STREAM Student Receives Emerging Talent Award

Sarah Cotterill (Cohort IV) was awarded the prestigious Emerging Talent Award from Future Water Association last week! Here is some background on the Award and what Sarah has been up to lately. 

Future Water Association is a business support organisation for the water sector. They were founded in 1986 and focus on shaping the future of the sector, by increasing engagement, stimulating new thinking, generating business growth, and influencing stakeholders. Nominations for their Emerging Talent Award are open between December and March for water-focussed businesses to put forward “a young person (30 or younger) who is new to your company (within the last five years) that has: 

• achieved beyond expectations by bringing something new to you company 

• demonstrated leadership 

• an interest in water and the environment”

The award, this year, was sponsored by Arup. 

"I’ve recently been working as an Innovation Manager (a postdoctoral research position) at The Water Hub (www.thewaterhub.org.uk). TWH is a collaborative ERDF project between Durham University, Durham County Council, Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water. I’ve led projects on sustainable drainage (SuDS) and water efficiency. I’ve supported innovative small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with technology development, access to real-world test and demonstration facilities, and helped them to apply for funding. I’ve also organised a number of events - including our annual networking event ‘RIPPLE’www.thewaterhub.org.uk/ripple 

I’ve just accepted a position at University College Dublin, and will begin as an Assistant Professor/Lecturer in Civil Engineering (specialising in Water) in August. "

Congratulations Sarah!

Metaldehyde removal using innovative biofilms

Metaldehyde is a widely used pesticide, used to protect plants from slugs and snails. You’ve probably even used some yourself if you’ve ever bought slug pellets. However, when it enters water, it is extremely difficult to remove, making it responsible for most of the pesticide related drinking water failures in the UK. It often seeps into water supplies when it rains, so it’s hard to prevent the contamination. Metaldehyde poisoning is often deadly in animals, and moderately toxic by ingestion in humans, causing stomach and intestinal irritation as well as kidney and liver damage. 

 As a result, it is important to find innovative ways to remove it from drinking water. However, creating additional by-products is undesirable, as these require safe disposal, and an energy-intensive method would lead to additional costs. STREAMer Catherine Rolph conducted research to see how effective a film, made from activated carbon and microbes, was in comparison to the standard sand media currently used. 
Introducing the biological activated carbon was found to remove 94% of metaldehyde, however this needs to be regenerated regularly to maintain that level of absorption and therefore is quite limited. Biofilms were found to be less effective with 41% removal, but would work well as a complementary method to current metaldehyde removal, which would not only increase the efficiency and avoid related public health concerns, but do so without raising the cost of treatment and therefore water bills for the consumers.

Full article: 
Metaldehyde removal from drinking water by adsorption onto filtration media: mechanisms and optimisation, CA Rolph, B Jefferson, F Hassard, R Villa, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 4 (10), 1543-1552