BBSRC China Partnership Award : 2005-2009

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A grant was awarded to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne to establish a partnership between UK and Chinese Universities. The award lasts for four years with the aim of developing research collaboration between the institutes involved.

Research theme : Bioremediation  and bioavailability

University Partners :

UK : University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Aberdeen, University of Lancaster, University of East Anglia.

China : Chinese National Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Henan Normal University, Nanjing University, National Natural Science Foundation of China

(For details of individuals involved see below.)

First meeting : All the partners met at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in September 2005 for the SETAC Europe UK Branch meeting and spent time after the conference establishing the most appropriate areas for collaboration.

The group decided on the following research focus :

Main focus will be on contaminated soil

1. Remediation : examine novel combinations of biological, physical and chemical remediation methods to remediate sites contaminated with complex pollutant mixtures
2. Manipulation/sequestration of bioavailability of pollutants to reduce the potential risks to humans and ecosystems
3. Methods for assessing potential for remediation and assessing risk (before and after remediation) e.g. use of bioavailability in assessing risk and potential for remediation, biomarkers, biomonitors.

Field sites : brownfield (old industrial, urban sites) and arable. Metal/ mining sites. Sites with pollutant mixtures [in China, most relevant would be World Expo in Shanghai, developed from contaminated sites]

Next group meeting : SETAC Asia Pacific meeting in Peking University, 18-20^th September 2006. It was suggested for the group to hold a special symposium on ‘Contaminated land : risk assessment and remediation’

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