UU scientists lead the way in saving the plant

TWO young scientists at water giant United Utilities are at the forefront of research to help cut bills and save the planet by treating and recycling sewage.

The work of Ian Carline and Ruyi Hu could reduce thousands of tons of carbon emission and provide new energy from the billion of litres of waste water produced by the region each year.

Twenty-four-year-old Ruyi, who gained a degree in pharmaceutical engineering in his native China, has developed methods to reduce the amount of chemical used in treating sewage which, in turn, produces methane gas that can be converted into electricity.

Meanwhile Ian, who has worked on several waste water projects, has received a £109,000 grant from the Carbon Trust to fund development of new technology which eliminates harmful micro-organisms from sewage sludge and has the potential to reduce 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission each year.

Chris Matthews, head of environment and sustainability at United Utilities which spends around £1.5m on climate change projects, said: “We have high hopes of each of the projects Ruyi and Ian are involved with, but although exciting progress is being made, it could be years before either of these experimental technologies could realistically be ready to be introduced into our operation.

“Even so, research and development is taken very seriously here – it will have a crucial role to play in our bid to beat climate change.”