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The SAFT-VR family of thermodynamic models has made it possible to predict reliably the behaviour of the many complex and challenging fluids that are found across a range of industrial sectors, including oil & gas, chemicals (refrigerants, surfactants, polymers), energy (carbon capture solvents, carbon dioxide-rich streams) and pharmaceuticals.
The SAFT-VR models have had a wide impact on industrial practice. At BP, they have been used to design novel surfactants that have increased the lifetime of oil fields up to five-fold, avoiding maintenance interventions costing millions of dollars and increasing productivity by 50% (worth $2-3 million per year per well). At Borealis, they have been used to understand how to increase the productivity of the reactor in the flagship Borstar process by 30%. At ICI and Ineos/Mexichem, they have been used to design efficient processes for producing replacement refrigerants with much reduced reliance on extreme and expensive experiments involving hydrogen fluoride, a highly corrosive substance. Industrial demand for access to the predictive capabilities of SAFT-VR has been such that Imperial College has licensed the software in 2013 to a UK SME in order to distribute it worldwide to users.
The contamination of water sources is a serious threat to the environment and to human health. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) cause sexual dysfunction in fish, potentially affecting the health of fish populations in the UK and abroad. Prof. Hill's research has used bioassays combined with chemical fractionation and mass-spectrometry profiling techniques to identify endocrine-disrupting chemicals present in wastewater effluents that are discharged into the environment and that can bio-accumulate in fish. This has enabled international and governmental organisations to assess the risk of chemical discharges to the environment, to develop tests to monitor the toxicity of these newly-discovered EDCs, and to inform policy decisions on environmental protection and conservation.
Halocarbons in the atmosphere can be both ozone-depleting and greenhouse gases. Our halocarbon research has formed a vital part of the science that has underpinned the Montreal Protocol on `Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer'. Whilst this Protocol was originally ratified in 1987, it is amended at regular intervals based on the latest scientific evidence as reported through quadrennial World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Ozone Assessments. Our research has contributed to the Assessments in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010, as well as IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) assessments. These assessments have led directly to reductions in emissions of a large number of halocarbons and consequently major climate and health benefits worldwide; e.g. UEA research on methyl bromide and halons has led, via Montreal Protocol amendments, to a decline in atmospheric bromine between 2008-2013.
Hundreds of synthetic chemicals contaminate our food and water. Brunel's research shows harmful cumulative cocktail effects of low levels of contaminants in food and water, previously thought to be safe. The active translation of these results into European chemicals legislation also ensured a sound basis for including multiple chemical exposures in risk assessment. By working with the European Food Safety Authority, we demonstrated a viable approach to grouping chemicals for mixtures risk assessment. Based on our research, a totally new approach to grouping chemicals for mixtures risk assessment has been decided. This will influence maximum residue levels for toxic pesticides in food in Europe leading to better protection of consumers against the increased risks of harm due to multiple pesticide residues present in the majority of food items.
Global waste disposal strategies and chemical regulations have been transformed through LEC's world-leading research into the environmental sources, fate and behaviour of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Firstly, our research has directly supported controlled high temperature incineration as a long-term option for the disposal of municipal waste, by showing that well regulated incineration is not an environmentally significant source of dioxin emissions. Secondly, our research has maintained the controlled utilisation of sewage sludge (biosolids) on agricultural land as an effective risk-based management solution that re-cycles valuable carbon and nutrients to soil. Our research has underpinned the development of the UK's Dioxin Strategy and supported international chemicals regulation for one of the most important global flame retardant chemicals in current use under the Stockholm Convention.
World-leading primate research by the `Origins of Mind' group led to the creation of the University's £1.6M `Living Links to Human Evolution' Research Centre, intentionally located in Edinburgh Zoo where it has pioneered unique public engagement and science education using a range of materials and activities. The research has thus impacted on: i) society and culture: since 2008, around 250,000 visitors per year have engaged with live, on-going science and multiple associated legacy resources and activities; ii) educational practitioners and school children, through classes in the Centre and internet teacher packs that integrate with Scottish Highers; and iii) commercial income to the Zoo.
The impact of the research during the assessment period has been in its contributions to the development of public road safety policy in the UK and in Scotland, particularly affecting young people; the development of ISO standards for safety evaluation; the dissemination of its results to industry and other stakeholders; and public education about the dangers of driver distraction.
The burden of endocrine disease and disorders in global societies is higher than ever before and The Institute for the Environment's (IfE) research labelling chemicals in everyday use as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been instrumental in closing a gap in chemicals regulation that previously left pregnant mothers insufficiently protected from exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals that could cause irreversible damage to their unborn life. Key impacts are: a) regulation, leading to bans and restrictions on the use of specific chemicals; b) a European Parliament call to implement better health protection (procedure reference 2012/2066 INI) from EDCs; c) Development of regulatory frameworks and decision criteria for identifying and restricting the use of EDCs; and d) a global (UN) strategy and workplan to support the safe management of these chemicals and to reduce their health risks in developing countries.
Air pollution is a major health concern and government policy driver. Leeds researchers and colleagues have developed a detailed chemical mechanism which describes reactions in the lower atmosphere leading to the formation of ozone and secondary particulate matter, key air pollutants. The so-called `master chemical mechanism' (MCM) is considered the `gold standard' and has been used by the UK government and industry groups to inform their position on EU legislation and by the US EPA to validate and extend their regulatory models. The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department has used the MCM to identify key ozone precursors and provide evidence for abatement strategies.
The development and marketing of the Chemcatcher passive sampler has significantly improved the way water quality is monitored. These cost-effective devices are either used alongside or can replace established approaches that rely on infrequent spot or bottle sampling. We have contributed to the development of national and international standards for the use of passive samplers, and the dissemination of results to end users has facilitated the uptake of passive sampling technology worldwide. Our passive samplers have been used to monitor a diverse range of environmental problems, from pharmaceuticals in drinking water to the release of radioactive caesium after the Fukushima nuclear reactor incident in Japan.