FEBRUARY NEWS 2009

Mrs Sabitri Tripathi of the Nepal Engineering College is visiting Imperial College from 14-26 February

Congratulations to Iakovos Skourides who successfully defended his PhD thesis on 'A semi-industrial investigation of the factors controlling the bioconversion of biodegradable waste to a consistent solid recovered fuel (SRF) for utilization by the cement industry', supervised by Dr Stephen Smith.

Dr Hannah Rigby, who completed her PhD thesis last year under the supervision of Dr Stephen Smith, has been elected to the Australian Water Association Biosolids Specialist Network Committee. Hannah's PhD programme was concerned with quantifying the agronomic value of biosolids and biowastes and she is currently a Postdoctorate Research Fellow at the Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, where she is working with Dr Deb Pritchard on the agricultural recycling of biosolids and other organic residuals.

 Professor Nigel Graham visited UNESCO-IHE in Delft, The Netherlands, during the 16-18^th February to give his annual guest lectures on water filtration processes to the International Masters Programme in Municipal Water and Infrastructure. In addition he held a meeting with staff of the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) to discuss a collaborative project for one of the Imperial students undertaking the Environmental Engineering MSc course.

 Dr Adrian Butler gave expert evidence at the trial of Magnox regarding unauthorised disposal of radioactive waste from a sump located in the decontamination bay at Bradwell power station in Essex during the period 1990 to 2004. The prosecution, which was brought by the Environment Agency, meant that the jury had to grapple with the management and operation of a nuclear power plant as well as the intricacies of contaminant hydrogeology! The company was found guilty on 3 counts of unauthorised disposal and pleaded guilty on two further counts of failure to provide adequate maintenance. Sentencing took place on 17 February where a fine of £250,000 was imposed along with an order to pay costs totalling £150,000. Further details are available from http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/103597.aspx?page=1&month=2&year=2009.

 Mrs Sabitri Tripathi of the Nepal Engineering College is visiting Imperial College from 14-26 February. The visit is part of a British Council / DfID-supported project entitled "Devel opment of Appropriate Safe Drinking Water Supply System and Sanitation for Slum Dwellers and Squatters in Nepal", being conducted in collaboration with Dr Michael Templeton. Mrs Tripathi will give a special lecture on Wednesday 18 February 2009 at 2 pm in Skempton room 208. More information on the project is available at: http://www.nec.edu.np/delphe/.

 Dr Michael Templeton will present a paper entitled "Evaluation of Neem and Luffa cylindrica as Potential Low-Cost Natural Disinfectants in Developing Countries" at the Engineers Without Borders UK Research Conference at the Royal Academy of Engineering on Friday 20 February 2009. Also, a fourth-year undergraduate student supervised by Dr Templeton, Ms Yoke Thye, will present a paper entitled "Pit Latrine Emptying Technologies, Challenges and Solutions".

 Dr Zhuo Chen will present a paper entitled "NDMA and Other Nitrosamines in Drinking Water in England and Scotland" at the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Disinfection 2009 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on Monday 2 March 2009. Dr Templeton is a co-author.