2003 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

Home Page

Table of contents

Index by Author

Index by topics

Search


Queen's University Belfast
Wilson McGarel
Green Toolbox for industry

Phosphate Removal Pilot Plant

The QUESTOR Centre (Queen's University Environmental Science and Technology Research Centre) has made a successful application to the Invest Northern Ireland RTD Centres of Excellence Programme to support a major new research initiative. QUESTOR Environmental Tools is a �4.5M multidisciplinary research programme that will deliver a new generation of cost-effective and practical environmental monitoring tools for industry. The tools will allow companies to improve their environmental and economic performance in accordance with government plans for sustainable industrial development.

The QUESTOR Centre has a long track record of working in partnership with industry to provide solutions to environmental problems, and has developed the Tools concept as a result of this partnership. The research programme draws together a highly experienced and unique group of engineers and scientists from Departments and Schools across Queen's University, including Agriculture, Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology. In addition, sixteen new research and technical staff have been recruited to carry out the research programme, which will initially last for three years with plans to sustain the work for at least another three years.

In total, fourteen individual projects within the programme will develop two types of tools: (a) sensor, analytical and process tools that will support analysis across a wide remit from water and wastewater treatment to remediation of contaminated 'brown field' sites, and (b) computer based tools that will support both effective decision making processes and environmental communication in order to improve environmental performance. Typical examples are a treatment tool for removal of phosphate from wastewater and a PC-based environmental communication analysis tool designed to help companies improve their approaches to environmental issues with the media.

The potential for commercialisation and exploitation of this research will also be investigated by staff from the QUESTOR Centre Applied Technology Unit, who will set up a series of technology transfer demonstrations at industrial sites throughout Ireland. The demonstrations will be used to show invited audiences from industry the environmental and economic benefits of each tool in the toolbox.

Contact: Dr Wilson McGarel, Director, The QUESTOR Centre, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG;
Tel: 02890 335577; Fax: 02890 661462; E-mail: [email protected] ; Web: http://questor.qub.ac.uk