University opens sewage research site

Located at Petersfield Wastewater Treatment Works, the centre will be used by engineers, microbiologists and chemists to investigate rain water harvesting, the impact of pharmaceutical waste and how fats and oils affect sewers.

University staff and other guests were invited on a tour by Southern Water, which manages the self-contained facility.

Dr Williams from the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying said: ‘The successful collaboration between the university and Southern Water means students get the chance to see the workings of a real sewage works.

‘The facilities at Petersfield allow us to conduct full-scale evaluation of sewage treatment systems and the laboratories allow for real sewage to be tested on site. This is an important capability for developing research and innovation projects with industrial collaborators.’