Sustainable

ENabling Hybrid Autonomous Nonconventional system for Clean Environment

Monica Chudasama

Grant awarded: £63,888.05

PI: Abhisheck Tiwary

Funder: RA Eng

This 2-year industry fellowship project, awarded to Dr Abhishek Tiwary at DMU in partnership with JenAct Ltd – Jenton Group, conceptualised and evaluated a nonconventional air warming and cleaning system (EnHANCE), combining features of indoor air handling with pathogen removal and thermal management capabilities. It mainly focused on product development and lab-scale parameterisation, involving technology scoping and alignment of the key operating parameters to achieve the earmarked novel features.  

Key outcomes:

•             A conceptual design and prototype of the EnHANCE unit

•             Performance data for key parameters from model and lab-scale evaluations (warm air circulation, pollution/pathogen reduction efficacy)

•             Techno-economic feasibility on operational costs (electricity demand) and component maintenance

•             A focus group for seeking consumer opinion/feedback and a tangible market exploitation plan

•             Follow-on-funding via a proof-of-concept grant leading to further market exploitation.

Follow on results to academic practice. The project:

•             enabled establishing an ongoing collaborative relationship to extend academic research into real-world application.

•             helped incorporate more industry-facing content and UG/PG dissertation project topics on DMU engineering programmes.

Funder: Royal Academy of Engineering, Industrial Fellowship (2021-23)

Key researchers: Abhishek Tiwary (School of Engineering and Sustainable Development)

Bioadditives to support Net Zero in agriculture

Nicola Wilkinson

Professor Raffaella Villa and Ogemdi Anika

Yeast-based additives are have shown to have a positive effect on biogas production in anaerobic digestion treating agricultural waste. The project will provide the scientific explanation of the process and inform the correct use at full-scale.

SAVES/SAVES2 and Smartspaces/EDI-Net projects

Nicola Wilkinson

Urban Analytics for energy management and awareness in European public authorities and universities.

Two distinct software systems were developed in the SAVES/SAVES2 and smartspaces/EDI-Net projects based on automated modelling, analysis and visualisation. Though initially envisaged for energy managers, the user-friendly interfaces subsequently evolved to facilitate communication and engagement with non-technical audiences.

The systems have improved energy management operations and sustainability communications behaviour in more than 40 organisations across Europe resulting in significant carbon emissions reductions of around 3,600t of CO2 between 2014 and 2019 (6.6% average annual reduction from baseline emissions).

Funded by

Enabling hybrid autonomous non-conventional system for cleaner indoor environment

Nicola Wilkinson

Dr Abhishek Tiwary

ENHANCE: Environmental legislation is pushing the space-heating market away from fossil fuels, while Covid-19 has made us keenly aware of the benefits of clean air. This project will conceptualise and develop a novel air warming and sanitising system, combining complementary capacities in ultraviolet (UVC) technology, air pollution control and heating. It will potentially impact in transforming the future of indoor air warming and cleaning simultaneously.

Funded by: Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship

Improved olive mill waste and wastewater management integrating circular economy for arid regions – Dr Abhishek Tiwary

Monica Chudasama

This was a multi-stakeholder project collaboration, motivated by adoption of a “circular economy-driven systems approach” to delivering a sustainable solution to olive mill waste/wastewater (OMW) management with lower environmental burdens and energy demand, suiting arid regions in Jordan. It involved academics from the School of Engineering and Sustainable Development and School of Pharmacy, DMU and Engineering Department at Al-Balqa Applied University, and industrial researchers, business investors and institutional training providers. The project also saw the inauguration of a 15kW renewable off-grid capacity by the UK deputy ambassador to Jordan, Ms Helen Fazey to fully operate a wastewater treatment plant in Fuheis City near Amman. These activities were supported by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering under the Transforming Systems through Partnership (TSP1306) project.

Funder: Royal Academy of Engineering, Transforming Systems through Partnership fund (2020-22)

Abhishek Tiwary, Rafaella Villa (School of Engineering and Sustainable Development), Katherine Huddersman (School of Pharmacy)