|
Connection
Options:
Broadband | Narrowband | Transcript | Help
The University of Birmingham is proud to be located in the
West Midlands at the heart of the UK.
 This
video is kindly supported by Advantage West Midlands
www.advantagewm.co.uk
|
 Researchers at the University of Birmingham's School
of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences have discovered and
developed a new method of detecting pollution in water in
seconds.
In the past it would take hours or even days to test for some
organic pollutants in the laboratory, but Dr Andy Baker and his
team developed a method of using ultraviolet light to examine the
fluorescence given off by different substances.
They began by developing a set of fluorescent
"fingerprints" for different types of organic matter so
that they could identify pollutants.
Working with scientific instrumentation company STS Ltd, they
have now developed a device that can be taken to the river and
measure the fluorescence identifying the presence of organic
pollutants in seconds.
The device will be used by water companies and other
organisations to detect pollution and improve water quality, and
they hope to further reduce its size until it is little more than a
probe, at which point it would have applications in areas such as
disaster relief, where water quality is often a life or death
matter.
Footage:
- Laboratory testing
- Computer screens
- Field testing and riverbank demonstration
Interviewees:
- Dr Andy Baker, University of Birmingham
- Naomi Hudson, PhD Student
- David Ward, Director STS Ltd
Duration: Long edit circa 4 minutes
|
