Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | MARCH 2016 | 25 In the know A research initiative which will see six universities collaborate on meeting the water challenges of the next 50 years has been formally launched. The 'Twenty65' project is being carried out by a consortium of academic institutions led by the University of Sheffield, with the other five being Imperial College London, Newcastle University, University of Exeter, The University of Manchester and University of Reading. The project is backed by £3.9M in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). With the tagline of 'Tailored Water Solutions for Positive Impact' it will RESEARCH ROUND UP 'Grand challenge' water research project launches seek to address the 'grand challenge' of providing sustainable water for all in the face of population growth, climate change, urbanisation and ageing infrastructure in the years to 2065. It will provide thought leadership through a partnership approach between the universities, water utilities, trade associations and the supply chain. The project will address eight research areas with investigations, collaborations and white papers to be written in each area. These are demand-based treatment; synergistic water- energy systems; robotic autonomous systems for infrastructure inspection RISING UP Richard Sears, Director of Communications at Yorkshire Water, has taken over as Northern Area President for the Institute of Water. Sears, who has worked at Yorkshire Water for twenty years, will take over the role from the outgoing president, Simon Chadwick, who is the Wastewater Director at United Utilities. Terry Fuller is the new chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), replacing Nigel Hendley. Fuller has had a career spanning nearly 30 years in the water and environmental sector, most recently at Jacobs, where he was Business Development Manager. Benjamin Tam has joined innovation consultancy Isle Utilities as Senior Technology Consultant. He was previously Innovation Programme Manager at Anglian Water. Paul Taylor has been appointed Head of Programme Development for MWH in the UK. He was previously Head of Planning and Cost Management at Sellafield Ltd. It will be Taylor's second spell at MWH, having previously worked as Technical Director of Project Controls in Europe and Africa for the company. Peter Hogsden has taken over as Managing Director of Worcestershire- based Quantum Engineering Developments (QED). and rehabilitation; the city as a water resource; adapting to changing catchments; enhancing water services through mobilisation; collaboration for innovation; and foresight and integration. Professor Joby Boxall, Professor of Water Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Sheffield and the Principal Investigator for the project, said that there was no silver bullet to addressing the grand challenges and the researchers would instead seek to identify a "basket of disruptive innovations" that could provide a tailored response to the challenges in each of its work streams. Examples of some of the disruptive innovations that will be discussed in the project are "under the sink" treatment solutions that allow grey water to be used in the home, for example in flushing toilets; autonomous robots that can roam the distribution system and identify problems with infrastructure; and small- scale rainfall capture and treatment for rural communities. Kedar Pandya, Head of Engineering at EPSRC, welcomed the project and praised the collaborative approach the water sector was taking. The water grand challenge is one of four being funded by EPSRC. ● 27 Getting to Grips: Sludge Cake ● 29 Innovation Zone: OSV and Manifold ● 33 Skilling Up: Health and Safety ● 35 Products: Sampling and Analysis 17 Mar WWT Smart Water Networks Conference, Birmingham. 21 Apr Water Ireland conference, Dublin. 27 Apr WRc Innovation day, Swindon. 28 Apr WWT Asset Management conference, Birmingham. COmING UP The UK government has funded a £1.25M, multi-year innovation prize for water specialists and investors who can come up with financially viable solutions for tackling water losses in the developing world. The Dreampipe Prize, backed by the Department for International Development (DFID) aims to stem the amount of water lost in developing countries through leakage, meter inaccuracies and unauthorized use. The initiative will spur improved ways of mobilising funding to reduce the vast amounts of 'non-revenue water' (NRW) – the difference between water entering the system and water billed to customers. The total purse for prize winners is £1.25M to be distributed in several tranches over two stages (up to five in stage I and three in stage II) over the next 22 months. The competition is expected to appeal to financial specialists and water utility experts – most likely working together. Successful solutions may mobilise multiple times the prize purse in funding. Details: www.dreampipe.org Government funds developing world water prize Kedar Pandya (EPSRC) speaks at the launch

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