14:30
Imperial College
February 18
Lecture theatre 200, City and Guilds Building
Professor Adrian Butler, Professor of Subsurface Hydrology, explores how sodium and chloride influence water systems, the environment, and human health, from radioactive waste to safe drinking water solutions.
Please register to attend in person. A live stream link for online attendance will be available here shortly.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 18 February!
Abstract
Sodium and Chloride, the main constituents of table salt, are the commonest dissolved substances in water. Perhaps our most dramatic experience of salty water is when we get a mouthful while swimming in the sea. But these elements can also be found on land, especially in the subsurface. Professor Adrian Butler’s research explores how these elements affect water systems and human health. One focus is the underground disposal of radioactive waste. Out of the many radioactive materials to be buried, chlorine-36 (Cl-36) poses a significant long-term risk to human health through its entry into the food chain. Field and laboratory investigations on its movement from groundwater into plants has helped inform key safety recommendations for the nuclear industry. Another challenge is landfill waste. When mixed with water, it gives rise to a cocktail of chemicals, including chloride that can seep out and cause major pollution problems. To assess these impacts, Professor Butler’s team developed landfill chemical process models and observed and simulated leachate movement at the Burntstump landfill site in Nottinghamshire. Salt can be used as an artificial subsurface tracer. Adding and then observing its behaviour in wells in the Chalk aquifer has helped improve the management of this important water resource. The most extensive salinity problem occurs when seawater enters and pollutes coastal aquifers. Recent work uses electrical voltages caused by the movement of sodium and chloride in the subsurface to develop methods for remotely detecting the presence of saline groundwater to help protect these important water resources. Finally, in coastal Bangladesh, millions are drinking salty water from either ponds or wells. Working with epidemiologists, Professor Butler’s team linked high sodium levels to significant health impacts such as cardiovascular disease and (pre)eclampsia. A major cause of this salinity is from storm surges associated with tropical cyclones. They are now working on interventions to provide safer drinking water for vulnerable coastal communities.
Biography
Adrian Butler teaches subsurface flow and contaminant transport to undergraduate and master’s students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research is associated with measuring, analysing and modelling subsurface flow and transport processes and their associated environmental impact. Over many years he has been involved in studies on the environment behaviour of sodium chloride, including the movement of radiochlorine associated with radioactive waste disposal, chloride migration from landfill and saline intrusion processes in groundwater, as well as the health impacts of sodium in drinking water in Bangladesh.