approach for integrating Life cycle assessment/impact and cost to ascertain the most appropriate time to renew/dispose of current assets. This strand is led by Dr Marcelle McManus and Dr Linda Newnes.
Knowledge Exchange Officer, Department of Chemical Engineering
This strand of the project involves the enhancement of biogas recovery from existing anaerobic digestor systems, and the development of new pre-treatment options for waste activated sludge, in order to increase biogas generation from this source. Process modelling and economic evaluation will also be part of the work. The post will involve working alongside an analytical chemist and an applied microbiologist. This strand is led by Dr Tom Arnot.
Knowledge Exchange Officer, Department of Chemistry
This strand of the project will involve the establishment of analytical methodology to detect priority and emerging environmental pollutants using several analytical techniques (including chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) and its application in water quality analysis and study of fate of pollutants during wastewater treatment. This strand is led by Dr Barbara Kaspryzk-Hordern.
Knowledge Exchange Officer, School of Management
This research post involves conducting, managing, and reporting on applied research within a collaborative ‘innovation lab’ set-up. The lab will use several approaches: identifying innovative service models from within the Water sector and other industries; engaging select stakeholders and customers in the service design process; and exploring opportunities for service innovation and related technology use. The lab also explores how the Water industry, customers, and related industries can change expectations about each other’s roles in sustainable (ecosystems oriented) water consumption and resilience. This strand is led by Dr Svenja Tams and Prof Eric Arnould.
Knowledge Exchange Officer, Department of Biology & Biochemistry
This strand of the project involves a main focus on the evaluation of reed beds as sustainable water treatment systems. In particular we are interested in understanding the relative contributions of the plant, microbial and filter media with respect to pollutant removal and degradation. Additionally we will be evaluating the potential for algae for removing nutrients from water streams. This strand is led by Prof Rod Scott and Prof David Leak.
This new role will support two substantive activities, i) this £1.5M research programme funded by Wessex Water, and ii) a project to assist up to 5 research projects in planning and delivering knowledge exchange activities as part of pathways to impact.
Project Team at the University of Bath
Dr Tom Arnot, Principal Investigator, Dept of Chemical Engineering
Prof Eric Arnould, Co-Investigator, School of Management
Dr Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, Co-Investigator, Dept of Chemistry
Prof David Leak, Co-Investigator, Dept of Biology and Biochemistry
Dr Marcelle McManus, Co-Investigator, Dept of Mechanical Engineering
Dr Linda Newnes, Co-Investigator, Dept of Mechanical Engineering
Prof Rod Scott, Co-Investigator, Dept of Biology and Biochemistry
Dr Svenja Tams, Co-Investigator, School of Management
Dr Denise Cooke, Project Manager