Moteur de recherche d’entreprises européennes
Financement britannique (262 181 £) : Ingénierie de l’élimination des micropolluants des eaux usées par les ménages Ukri 19/12/2014 Recherche et innovation du Royaume-Uni, Royaume Uni
Vue d’ensemble
Texte
Ingénierie de l’élimination des micropolluants des eaux usées par les ménages
| Abstract | I aim to develop the "proof of principle" that micropollutant-degrading enzymes can be used in household washing powders and cleaning products to treat wastewater at source and thus obviate the need for energy-intensive end-of-pipe treatment technologies for micropollutant removal. Globally, 300 Mt per annum of trace contaminants (micropollutants) from hundreds of different products enter natural water systems through wastewater, some of which have significant ecotoxicological effects and unknown human effects. The best evidence of ecotoxicological effects that propagate into wildlife population crashes has so far been provided for the synthetic hormone 17a-ethinyl estradiol, in the contraceptive pill, and diclofenac. Legislative environmental quality standard limits are being considered by the EU for these two pharmaceuticals and the natural estrogen (17B-estradiol, E2); a world first for such compounds. This has important and far-reaching ramifications. Regulation of the thousands of pharmaceutical and household chemical products is slow and expensive and the possibility of replacing them with more benign alternatives is remote. Such legislation therefore places pressure on costly end-of-pipe wastewater treatment solutions such as advanced oxidation processes, which would cost up to £30 billion in the UK. These would increase the energy demand of existing assets by as much as 30%. Wastewater treatment already accounts for 1.5% of UK electricity use, and 0.5% of its CO2 emissions, in an age of increasing energy prices. Such solutions are unsustainable and inappropriate for the majority world and poorer sections of the rich world, where water affordability is an issue. Saving the river at the expense of the climate, and the poorest in society is not, in the long term, desirable. I propose a radically different scalable approach that draws on; contemporary advances in next-generation sequencing, innovation in biotechnology, and the existing know-how, marketing and global reach of household product manufacturers. I envisage a world where micropollutants will be eliminated at source using enzymes delivered in household cleaning products. |
| Category | Research Grant |
| Reference | EP/M017737/1 |
| Status | Closed |
| Funded period start | 19/12/2014 |
| Funded period end | 30/04/2018 |
| Funded value | £262 181,00 |
| Source | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FM017737%2F1 |
Participating Organisations
| NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY | |
| Unilever |
Cette annonce se réfère à une date antérieure et ne reflète pas nécessairement l’état actuel. L’état actuel est présenté à la page suivante : Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Royaume Uni.