My project involves research into the causes of toxic cyanobacteria blooms and the development of a system which mitigates the risk. Cyanobacteria blooms plague global waterways and seriously impact the health of aquatic organisms, terrestrial animals, and humans. This threat is growing in prevalence alongside climate change and thus I aimed to design a system which prevents uncontrolled cyanobacteria reproduction (a bloom event), whilst allowing natural populations to exist.

The design, the SolarCyanoSlayer, is also aimed to be self-sustaining for long-term implementation and constructed of biologically derived and recycled materials, reducing the embodied energy of construction. When placed in simulated eutrophic conditions the invention was demonstrated to be highly effective in countering cyanobacteria blooms and subsequently improving overall water quality.

Have you ever brushed your teeth? Washed your hair? Then you have been in contact with nanosilver! 

Nanosilver – tiny particles of silver – have a detrimental impact on our environment when it is released into waterways. To address this, a safe level for nanosilver in the environment was found using the aquatic organism Daphnia magna.  

By studying the population and heart rates of Daphnia magna in varying concentrations of nanosilver, a level at which nanosilver does not pose a toxicity risk was discovered! This level was 0.26–0.50 milligrams per litre (mg/L), and exceeding this value would cause toxicity in Daphnia magna, as well as other aquatic organisms

My study investigated the feasibility of a bio-flocculant as an accessible, safe, affordable and environmentally friendly option to reduce turbidity. Using a combination of dried lemon peel and chitosan, I tested different concentrations to find the optimal dosages to reduce turbidity. The bio-flocculant identified offered an affordable treatment option for those with limited access to clean water while being environmentally friendly and offering no adverse health effects sometimes associated with flocculation. 

This study looked at potential bio-waste adsorbents to decrease the phosphate run-off into natural waterways from agricultural fertilisers and animal manures.
Identifying eggshell waste as an effective adsorbent for phosphate, a mathematical model and website were developed for farmers to calculate cost savings and application rates of eggshell on their soils. This free and accessible tool will be available to help farmers counteract their environmental footprint.

A new, novel and innovative ultraviolet radiation sticker has been developed to accurately measure large UV exposures for Solar Disinfection of water. The SODIS Sticker is capable of accurately measuring the solar UV exposure required to sanitise drinking water through 2 innovative products built together. A high accuracy and transparent UV sensitive film coupled with a partial UV blocking filter, was used to construct The SODIS Sticker.

This project focused on waste treating waste, developing a novel cycle where plant wastes become biochar water filters.

This study investigates the efficiency of Elodea canadensis in assimilating nitrate in effluent as a tertiary wastewater