The hydrodynamic vortex separator (HDVS) is currently employed at wastewater treatment works and in the sewerage system as a combined sewer overflow (CSO) for the separation of solids from an incoming waste stream. This project presents the first stage in developing and aiding the existing design methodology for the optimisation of kinetic processes within the HDVS. The kinetic process design methodology combines hydraulic and kinetic principles by using the true mixing regime characteristics of a system and batch reactor data to determine a kinetic processes efficiency. This project used residence time distribution (RTD) analysis to extensively characterise the mixing regime within a model and prototype HDVS. The HDVS was operated with and without a baseflow component and with and without the sludge hopper for a range of inlet flow rates and flow splits covering design flow rates for a number of existing applications. The RTD was obtained using a pulse tracer injection method and described using the complete range of data analysis techniques typical employed in RTD studies. This includes the axial dispersion model (ADM), tanks-in-series model (TISM), RTD indices and a RTD combined mathematical model. The combined model is configured to quantify the inactive flow behaviour within the HDVS i. e. stagnant and dead volumes. The HDVS has a complex imperfect plug-flow mixing regime. This non-ideal flow behaviour is associated with both dispersion and dead volumes and results in short-circuiting. At low flow rates the HDVS operating without a baseflow contains fluid elements which conduct flow slower than the mean velocity. At high flow rates the inactive flow behaviour is associated with dead volumes and subsequently short-circuiting. The flow rate at which this change in mixing characteristics occurs is termed the transition flow rate and is approximately 151/min and 901/min for the model and prototype HDVS respectively. At all flow rates above the transition flow rate the HDVS has a very stable mixing regime, which is associated with both the inactive flow behaviour and the plug-flow mixing characteristics. The ADM and TISM parameters increase as the flow rate decreases and therefore, the HDVS has improved plug-flow mixing characteristics and reduced dispersion at low flow rates. Removing the sludge hopper reduces the inactive flow behaviour and improves the plug-flow mixing characteristics. The inactive flow behaviour within the model HDVS operating with no baseflow occupies approximately 20-40% of the total volume and similarly for the prototype HDVS 5-25% and increases as the inlet flow rate increases. The inactive flow behaviour occupies a smaller fraction of the total volume and the plug-flow mixing characteristics are also improved as the HDVS is scaled-up in size. Hence, the scale-up of the HDVS will provide a mixing regime with less short-circuiting and improved plug-flow mixing characteristics and therefore, more conducive for certain kinetic processes and particularly chemical disinfection processes. The introduction of a baseflow component alters the total mixing regime within the HDVS. The baseflow component introduces an element of plug-flow mixing and subsequently the total plug-flow mixing characteristics of the HDVS operating with a baseflow component are greater than the HDVS operating without a baseflow. The baseflow component plug-flow mixing characteristics increase and the overflowcomponent decrease as the inlet flow rate increases. Short-circuiting of the baseflow and overflow component occurs as the inlet flow rate decreasesa nd increasesr espectively. Hence, there are different mixing regimes within the HDVS associated with the overflow and baseflow component. The HDVS operating with a baseflow component has improved plug-flow mixing characteristics when the sludge hopper is included. This project was also extended to include an experimental kinetic process analysis, by investigating the first-order decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H202) using catalase. This was undertaken to compare the actual kinetic process performance within the HDVS to that estimated using the RTD. The H202 decomposition results showed that the design of the HDVS for kinetic processes can be achieved using only the RTD and relevant batch reactor data. This enables the HDVS to be optimised for kinetic process applications and eliminates the need for costly and time consuming pilot trials. The characterisation of the HDVS using RTD analysis creates scope for significant future research. This includes: alternative experimental RTD techniques, development of the RTD combined mathematical model to include a baseflow component and kinetic process principles, extensive kinetic process batch reactor investigations, application of both the hydraulic and kinetic data into chemical reactor design computer software and finally the scaling of the HDVS using the RTD and therefore the kinetic process optimisation. This work is a proactive response by practitioners and Hydro International Plc to pressure from the regulators and EU Directives, placing emphasis on the use of sophisticated treatment processes based on good scientific principles, to meet current and future stringent water quality standards.

In the UK, the Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT), estimates that for all the water and sewage companies there was over 3,365 Ml/d (megalitres per day) of water leakage in the reported period 2010 and 2011, which was still at 3094.21 Ml/day in the 2013 review. Leakage estimates do not include water siphoned illegally through unaccounted connections worsened as asset management of buried utility services has been overlooked for years. With the asset management programme framework (AMP6) due to come into effect in April 2015, water companies are expected to get more out of their existing infrastructure and making considerable investment while keeping bills reasonable for customers. Improving the management of these assets is therefore a priority, as effective asset management enables companies to reduce cost, through leakage management, to plan investments and repairs, and to evaluate operational risks by better fault prediction rather than the current reactive approach. This research focuses on the water distribution network as an asset that include leaks and pipe infrastructure with different materials and diameters. A novel method for leak detection and asset management using an electromagnetic sensor has been developed. Trials in the laboratory showed the sensor is capable of detecting pipe types and conditions thus improving leak detection and asset management in the water industry without extensive digs and modification to existing access valves within the network for system deployment. Furthermore, the sensor would potentially benefit the gas industry by modifying the frequency of operation to match gas filled cylindrical metal structures.

This research aims to propose an integrated method, which combines all the aspects required to reduce environmental impact from waste packaging and to increase knowledge on the best way to enhance reusable packaging. Through a review of the extant literature, a conceptual framework was designed of the most important dimensions to enhance reusable packaging amongst society and industries The main contributions in the research are the development of a Social Behaviour Aspect Model (SBAM) and the creation of reusable packaging attributes checklist. The SBAM can help industries focus on having high knowledge about reuse of packaging and to cooperate with communities to develop personal and social values and norms during the designing of reusable packaging. SBAM is the output from the first phase, which showed the importance of making an effort to develop packaging for consumers to reuse. The reusable packaging attributes checklist can provide a guideline for manufacturers/designers who intend to develop packaging sustainability performance through designing reusable packaging, and contribute to meet and interpret the reuse of packaging requirements and procedures. It also determines the environmental impact of reusable packaging attributes, which many industries are concerned about. The reusable packaging attributes checklist is the output from the second and third phases. The System Dynamic (SD) method was the approach used to determinate the interaction between social aspects and reusable packaging. The Normal Average, Codes and Coding and factor analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approaches were used to determine the reusable packaging attributes checklist. The last phase of the research was the conduction of a case study of a real company which needs to increase the amount of reusable packaging it uses and which seeks to reduce its environmental impact. All methods used in this research have both a quantitative and a qualitative nature. Data was collected by evaluation of consumers' responses and experts' experiences, as provided in the questionnaires. This research opens up opportunities for improving packaging and meeting sustainable profits and provides valuable information based on social, economic and environmental benefits of reusable packaging. The novelty of this research can help industries to investigate the most important areas for development within communities to enhance the use of reusable packaging and also facilitate the process-based change from one-way packaging to reusable packaging effectively with reduction of environmental impact.

The efficacy of pond treatment systems is dependent on the internal hydrodynamic and mixing interactions between aquatic vegetation and the adjacent flow. In attempting to improve pollution degradation and reduce the effects of hydraulic short circuiting, an understanding and quantification of these interactions was sought for seasonal changes in vegetation growth. Controlled laboratory studies were conducted using detailed Laser Induced Fluorometry (LIF) and Ultrasound Velocity Profiling (UVP) techniques to quantify mixing across vegetated shear layer, emergent Cattail reeds (Typha latifolia). An Optimised Finite Difference Model (OFDM) was developed to predict the best fit downstream concentration distributions given the input profiles of transverse mixing coefficient, Dy(y). The model provided strong fitting in artificial vegetation (R2 = 0.977 and 0.969 for high and low density rigid cylinders). A good fitting was also made for the winter reeds (R2 = 0.976); although the physical application of conventional shear layer theory failed to significantly improve predictions in the summer season reeds above those of a simple discontinuity functionality describing Dy(y). The form of the lateral variation in transverse mixing coefficient was confirmed in the artificial vegetation studies where peak mixing is enhanced by shear layer vortices. However, in real vegetated shear flows, the heterogeneities in stem morphology and distribution render the relative magnitude of shear layer mixing diminished when compared to other regions of the flow. It is shown that, while the OFDM provides good predictions of concentration distributions when using a physically justified profile of the transverse mixing coefficient, a discrete step formulation is sufficient for describing mixing in real vegetated shear flows. This study shows therefore, that, while shear layer mixing is dominant in artificial, uniform vegetation, transverse mixing in real vegetated flows is dominated by complex geometries, localised shear processes and bed roughness effects.

The Nigerian economy has relied heavily on crude oil production since independence in 1960. As a consequence, it has seen an influx of multinational petroleum companies with oil exploration and associated activities having significant environmental impacts, particularly oil leakage and spillage into soil and the overall degradation of the ecosystem in the Niger Delta area. This study aims to find a viable solution to the remediation of polluted soil by comparing two thermal remediation techniques, namely microwave pyrolysis and traditional pyrolysis, which has been investigated using a Gray-King retort. The polluted soil was first examined to ascertain the distribution of the soil organic carbon (SOC) with 78% found to be solvent extractable in dichloromethane/methanol, while 95 % was thermally labile and removed under hydropyrolysis (HyPy) conditions at 550 °C. The remaining 5 % of the SOC was composed of a recalcitrant residue being defined as the black or stable polyaromatic carbon fraction. The solvent extractable organic matter (EOM) was then further separated into the maltene (free phase) and asphaltene (bound phase) fractions together for comparison with a sample of Nigerian crude oil provided by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria. The Nigerian crude oil is a light crude oil with the percentage of maltene (95.2 %) was far higher than the asphaltene (4.8 %). A closer margin was observed in the percentage between the maltene (88.3 %) and asphaltene (11.7 %) in the soil EOM due to biodegradation. The biomarker profile of the EOM was compared with that of a Nigerian crude oil to confirm that the EOM contains the crude oil in the soil. Their biomarker profiles revealed that the source inputs were terrigenous from deltaic settings, of Late Upper Cretaceous age and deposited under oxic conditions. Oleanane (a pentacyclic triterpene, abundant in oils from the Niger Delta) was present in both the crude oil and EOM and the hopane and the sterane distributions (m/z 191 and m/z 217 respectively) were similar in every respect, which indicates that the probable source of the pollutant crude oil in the soil is similar in composition to the Nigerian crude oil. Accordingly, the polluted soil was treated with microwave pyrolysis and Gray-King pyrolysis to remove the crude oil pollutant. The maximum average recovered products from the thermal remediation process with Gray-King pyrolysis is 99.4 % TOC and maximum crude oil pollutant removed by Gray-King pyrolysis was 85.3 % TOC with maximum oil recovery of 70 % TOC from all the different treatment conditions, while the shortest treatment time condition gave the lowest gas yield of 10.2 % TOC. This implies that 100 % removal with respect to EOM and 89 % removal with respect to HyPy as discussed above. Furthermore, the polluted soil was also treated with microwave pyrolysis with maximum pollutant removal of 77 % TOC, which is 98.7 % removal with respect to EOM and 81 % with respect to HyPy. In conclusion, Gray-King pyrolysis removed more of the soil organic carbon than microwave pyrolysis, but the latter does have advantages regarding operability and greater output within a short treatment time.

The primary aims of this research was firstly to develop a computer modelling tool which could predict pollution retention in a rain garden and secondly to use the model and additional experiments to examine various aspects of rain garden design with respect to pollutant retention. Initially, the behaviour of all contaminants in urban runoff was examined including their retention and possible modelling methods. Heavy metals were then identified as the main focus of this project as this choice was the most beneficial addition to current research. The main factors affecting their retention were found to be macropore flow, pore water velocity, soil moisture content and soil characteristics and the primary method of modelling capture was identified as a sorption isotherm. Thus a dual-permeability heavy metal sorption model was developed; this was based on an intensive literature review of current best practice in both hydrological modelling and pollutant retention fields with respect to rain garden devices. The kinematic wave equation was chosen to model water movement in both the matrix and macropore regions as this provided a simpler alternative to more complex equations while still maintaining good accuracy. With regards to the modelling of heavy metal retention three isotherms were chosen: the linear, Langmuir and Freundlich equations as these were found from previous research to be the most accurate. These isotherms were incorporated into a one dimensional advection-dispersion-adsorption equation in order to model both transport and retention together. This model was tested against the appropriate literature and accurate comparisons were obtained thus validating it. Column experiments were designed to both provide a unique contribution to rain garden research and further validate the model. This was achieved by analysing past experiments and identifying an area where research is lacking; this area was the effect of macropore flow on heavy metal retention in rain garden systems under typical English climatic conditions. The findings of these experiments indicated that although macropore flow did not impact the hydraulic performance of the columns, retention of the most mobile of heavy metals, copper, was decreased slightly in one case. The overall retention of the columns was still high however at a value in excess of 99% for copper, lead and zinc. The results of the experiments were also used to further validate the model. The model was then applied to the development of a rain garden device for a planned roundabout in Kent, U.K. Preliminary design considered an upper root zone layer with organic soil and a sandy storage sublayer each 30 cm thick, for a rain garden area of 5 and 10% the size of the contributing impervious surface. Two scenarios were examined; the accumulation and movement of metals without macropores and the possibility of groundwater contamination due to preferential flow. It was shown that levels of lead can build up in the upper layers of the system, but only constituted a health hazard after 10 years. Simulations showed that copper was successfully retained (no significant concentrations below 50 cm of rain garden soil depth). Finally given concerns of preferential flow bypassing sustainable drainage systems, macropore flow was examined; results indicated that due to site conditions it was not a threat to groundwater at this location for the time frame considered. These actions successfully completed the objectives of this project and it was deemed successful.

Dispersion in sewers affects the concentration of pollutants within urban drainage systems and the quest to understand it has led to extensive studies of the hydraulics within circular manholes. Since there are both circular and square manholes within the urban drainage system, it is important to understand the hydraulics within a square manhole, its similarities and/or differences. This research is aimed at describing the transportation and mixing of soluble pollutants through urban drainage systems and the effects of structures such as manholes. It also seeks to study the relationship between headloss and dispersion coefficient in a full flowing pipe. Laboratory solute transport studies were carried out on a straight pipe with two diameter sizes (35 mm and 25 mm) of orifice plate inserted. Two square manhole sizes (388 mm x 388 mm and 150 mm x 150 mm) with a straight through flow was also studied at surcharge and overflow conditions. A relationship between the total headloss along the length of the pipe and the dispersion coefficient was established. With the introduction of a new parameter, a relationship was also established between the headloss due to the orifice and the dispersion coefficient when an orifice plate is inserted along the line of flow. It was observed for the large manhole size that at low surcharge depths there was more mixing occurring while at high surcharge depths the dye travels in a straight jet with some tracer trapped at the upper manhole volume. There exists a transition zone between the low and high surcharge depths which is not evident in the small size manhole. These observations mirror the phenomena that have already been observed in circular manholes. Manhole overflow studies was indicative of a completely mixed flow for the large manhole whereas for the small manhole it suggests a piston flow (sometimes referred to as plug flow) with some longitudinal dispersion occurring.

The increase in global carbon dioxide emission has raised concerns about climate change. This has caused nations to consider different carbon dioxide mitigation pathways to reduce emissions. The iron and steel industry contributes to approximately 30% of total global CO2 direct emission in the industrial sector. It is an energy intense industry. Many steel mills are operating close to thermodynamic limits in efficiency. Therefore decarbonising the steel industry through process improvements is limited. Breakthrough technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an alternative and attractive solution. In this research I have explored the application of a retrofit carbon capture technology to an existing steel mill. The steel mill chosen, combusts gases arising from the steel making processes. Different locations within the steel mill were analysed, the in-house power station and the turbo blower house were chosen for retrofit post-combustion carbon capture. Two different separation technologies were process modelled to capture the carbon dioxide from the flue gas of the in-house power station and the turbo blower house. The technologies were chemical absorption and adsorption. The two technologies were techno-economically studied. Chemical absorption, with solvent MEA, showed capability of recovering 86% of CO2 with a purity of more than 99 mol%. Adsorption using sorbent zeolite 13X was able to achieve 82% recovery with purity of 96 mol%. Sorbent activated carbon showed a capability of recovering 67% of carbon dioxide with a purity of 95 mol%. The cost of CO2 avoidance for the process using chemical absorption (MEA) was equal to $44.92/tonne CO2. For the process using adsorption (zeolite 13X) the CO2 avoided cost was equal to $44.90/tonne of CO2. Activated carbon was the most expensive capture process, out of the three processes studied. It costs $45.81/tonne of CO2 avoidance.

Bioclogging can be defined as the reduction of hydraulic conductivity and porosity of a saturated porous medium due to microbial growth. Wastewater disposals, artificial groundwater recharge, in-situ bioremediation of contaminated aquifers, construction of water reservoirs, or secondary oil recovery are all affected by this process. The potential for soil and groundwater contamination may increase by the rapid movement of the solutes through soil due to the presence of preferential flow which resulted in increasing bypassing of soil matrix and increasing pore water velocities. On the other hand the presence of preferential flow could affect the clean-up process of the contaminated land by extending the remedial time. The reason behind that is the relatively quick contaminant clean-up in the high permeable zones compared to the slow contaminant clean-up in the low permeable layers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the bioclogging process in porous media and the factors that can affect this process, also to understand how all aspects of flow are affected by the clogging process, and finally to investigate the potential of biological growth to control direction and location of subsurface hydraulic flow to overcome the problems of preferential flow. The bioclogging process was investigated through a series of sand column experiments in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media. Six sand fractions ranging from 63-1180 μm were selected as a porous media. Two bacterial strains (P. putida mt-2 and B. indica) were used in this study. Different analytical methods such as loss on ignition and the total number of cells were used to analyse the soil samples. iv The outcomes of this study showed that the growth of bacteria in porous media can reduce the heterogeneity of the porous media, thereby reducing the impact of the preferential flow which could affect the clean-up process of the contaminated land. Pore throat model with the incorporation of different bioclogging models such as the biofilm or plugs (Vandevivere et al., 1995), micro-colony (Okubo and Matsumoto, 1979), and macroscopic (Clement et al., 1996) models were applied to evaluate the results of the experimental work in heterogeneous porous media. The changes in hydraulic conductivity and the porosity of porous media were modelled by assuming that the bioclogging occurs in the small pores which connect the large pores of the porous media. Generally amongst the three bioclogging models, the current study showed that the measured values of the hydraulic conductivity relatively coincide with the predicted values obtained by using Vandevivere et al. (1995) model. Nevertheless, the predicted values of the hydraulic conductivity coincided to some extent with the measured values of the hydraulic conductivity for the large sand fractions. This corresponds with the findings of several previous studies which also confirmed that bioclogging models can only predict the change of the hydraulic conductivity for the large sand fractions. The failure of these models could be related to the assumptions made by each model, which could be less appropriate in fine-textured materials than they are in coarse textured ones. The second possible reason for the disparities between observations and model predictions is related to the assumption made in some of these models that the microorganisms which are responsible for clogging form biofilms of constant thickness which uniformly coated the surface of soil particles.

The following EngD thesis presents research on the potential for short term deployment of carbon dioxide utilisation technologies within the context of the European steel industry, in collaboration with Tata Steel Europe. The aim of the project was to identify options for short term utilisation of CO2 directly from steelmaking process exhausts and then evaluate them in terms of their technical feasibility, CO2 reduction potential and economic sustainability. An initial review of steel production processes and CDU routes resulted in the selection of two potentially promising processes for further investigation; production of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) from steelmaking wastes, and combined biomass production and steelmaking wastewater remediation using microalgae. Each technology was investigated experimentally to determine its technical feasibility, and then via a techno-economic evaluation in order to estimate the scale of potential CO2 mitigation and economic viability. Although both technologies were deemed to be technically feasible, when techno-economic evaluations were performed it became clear that neither technology is likely to be able to achieve significant CO2 emissions reductions (reduction is limited to less than 1% of typical integrated site emissions). Despite this, economic estimates for a scaled up PCC production process were promising; a moderate payback on capital expenditure of around 5.51 years was estimated under baseline conditions, with a significant additional revenue potential if the process were credited under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. In contrast, the microalgae based process was found to be highly uneconomical when using technology which is currently available at a commercial scale, and the CO2 mitigation potential was determined to be limited by the indirect CO2 emissions from very high electricity demands as the process is scaled up.