ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP (ETRG) Examples of our research Page 1 of 9

Contents 1. Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils and Sediments 3 2. Investigations into Sustainable Drainage Systems 5 3. Evaluation of Novel Package Sewage Treatment Systems 7 4. Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Processing 8 5. Contact 9 Page 2 of 9

Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils and Sediments The Environmental Technology Research Group (ETRG) has undertaken several studies into the potential of wetland plants for remediation of pollutants in wastewaters through the use of constructed wetlands. Wetland plants have the ability to maintain oxidised conditions in their rhizospheres which, combined with relatively fast growth of underground tissues, also make them ideal plants for phytoremediation of soils and sediments. Studies have considered the engineering design of remediation strategies in conjunction with detailed studies of treatment mechanism and microbial ecology of reed rhizospheres. Horsea Lagoon Study Horsea Lagoon is a semi-saline close to Portsmouth; it is approximately 75 m long and 25 m wide. It received runoff from a naval fire training facility for over 50-years and has subsequently been isolated using a sheet pile dam. It has a legacy of contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons and levels of over 100,000 mg/kg DW Diesel Range Organics have been recorded in the sediment deposits which are over 1 m deep. The MoD funded a 3-year PhD study to assess if phytoremediation with wetland plants was a viable option for cleaning up the site. Horsea Lagoon Growth Trials of Phragmites Australis in Horsea Sediments Various studies, both in-situ and in microcosms, have demonstrated the ability of Phragmites and Typha sp. to grow in the sediment and promote populations of microorganisms that breakdown hydrocarbons. However chemical investigations suggest that the pollutant levels may be too high for phytoremediation to be an effective solution for this site. The PhD resulting from this project has been submitted and is awaiting examination. PhD Student: Supervisors: Pinchin Williams, May, Mant Page 3 of 9

PhD Theses Pinchin, H. 2012. Investigations on The Feasibility of Using Phytoremediation for Treatment of Hydrocarbon - Contaminated Sediments at Horsea Lagoon. PhD Thesis (submitted). University of Portsmouth. Ongoing Studies Two PhD students started in 2011/12 examining how phytoremediation may be extended to similar problems in other parts of the world: Phytoremedation of Contaminated Soils in the Niger Delta (PhD Student: Shuaibu; Supervisors: Williams, Watts, Mant) Phytoremedation of Contaminated Oil Lakes in Kuwait (PhD Student: Almutairi; Supervisors: Ali, Mant, Williams) Page 4 of 9

Investigations into Sustainable Drainage Systems The Environmental Technology Research Group (ETRG) has been involved in SUDs research for many years following on from studies into using ponds and wetland plants for wastewater treatment. The detention ponds on the A34 Newbury Bypass were monitored for 5-years after the road opened, in collaboration with Mott McDonald and the Highways Agency. More recently the Group has been active in investigating the application of SUDs for housing developments and has revisited the A34 sites to assess the long term build up of pollutants. Newlands MDA KTP Mayer Brown Ltd Newlands is a planned development of 2550 homes by Grainger PLC at Waterlooville, about 10 miles north of Portsmouth. The ETRG have worked closely with the Environment Agency and Mayer Brown, the infrastructure designers for the site, to evaluate the baseline conditions of local water course and undertake studies of the SUDs installed for the access roads. This has included hydrological instrumentation (rainfall, inflow and outflow) being installed on a detention pond and water/sediment quality being assessment. This was funded by a Business+ and TSB Knowledge Transfer Partnership and culminated in a dissemination event attended by 90 SUDs related professionals. As the development was delayed by the downturn in the housing market this project finished before the construction of houses began, however there are plans to continue the monitoring through the initial construction and occupancy stages of the site. Newlands Access Road Detention Pond under Construction Newlands Access Road Detention Pond after One Year Ongoing Studies The KTP with Mayer Brown has lead to two PhD studies into specific aspects of SUDs technology: 1. CFD Modelling of Sediment Behaviour in Vegetated Detention Ponds The monitoring of sediment characteristics and water quantity has continued on the instrumented pond at Waterlooville. This is providing data to develop a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the water velocity profiles in the pond, taking into account the effect of emergent wetland vegetation. This will be combined with a model of the sediment settling characteristics. A validated model will then allow Page 5 of 9

various pond geometries and planting patterns to be investigated to improve designs for pollutant removal. CFD Velocity Profiles in the Newlands Pond PhD Student: Tsavdaris Supervisors: Williams, Mitchell, Mant 2. Comparison of TPH and PAHs in Source and Non-Source Control SUDs Systems Source control is one of the main tenents of SUDs philosophy, however the contribution this makes to the pollution control aspects of SUDs has received limited study. This project has matched source control and non-source control SUDs sites serving housing developments, car parks and the trunk road network and will monitor the levels of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the water and soil/sediments over two years. PAH in Soils of a Domestic SUDs Swale and Detention Pond System PhD Student: Supervisors: Roinas Williams, Mant Page 6 of 9

Evaluation of Novel Package Sewage Treatment Systems Dr John Williams, Dr Eric May, Dr Catherine Mant, Dr Joy Watts The facilities at the Centre for Environmental Technology allow full pilot scale evaluation of pilot sewage treatment systems with real sewage to be undertaken at on site laboratories. This has been attractive to companies developing novel and package sewage treatment systems. The Environmentals Technology Research Group (ETRG) have worked with a number of companies and have recently had two PhD completions in the fields of wastewater process analysis. KTP WPL Ltd WPL Ltd and the ETRG at the University of Portsmouth have worked together for over 18 years on a range of projects. This ongoing relationship has seen the award of four PhDs and numerous publications. A recent TSB Knowledge Transfer Partnership has examined novel treatment systems for sewage and sludge with 3 x 2 year KTP associates working on the project. This has seen the characterisation and evaluation of two new technologies. One of which has seen commercial exploitation. The commercial benefits have been matched by the academic outcomes with several papers and student projects resulting from the work. Six Replicate Prototype Wastewater Treatment Systems at the CET Associates: Supervisors: Sherlock, Costa-Fox, Watkins Williams, May, Mant PhD Theses Sherlock, N. 2009. An Evaluation of the Robust Aerobic Digestion System. PhD Thesis. University of Portsmouth. Watkins, S. 2011. Physico-chemical and Microbial Factors Affecting the Operation of a Package Wastewater Treatment. PhD Thesis. University of Portsmouth. Page 7 of 9

Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Processing Waste water processing is a potential pathway for pharmaceuticals to enter aquatic ecosystems or return to the agricultural food chain. The insidious impact of these xenobiotic compounds poses a major environmental hazard. The Environmental Technology Research Group (ETRG) have previously examined the fate of plasticiser phthalates in waste waters and this has extended into considering the fate of pharmaceuticals. Currently the ETRG has EPSRC and BBSRC (based in Biological Sciences) Industrial CASE PhD students working with Astra Zeneca to examine the fate of common pharmaceuticals in Biological Nutrient Removal Wastewater Process and anaerobic sludge treatment followed by agricultural land disposal. Pharmaceuticals in Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) Wastewater Process BNR systems involve the cycling of sewage between aerobic and anoxic zones to promote denitrification and phosphorous uptake, although the latter is more often removed by chemical dosing. This study is examining the effect these changing environmental conditions have on the fate of a range of common pharmaceuticals (e.g. carbamazpine, caffeine, salicylic acid propranolol, diclofenac) found in wastewater. A laboratory model rig of a Sequencing Batch Reactor in BNR mode has been developed for studies on C14 radio-labelled compounds. This is being supplemented with studies of these compounds in BNR plants. Lab Scale BNR Sequencing Batch Reactor Fate of Propranolol during an SBR Cycle PhD Student: Popple Supervisors: Williams, May, Mills Page 8 of 9

Contact Dr John Williams Research and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator john.williams@port.ac.uk School of Civil Engineering and Surveying University of Portsmouth Portland Building Portland Street Portsmouth (UK) PO1 3AH www.port.ac.uk/sces Page 9 of 9