Environmental Technology

and Management Research

Glasgow Caledonian Universitys Environmental Technology and
Management Research Group has extensive expertise and experience
in a broad range of areas, from advanced environmental remediation
technologies to policy and regulatory impact assessments.
Research projects and activities within the group
focus on the treatment of water and waste
water with advanced coagulation, oxidation
and sorption for the enhanced removal of
organic micropollutants, nutrients and heavy
metals; microbiological evaluation of waste
treatment options; analysis of pharmaceuticals
from point sources; eco-toxicity assessment of
micropollutants; prioritisation of diffuse pollution;
low-cost treatment for drinking water supply;
management of nutrient loads and abatement of
gaseous emissions in agricultural/horticultural
context; the treatment, re-use and recycle of
solid waste by stabilisation/solidification and
composting; environmental impact of oil and gas
exploration and production; and finite element
analysis of effects of reinforcement corrosion on
concrete structures.
The groups expertise is diverse and spans
various fields including the following research
areas:
Water and waste water treatment
Solid waste remediation
Assessing impact of human behaviour on the
environment
Micropollutants in water
Pollution abatement in agriculture
Carbon footprinting and environmental
performance

Led by Professor Jiaqian Jiang, the Environmental

Technology and Management Research Group
has significant experience in the water industry,
design and project management of international
water and wastewater treatment projects,
regulatory impact assessment, waste market
research, and sustainability and environmental
management studies for both private and public
sector organisations.
Experts at Glasgow Caledonian University
received funding from ScottishPower to map the
maze of abandoned tunnels which exist beneath
Glasgow. The team will identify underground
reservoirs of water which have the potential to
heat homes and potentically to power under
street heating.
The project will initially focus on the Clyde
Gateway regeneration area but will grow to
encompass several other parts of Glasgow with
a mining history. World leading geoscience
centre, the British Geological Survey, has offered
full access to its data including a unique 3D
geological model of the city for the three-year
duration of the project.
The Environmental Technology and Management
Research Group has provided consultancy for
local authorities, Zero waste Scotland and WRAP,
with research and consultancy projects focused
on anaerobic digestion capacity, renewable
energy analysis and waste composition.
Current research within the group investigates

new technologies for controlling and tackling

emerging micropollutants in water and waste
water, with a view to creating safer water supply
systems. This research will impact heavily upon
the design and performance of future treatment
plants globally.
The presence of emerging organic micro
pollutants - such as hormone system disrupting
chemicals, pharmaceutical and personal
care products - in waste water is a growing
concern, as they may cause significant adverse
environmental and human health effects. Current
state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants cannot
successfully remove these micropollutants,
leading to pollutions in surface and drinking
water.
The GCU team is spearheading a study
aimed at bringing cleaner drinking water to
millions of homes across Europe, funded by
German companies LW Water Supply and
Lake Constance Water Supply. The research
investigates the possibilities of using ferrate
(VI), a supercharged iron molecule, to remove
micropollutants. It is thought ferrate produces
fewer potentially toxic by-products than the
current process, which uses ozonation to degrade
harmful micro-pollutants and chlorination to kill
germs.
Ferrate technology has been promising
and effective in reducing pharmaceutical
concentration to very low levels. EU-funded
project (2007-2011) Pharmaceutical Input and

Elimination from Local Sources (PILLS), in which

GCU was a partner, found that it is possible to
eliminate pharmaceuticals at one important
point of use, the hospitals, and that it makes
sense to do so from an eco-toxicological and
multi-resistant bacteria point of view. Hospitals
are a hot-spot because here there is a high
load of pharmaceuticals used and emitted
through hospital waste water into the municipal
sewerage. However, doing so will be expensive
and it is not certain this is warranted from a
purely environmental or life cycle analysis point
of view. Alternative approaches should be
investigated and therefore the consortium has
proposed to study the impact of avoidance and
optimisation of biological removal processes.
Environmental engineering expertise within the
Environmental Technology and Management
Research Group has also led to EU Interreg
Atlantic Area Transnational Programme funding
for the evaluation of potential technologies
to reduce the impact of farming on the
environment. Livestock production contributes
substantially to the economies of many
European countries in terms of employment,
export of products and use and maintenance
of natural resources. Much of this production
is from intensified schemes, as it is the case
for pig, poultry and some cattle production.
However, intensification is known to lead to a
number of environmental effects, which include
emissions to the air and discharges to soils
and surface waters. The aim of the BATFarm
(Evaluation of Best Available Techniques to

Environmental
Technology and
Management
Research Group
decrease air and water pollution in animal
FARMs) project is to set up a scientifically based
protocol for the evaluation of realistic options
for the abatement of environmental impacts in
air (greenhouse gases and ammonia) and water
(nitrate content) from livestock wastes.
GCU has a strong background in working with
food and drink companies to improve their
waste and energy credentials. Environmental
projects have included SEEKIT/ERDF funded
project Sustainable Food & Drink, which worked
to help food and drink SMEs in Scotland become
more competitive by making them aware of
their operational carbon footprint and working
with them, and other support programmes and
agencies, to develop strategies for reducing their
carbon footprints.

The GCU team is

spearheading a study
aimed at bringing cleaner
drinking water to
millions of homes across
Europe.

At Glasgow Caledonian University, we work with industry and public

sector partners to ensure our expertise responds to the need for realworld innovation. GCUs strategic business development and knowledge
transfer teams work with academic experts in our Schools and Research
Institutes to support businesses with a problem-solving approach.
Contact us to find out more about building a brighter future with GCU at
www.gcu.ac.uk/business.

Further information:
Professor Jiaqian Jiang
School of Engineering and Built Environment
Glasgow Caledonian University

jiaqian.jiang@gcu.ac.uk
0141 331 8850

www.gcu.ac.uk/isetr

Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021474 Glasgow Caledonian University 2013