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Mineral separation by froth flotation is the largest tonnage separation process in the world, and is used to recover the very small fraction (<0.5%) of valuable mineral from the mined ore. Typically, 5-15% of the valuable minerals are not recovered due to sub-optimal process settings, most important of which is the air rate. A methodology to determine the optimal air rate range to use, Peak Air Recovery (PAR), was developed by the Froth and Foam Research Group at Imperial College London.
Anglo American Platinum produces 40% of the world's platinum. They use the PAR methodology on all their flotation plants to establish to air rate control limits, tightening the operating range and improving the separation performance. Rio Tinto annually produce 300 000 tons of copper and 500 000 oz gold from their Kennecott Copper mine. They have implemented PAR as a control strategy, and statistical comparative tests have shown an increase in copper and gold recovery from this mine alone of the order of 1%, with a nominal value of approximately $30m per annum.
University of Leicester research has developed, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund, a business support offer, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Space Technology Exchange Partnership (G-STEP) — which has led to a number of impacts:
Economic impacts via direct support of 40 East Midlands companies, including the creation of 3 new businesses, with a £950K GVA (Gross Value Added) to the companies and £2.9M in investment in the East Midlands. It has led to the employment of 20 Leicester graduates. Policy impacts via the Local Economic Partnership which has identified space as one of three emerging sectors for focussed development. Nationally, the emerging Satellite Applications Catapult has reviewed the G-Step delivery model to inform its own operation. Internationally, G-STEP led the NEREUS (Network of Regions in Europe Using Space) Earth Observation/GMES working group and produced the "The Growing Use of Space Across Europe", launched at the European Parliament in 2012.
Environmental benefits via the development of products which are having a positive impact on the environment including satellite enabled traffic management tools and high value crop management.
Impact type: Public Policy
Significance: The research provided evidence for formulation of government policies to ameliorate poor air quality, to which fine particulate matter (PM2.5), O3 and NO2 are the most important contributors; PM2.5 alone reduces average life expectancy in the UK by 6 months and costs £9bn-£20bn a year. The research has been incorporated into UK national guidance and policy-evidence documents for Defra, the Health Protection Agency, and the Environment Agencies.
Beneficiaries are the public and the environment.
Research; date; attribution: EaStCHEM research (1995-2011) (a) established reliable techniques to measure NO2 for a national protocol, and (b) quantified the impact of pollutant emissions on PM2.5 and O3 concentrations, and on hospital admissions and deaths. Heal (EaStCHEM) led the research and wrote, collaboratively in some cases, the reports and the work cited.
Reach: UK wide.
Poor air quality is an important public health issue especially in cities where traffic is the major source of pollution. It is estimated that 29,000 people die prematurely in the UK each year, and 310,000 in Europe, because of air pollution. King's research, based on the London Air Quality Network (LAQN), including emissions modelling and vehicle profiling, indicated that improvements in air quality could be achieved by restricting the entrance of specific vehicle classes into urban areas. These research outputs were utilised by the Mayor of London to introduce the Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS), from 2003 to the present, and the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), from 2008 to the present. This research, together with King's ongoing evaluation of air quality and the impact of traffic control schemes in London, has created increasing international interest in this method of pollution control resulting in the adoption of similar interventions across Europe.
The Local Governance Research Unit (LGRU) undertook a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), a not-for-profit local government association that provides policy and operational advice to over 300 councils. This partnership informed APSE's strategic policy review, co-producing a new model of the Ensuring Council, which was adopted by its national council, and used to brand and position APSE within local government. Seven evidence-based policy tools were created through the partnership and taken up and used by APSE for consultancy and membership services. Externally, APSE used these outputs to increase its influence over national policy.
Working closely with scientists at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the University of Southampton has developed new methods for space-time modelling that have trebled the accuracy of air pollution forecasts. The USEPA has adopted the research as its official forecasting method to protect the American public and agriculture. More than 19 million children and 16 million adult Americans suffering from respiratory conditions such as asthma now benefit by being able to adjust their outdoor activities based on the forecasts, and improved data has fed into policy debates on carbon emission regulations. Success in the USA has led the EPSRC to fund a similar project in the UK and Australia's national science agency is using Southampton-developed software for its air pollution forecasts.
This case study centres on research, which had an impact on a major piece of local government legislation. The research was a comparative study of the Local Integrity Systems (LIS) of England, Scotland and Wales. The research was commissioned by Standards for England as part of its 2010 strategic review, which was used by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in the creation of the Localism Act 2011. This Act fundamentally altered the English local integrity framework. The research has subsequently been used by major national research projects in corruption in local government.
A major challenge to economic policy and public sector governance is how to provide a sustainable economic basis for less prosperous localities and neighbourhoods. Research findings demonstrated the need for a greater focus upon enterprise and jobs at a sub-regional level and improved co-ordination and integration of governance arrangements in order to tackle this issue. These findings influenced the development of national and local government policy and practice towards the economic development of deprived areas from 2004 onwards. Impacts were evident through shaping a significant re-orientation in policy approaches towards deprived neighbourhoods as well as the development of specific policies and governance practice.
Research conducted by Members of the Centre for Local and Regional Government Research (CLRGR) in Cardiff Business School (CBS) concerning the use of targets, performance indicators and external inspection to assess council performance and drive improvement in local services, has had a direct, significant and on-going impact on government policies in England and Scotland. In England, the research informed the Labour Government's decision to reduce the number of national performance indicators. It was also used by the Conservative Party in developing its 2010 manifesto commitment to reduce local government inspections and informed the local government policies implemented by the Coalition Government. In Scotland, the research directly influenced the design of a new inspection methodology introduced by Audit Scotland in 2009.
This case study describes the impact of the research of the Centre for Earth and Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Change (CEEREC), MMU, on the protection and restoration of native ecosystems and upland semi-natural habitats that are affected by nitrogen pollution. CEEREC investigates the harm caused by nitrogen pollution to a range of semi-natural habitats. We also explore the impact of historic pollution in upland Britain and the potential for recovery through ecological restoration. Our research has informed evidence-based changes to UK, EU and US emission control policy and on the mitigation and restoration methods (e.g. `BeadaMoss™) of pollution affected landscapes.