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Bioenergy students win chemical engineering prize

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EPSRC CDT Bioenergy students Oliver Grasham and Robert White have won first prize at the thirtieth Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) water special interest group video competition.

Their video explainer is of a process developed by Oliver in his PhD to remove nitrogen (as ammonia) from wastewater, traditionally a necessary but laborious task for treatment plants that is highly energy and emissions intensive.

In the experimental process, ammonia in a treatment facility’s waste streams is diverted, recovered and converted (along with biomethane) into hydrogen. The hydrogen is then used in fuel cells that provide renewable heat and power for the waste water treatment plant, reducing dependence on grid electricity by as much as 50% and lowering emissions of greenhouse gases significantly.

The video entry displays footage of the Esholt wastewater treatment plant in West Yorkshire, animated explanations of the process as well as interviews with Oliver Grasham and Dr Valerie Dupont.

The competition is sponsored by ARUP and is aimed at encouraging young minds in the water chemical engineering community.

Read the IChemE news article