The Characterisation Laboratories for Environmental Engineering Research (CLEER) facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and technical expertise for the complete chemical, mineralogical and physical characterisation of environmental related processes and materials. The facilities can be used for the environmental impact evaluation of wastes as well as industrial processes. The CLEER facility and the expertise of the GRC can be used to design and model a bespoke environmental process, engineering solutions in a wide range of environmental applications.
The Environment Project within the Knowledge Transfer Centre (KTC) is aimed at assisting and encouraging Welsh businesses, working in the fields of environment and sustainability, to access the unique CLEER facilities. The KTC enables companies to utilise the academic expertise available in the Geo-Environmental Research Centre (GRC) and Hydro-Environmental Research Centre (HRC), two of the School’s premier research hubs. By allying these expertise in combination with the CLEER analytical suite, the Centres seek to assist Welsh enterprises to:
- develop new products and services;
- solve specific environmental problems;
- improve environmental management; and
- facilitate near-to-market research.
Creating a pan-Wales virtual network of environmental facilities, using CLEER as the portal, is another objective of the Environment KTC. This virtual network will act as a starting point for Welsh enterprises to access the full breadth of environment-related facilities available within the whole Welsh universities sector.
The Environment KTC can give companies the opportunity to test their own products and processes with proper monitoring and control. It can advise on the recovery of hazardous or valuable elements from wastes, in addition to the evaluation of waste recycling opportunities.
An additional key service offered by the Environment KTC lies in conducting process pilot-studies within the laboratory. This enables companies to investigate novel processes before making an investment in full scale plant. The Environment KTC also engages in a wide-range of industry-funded research and is highly supportive of collaborative R&D projects between the University and Welsh businesses in the field of environment and sustainability.
Cardiff School of Engineering’s research portfolio within the Environment and Sustainability sector is world-recognised and includes:
- solid and liquid waste management;
- resource recovery;
- environmental assessment;
- application of different waste streams;
- development of computational, numerical and laboratory models of soil and hydrodynamic systems;
- water and wastewater treatment processes;
- environmental impact of mining and mine water treatment;
- low carbon technologies and carbon capture; and
- high level nuclear waste disposal, including nuclear repositories and waste isolation.
The expertise of the GRC also includes land regeneration; remediation and its regulations (and relevant clean-up technologies); risk assessment and management; decision support systems and software development for geoenvironmental and geotechnical engineering; and the interactions between traditional geotechnical engineering and living organisms (‘biogeotechnics’).
The HRC’s expertise within the hydroenvironmental sector includes:
- surface and groundwater interactions;
- pollutant transfer;
- eco-hydraulics and vegetation impact, including wetlands and mangroves;
- coastal and estuarine hydrodynamics;
- water quality predictive modelling;
- hydroinformatics tools for flood forecasting, encompassing the “predict and protect” philosophy;
- tracer technologies and the environmental impact of marine renewable energy.
Download the CLEER lab facilites flyer
