Open Days

TWIRLS Project Workshop on Composting for Contaminant Removal, Prague, March 2007

TWIRLS team members Susan Tandy and Julie Williamson recently gave a workshop on composting for contaminant removal, hosted by the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague. Delegates included students, academics and consultants to industry. During their visit, Susan and Julie visited a number of contaminated sites including Spolana's chemical plant contaminated with lindane and dioxins. A unique approach to remediating the site has been adopted, involving indirect thermal desorption and basic catalysed decomposition (BCD).

Below: Contaminated buildings near Prague are completely enclosed and under negative pressure to avoid emissions of dioxin-loaded dust during decontamination.

Susan and Julie also visited the Most open-cast lignite mining area of N. Bohemia (Below). So vast, the mine extends into Germany and Poland. Plans to restore the area as a lake for leisure activities are complicated by shallow groundwater, heavilly contaminated with ammonia from an adjacent petro-chemical plant.

Picture courtesy of the Institute of Chemical Technology ICT, Prague.

TWIRLS Project Restoration Workshop and Field Site Open Day, Greece, 13th December, 2006

The TWIRLS project team from Bangor University and NAGREF / Soil Science Institute of Athens (SSIA), in partnership with Titan Cement Co. S.A. hosted a successful restoration worksop and a visit to TWIRLS field sites near Athens.

Below: Matina Christou of NAGREF / SSIA opens the TWIRLS restoration workshop, hosted by Titan Cement Co. S.A., Athens.

Below: Antonis Papadopoulos, postgraduate researcher presents a TWIRLS study by NAGREF / SSIA.

Below: Delegates from the TWIRLS restoration workshop in Athens visit field sites established by NAGREF / SSIA and Bangor University in black schist quarries operated by Titan Cement Co. S.A.

Below: Julie Williamson of Bangor University helps to plant Titan Cement's 1,000,000 tree as part of the TWIRLS project restoration workshop in Athens.

 

Project Launch, European Parliament, Brussels, November 6-7th, 2006

TWIRLS research and demonstration work was recently showcased in an exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels. All five TWIRLS staff travelled to Brussels armed with display materials (boy did we get some strange looks passing through customs armed with five, 1.5 m poster tubes!). On the evening of the 5th November, approximately 50 people attended presentations and a wine reception hosted by the TWIRLS project. TWIRLS research and dissemination officer Dr Julie Williamson introduced the project and was followed by Proffessor John Farrar (Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at Bangor University) and Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks.

The TWIRLS team (Julie Williamson, Susan Tandy, Mark Nason, Rhidian Jones and Jon Holmberg) hosted the TWIRLS project launch at the European Parliament in Brussels. Attendees included Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks.

The TWIRLS team (Julie Willamson, Susan Tandy, Mark Nason, Rhisian Jones and Jon Holmberg) hosted the TWIRLS project launch at the European Parliament in Brussels. Attendees included Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks.

 

Blaenau Ffestiniog open day, October 12th

The TWIRLS project held a successful open day at our in-vessel composting site and habitat creation experiments at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd. Approximately 25 people, including members of the local community and respresentatives of the UK Environment Agency and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds joined us to discuss our slate quarry restoration work on a landrover tour of our trial plots and during poster presentations.

Mark demonstrates the power of compost.

Friendly Environment Agency officers enjoy a cuppa and a chat about compost.

Mark points out newly germinated heather seeds to Bangor's University chaplain.

Sue explains the design of our heathland creation experiment.

 

Welsh Soils Discussion Group visit to Blaenau Ffestiniog, June 15th

The TWIRLS project hosted a visit by 20 members of the Welsh Soils Discussion Group (WSDG) on the 15th June. Drs Julie Williamson and Susan Tandy led a tour of the natural ('target') vegetation and soils adjacent to the TWIRLS project composting site before explaining the design of our composting and vegetation establishment trials on slate waste. The trip facilitated interesting discussion about methods of habitat restoration and how best to use composted waste materials as soil forming media in upland areas such as Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Natural vegetation near the TWIRLS trial site at Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Natural vegetation - Fir clubmoss Lycopodium selago

Looking down on the TWIRLS trial site from the adjacent hillside.

Examining TWIRLS compost plots recently sown with the upland grasses Agrostis capillaris (common bent) and Festuca ovina (sheeps fescue)

 

Site Open Day, Shotton, 18th May 2006

The TWIRLS project held a successful open day at our in-vessel composting and meadow grassland establishment trial site at Shotton, on Deeside. Approximately 30 visitors toured the trials and witnessed a demonstration of our in-vessel composting techniques. Many thanks to everybody who visited us, there are some photos of the event below. We will be holding an open day at our rural slate quarry trial site in September so check back here for details.

Viewing the EcoPOD in-vessel composters.

 

Rhidian and Jon demonstrate the process of filling the EcoPODs with mixed wastes.

Sue explains the mesotrophic grassland establishment trial.

Julie describes the contaminated land and tree planting experiment.