Production and recovery of energy and industrial materials from novel biological sources reduces our dependency on the Earth's finitie mineral petrochemical resources and helps the UK economy to become a low carbon economy. Recovering energy and valuable resources such as metals from waste materials is an attractive but challenging prospect. The valuable materials are usually present in wastes at very low levels and present as a highly complex mixture. This makes it very difficult to concentrate and purify them in an economically sustainable manner. In recent years there have been exciting advances in our understanding of ways in which microorganisms can extract the energy locked up in the organic compounds found in wastewater and in the process generate electricity. This is achieved in devices known as microbial fuel cells (MFC). In an MFC microorganisms on the anode oxidize organic compounds and in doing so generte electrons. These electrons are passed into an electrical circuit and transferred to the MFC cathode where they usually react with oxygen to form water, sustaining an electric current in the process. In theory MFC can be configured such that, rather than conversion of oxygen to water at the cathode they could convert metal ions to metals or drive the synthesis of valuable chemicals. It is our aim to develop such systems that use energy harvested from wastewater to recover metals from metal-containing wastestreams and for the synthesis of valuable chemicals, ultimately from CO2. This project will bring together experts from academia and industry to devise ways in which this can be achieved and will form the foundation of a research programme where scientists working on fundamental research and those with the skills to translate laboratory science to industrial processes will work together to develop sustainable processes for the production of valuable resources from waste.

In real world water distribution systems (WDS) uncertainty can arise in a number of different ways. Variations in the performance of parts (for example pipe roughness) can affect the performance of the system. Uncertainty in the requirements the system must satisfy (such as demand at a node) will affect the ability of the system to meet those requirements. An algorithm which can reduce the number of fitness evaluations required to find performance probabilities for systems operating under uncertainty has the potential to significantly reduce computation times required for optimisation. Furthermore when system uncertainties include mechanical failures such as pipe bursts, blockages and leaks, costs can be associated with underperformance allowing such an algorithm to offer risk-based optimisations of systems by assigning an expected consequence of failure to each design. Such optimisations will find a family of solutions offering a trade-off between the cost of the system and the expected future costs or consequences due to failures and other uncertainties.The need for an optimisation technique which is not only capable of optimising systems under uncertainty, but is also scalable to large WDS is at the heart of the proposed research.This research project brings mathematical techniques for statistical sampling and evolutionary optimisation together with an engineering knowledge of the design of water distribution systems under uncertainty.

Joint project for the modernization of educational programs in climate engineering, regional priority for Russia and China, national priority for Azerbaijan.3 AIMS IN EACH COUNTRY:Reduce skills gaps on intermediate levels (construction site coordinator, design technician) by improving the employability of students and by perfecting corporate executives.Professionalize teaching programs in line with the Bologna Process and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and relocate them partly into companies.Create a professional Bachelor accessible in distance learning for the energy and environmental performance of buildings and a lifelong training program.ACADEMIC KEY PARTNERS:- CNAM Paris- GIPFIPAG - CRVEP - UNINETTUNO- AGCNAM - Universidad de Sevilla- HTWK Leipzig - Azerbaijan Technical University- Harbin Institute of Technology- North-Eastern Federal University - POLITECNICO DI TORINO- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA- Siberian Transport University- Tuvan State University- Irkutsk State Technical University - Far Eastern Federal University- The state institution of vocational education Yakut Municipal Civil Engineering- Dalian University of Technology - BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY- Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction- Sumgayit State University- Ural State Mining UniversityEXPECTED RESULTS:3 regional strategic action plans.25 teachers professionalized in the EU.3 job descriptions, 3 professional Bachelors, programs, course content and digitized teaching resources available for distance learning.3 poles of excellence, resource centers and three technology platforms for energy efficiency in buildings.3 didactic cyberspaces.480 students and 150 employees trained on site or by distance learning.3 double diplomas or joint degrees.An action plan for sustainability.

Production and recovery of energy and industrial materials from novel biological sources reduces our dependency on the Earth's finite mineral petrochemical resources and helps the UK economy to become a low carbon economy. Recovering energy and valuable resources such as metals from waste materials is an attractive but challenging prospect. The valuable materials are usually present in wastes at very low levels and present as a highly complex mixture. This makes it very difficult to concentrate and purify them in an economically sustainable manner. In recent years there have been exciting advances in our understanding of ways in which microorganisms can extract the energy locked up in the organic compounds found in wastewater and in the process generate electricity. This is achieved in devices known as microbial fuel cells (MFC). In an MFC microorganisms on the anode oxidize organic compounds and in doing so generate electrons. These electrons are passed into an electrical circuit and transferred to the MFC cathode where they usually react with oxygen to form water, sustaining an electric current in the process. In theory MFC can be configured such that, rather than conversion of oxygen to water at the cathode they could convert metal ions to metals or drive the synthesis of valuable chemicals. It is our aim to develop such systems that use energy harvested from wastewater to recover metals from metal-containing waste streams and for the synthesis of valuable chemicals, ultimately from CO2. This project will bring together experts from academia and industry to devise ways in which this can be achieved and will form the foundation of a research programme where scientists working on fundamental research and those with the skills to translate laboratory science to industrial processes will work together to develop sustainable processes for the production of valuable resources from waste.

Although photolithography or scanning beam lithography are techniques widely used for the fabrication of devices with nanoscale features, a drive still exists to explore alternative and complementary nanoscale manufacturing processes, particularly for supporting the development of proof-of-concept devices that integrate 3D nano-structures. This is due to the fact that conventional nanofabrication technologies rely on capital-intensive equipment in addition to being restricted in the fabrication of true 3D features and in the range of processable materials. Besides, there are also increased concerns over their environmental friendliness as they are energy and resource intensive and generate significant waste. One candidate nano-manufacturing process that may help address these limitations, particularly during the development stages of nanotechnology-enabled devices, relies on mechanical machining with the tip of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probe. In particular, material removal operations on the nanoscale can be achieved as a result of using the AFM probe tip as a "nano-cutting tool". However, it is currently not possible for AFM practitioners to determine the required input process parameters, in terms of load to be applied by the tip and the cutting direction to be followed, for achieving specific groove dimensions without completing experimental trial-and-error campaigns first. For this reason, this project aims to implement a novel modelling approach of AFM-based nano-machining such that, given a set of input parameters, it will be possible for a user to predict the expected geometry of a machined groove, and vice versa. To achieve this overall aim, the project will develop and validate a new coupled SPH-FE (i.e. Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics - Finite Elements) model of the AFM tip-based nano-machining process. In addition, to ensure that such process modelling is based on reliable data, the project proposes to adopt novel experimental characterisation techniques to extract the mechanical properties of a workpiece material, which are specifically relevant for nanoscale cutting. Finally, the project also aims to demonstrate the increased potential of this nano-manufacturing process, when applied with the proposed modelling approach, for the development and implementation of nanotechnology applications through two lab-based demonstrators.