Summary
Dr Hannah Rigby is an Honorary Research Associate in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering section of the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research interests include the treatment and beneficial use of organic or organic-derived waste materials; a key interest is use of waste materials in agriculture for efficient nutrient/resource recycling whilst minimising the transfer of contaminants to the environment and the food chain.
Hannah was responsible for the management and delivery of a research project for the Food Standards Agency to investigate the potential transfer of organic contaminants from waste-derived products to the food chain.
Hannah’s PhD research was conducted at Imperial College London, and included field and laboratory studies to investigate the nutrient availability and properties of industrial biowastes to help optimise their agronomic benefit and recycling to farmland; the findings are published on the Defra website (http://randd.defra.gov.uk/). This was followed by a Research Fellowship at Curtin University, Western Australia (2008-2010) to investigate environmental and agronomic aspects of land application of biosolids During this time she conducted a three-month sabbatical at the Water Corporation of Western Australia, Perth, to lead a project on sludge stabilisation processes in regional Wastewater Treatment Plants. In 2010, Dr Rigby returned to Imperial College London to take up a Research Associate position in the Environment and Water Resource Engineering section of the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Highlights include an investigation of novel markets for digestate from anaerobic digestion for the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which focussed primarily on digestate physical and nutrient properties. The findings were presented at the 2012 SORP conference and are published on the WRAP website (http://www.wrap.org.uk). Other work has also included researching the beneficial use of Clean Water By-Product for Yorkshire Water.
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Irwin R, Surapaneni A, Smith D, et al., 2017, Verification of an alternative sludge treatment process for pathogen reduction at two wastewater treatment plants in Victoria, Australia, Journal of Water and Health, Vol:15, ISSN:1477-8920, Pages:626-637
Rigby H, Clarke BO, Pritchard DL, et al., 2016, A critical review of nitrogen mineralization in biosolids-amended soil, the associated fertilizer value for crop production and potential for emissions to the environment, Science of the Total Environment, Vol:541, ISSN:0048-9697, Pages:1310-1338
Rigby H, Dowding A, Fernandes A, et al., 2015, Organic Contaminant Content and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Waste Materials Recycled in Agriculture, Agriculture, Vol:5, ISSN:2077-0472, Pages:1289-1328
Rigby H, Smith SR, 2014, The nitrogen fertiliser value and other agronomic benefits of industrial biowastes, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, Vol:98, ISSN:1385-1314, Pages:137-154
Rigby H, Smith SR, 2013, Nitrogen availability and indirect measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from aerobic and anaerobic biowaste digestates applied to agricultural soils, Waste Management, Vol:33, ISSN:0956-053X, Pages:2641-2652
Rigby H, Pritchard D, Collins D, et al., 2013, The use of alum sludge to improve cereal production on a nutrient-deficient soil, Environmental Technology, Vol:34, ISSN:0959-3330, Pages:1359-1368
Pritchard DL, Penney N, McLaughlin MJ, et al., 2010, Land application of sewage sludge (biosolids) in Australia: risks to the environment and food crops, Water Science and Technology, Vol:62, ISSN:0273-1223, Pages:48-57
Rigby HL, Pritchard DL, Collins D, et al., 2010, Improving Guidelines for the Plant Available Nitrogen Value of Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment., Journal of Residuals Science and Technology, Vol:7, Pages:13-19
Rigby H, Perez-Viana F, Cass J, et al., 2009, The influence of soil and biosolids type, and microbial immobilisation on nitrogen availability in biosolids-amended agricultural soils - implications for fertiliser recommendations, Soil Use and Management, Vol:25, ISSN:0266-0032, Pages:395-408
Conference
Rigby HL, Smith SR, 2012, New markets for digestate from anaerobic digestion, SORP Conference: Developing Highly Profitable and Sustainable Products from Organic Resources
Rigby HL, Pritchard DL, 2010, Agronomic issues with alum sludge., Australian Water Association (AWA) Biosolids Specialty IV Conference
Reports
Rigby HL, Pritchard D, Stephens R, 2013, Nitrogen transformations in paper mill sludge and paper mill sludge-amended soil – Literature review and laboratory investigation. Curtin University Project Number RES-ES-MRI-DP-51882-2. Report to Norske Skog, (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
Clarke B, Rigby HL, Pritchard D, 2012, Literature Compendium of Sustainable Biosolids Management: Round 2. Summary Report to Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership, July 2012.
Rigby HL, Clarke B, 2011, Land application of biosolids: nitrogen and phosphorus management. Literature survey for Smart Water, June 2010.
Rigby HL, Smith SR, 2011, A Laboratory Investigation to Determine Aluminium Speciation and Potential for Leaching following Aluminium Clean Water By-Product Addition to Soil. Report to Yorkshire Water, September 2011.
Rigby HL, 2011, New markets for digestate from anaerobic digestion. Report to WRAP, August 2011 project code ISS001-001. http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/New_Markets_for_AD_WRAP_format_Final_v2.c6779ccd.11341.pdf.
Rigby HL, Smith SR, 2011, A Laboratory Incubation Study to Determine Phosphorus Availability following Aluminium Clean Water By-Product Addition to Soil. Report to Yorkshire Water, October 2011.