Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/P016820/1
Detoxification and Multi-Resource Recovery from Landfill Leachate
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr J Pandhal, University of Sheffield, Chemical & Biological Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr S Brown, University of Sheffield, Chemical & Biological Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor W Zimmerman, University of Sheffield, Chemical & Biological Engineering
- Grant held at:
- University of Sheffield, Chemical & Biological Engineering
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Unknown
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Bioremediation
- Biotreatment
- Environmental biotechnology
- Heavy metals
- Organic pollutants
- Waste
- Water waste
- Environmental biotechnology
- Bioremediation of Waste
- Landfill Management
- Recovery of Waste Materials
- Waste Management
- Biochemistry & physiology
- Waste
- Water quality
- Environmental Microbiology
- Phytoplankton
- Algae
- Microorganisms
- Abstract:
- Despite improved recycling infrastructure and public awareness, the UK still sends a staggering 17 million tonnes of municipal solid waste into landfill every year. This leads to the build up of leachate, the liquid which drains from a landfill site. Leachate contains trace chemicals, which can have strong contaminating effects on the environment, and therefore effective treatment methods are required. More to the point, however, ambitions for waste management should go beyond protection of human health and the environment, with conservation of energy and recovery of natural resources high on the agenda. This translational project aims to demonstrate an integrated process for leachate treat went and resource recovery. It involves three innovations: a novel physical pre-treatment, enhanced treatment with adaptively evolved microbial consortia and resource recovery through efficient biomass harvesting, and hence, contributing to the UK circular economy. The outcomes cut across several NERC research priority themes e.g. 'sustainable use of natural resources' and 'environment, pollution and human health.' Leachate can vary considerably in composition, depending on the age and type of waste within the landfill, containing both dissolved and suspended organic and inorganic material. Viridor Waste Management Ltd is the third largest waste management organisation in the UK, owning over 40 sites. Approximately half the sites use foul sewers to carry contaminated wastewater to a sewage works for treatment, the rest is either transported using tankers or released to surface waters. The total annual leachate production is 1,056,716 m3 and the operational costs vary between #4-#10 per m3 (e.g. disposal costs, energy or chemicals used). The previous work includes isolation of natural microbial consortia from leachate, novel harvesting method development and estimation of potential resources recovered. The main translational activities in this project are to design and build a pilot scale photobioreactor that is fitted with all the innovations from previous NERC and non-NERC funded research. This will be installed by Varicon Solutions, TUOS Research Technician and staff at Viridor at a local landfill site (Erin). Pre-processed leachate will be fed into the photobioreactor and growth and operating parameters carefully monitored. The data will be used in a techno economic assessment for Viridor but also other end-users. An easy-to-use Resource Recovery calculator will also be created. The process will be filmed in time-lapse and used to make a video for marketing, knowledge exchange and educational purposes. Both the video and photobioreactor system will be demonstrated at a relevant Trade Show in late 2017/early 2018. The ultimate aim is to demonstrate the progress of the NERC funded research up technology readiness levels with industrial, societal and environmental impact, together with economic benefits for the project partner and wider waste management community.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/P016820/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Innovation
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Innovation Projects
This grant award has a total value of £95,726
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Investigators | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs | DI - Equipment | DA - Other Directly Allocated | DI - T&S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £12,904 | £11,480 | £19,051 | £31,859 | £3,503 | £15,000 | £316 | £1,613 |
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