Prize-winning project puts science in sewers

The Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research (SCORe) Project - Putting Science in Sewers was last week recognised by the Business/Higher Education Round Table (B/HERT), winning the organisation’s Award for Outstanding Excellence in Collaboration and the Best Research and Development Collaboration award. The project, led by the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), is a joint initiative between the Australian Government, the Australian water industry and water research organisations.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said SCORe is the world’s largest research project focusing on sewer corrosion and odour, while B/HERT Executive Director Dr Sharon Winocur said the $21 million scheme is the second-largest project funded in the history of the Australian Research Council. The aim of the project, said Dr Winocur, is to undertake “the most comprehensive and in-depth study to date on the understanding and abatement of corrosion and odour problems in sewers, to support the water industry in achieving efficient and cost-effective sewer management”.

The replacement of concrete sewer pipes, as a result of corrosion problems, is costing hundreds of millions of dollars yearly in Australia. But Dr Winocur said collaborative leadership from research and industry has seen SCORe develop a suite of innovative technologies and strategies to revolutionise the science and practice of integrated sewer management, addressing key gaps in knowledge, technology and tools that had hindered optimal sewer corrosion and odour management.

For example, said AWMC Deputy Director Professor Zhiguo Yuan, “We found that the addition of aluminium-sulfate to drinking water treatment contributed significantly to the sulfide level in sewage, which contributes to sewer corrosion. If we change that coagulant to a non-sulfide-based coagulant, then we can reduce the problem.”

Professor Høj said the project “has fundamentally changed sewer corrosion and odour management practice in Australia and will have an enduring impact on the worldwide water industry”. He noted, “By working closely with industry partners who collectively provide wastewater services to some two-thirds of Australians, the researchers are delivering conservatively estimated savings of $400 million over 20 years, in net present value.”

Dr Winocur added that project outcomes are still in the early stage. She stated, “With much wider uptake projected for the coming years by the water industry as a whole, it is certain that enormous benefits will accrue from the project.”