On 29th September the Science Council held its first ever policy conference entitled The Science Council Climate Conference – The UK Pathway to Net-Zero. The event brought together Science Council members and other organisations from across the science and engineering community to discuss how the UK can meet its targets for reducing emissions and reaching net-zero in the coming years.
The conference drew on the diverse expertise of member organisations, exploring in depth topics such as the challenges and opportunities in the food system, achieving net-zero in the steel industry and the role of hydrogen in balancing future supply and demand.
Speaking at the conference, Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and National Technology Adviser, said: “Every year, we’re losing Arctic Sea ice and CO2 levels have dramatically increased since the industrial revolution. There are clearly unarguable changes that are occurring. Science and technology are undoubtedly central to what we need to do. We need to be focused on technologies that we can already see, technologies that we have already invented, and ask how do we work out which of those we can implement and scale.”
Videos of the livestreamed sessions can be found at:
Plenary Panel 1 – The UK’s Net-Zero Challenge, https://youtu.be/cCLGOmlQS-I
Keynote Address by Sir Patrick Vallance, https://youtu.be/CZx9jnQcmQ8
Plenary Panel 2 – The role of the UK science and engineering community,
and the full conference programme of the conference is available at,
https://sciencecouncil.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Climate-Conference-September-2022.pdf
To find out more about future events held by the Science Council and its professional body Members see their website: https://sciencecouncil.org/category/event/
Corrosion Science and Engineering in Action in Climate Change Technology Carbon capture and storage is a technology that could be crucial in our attempts to slow the effects of climate change. The methodology is relatively simple: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured from...
Report by Sue Wharton, Science in Parliament (SIP) – The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee (All-Party Parliamentary Group).
On 15th October 2024, visitors including eleven delegates from ICorr, were welcomed to the discussion meeting by George Freeman MP, new Chair of the P and SC.
The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee is an All-Party Parliamentary Group funded by Membership – for further details go to www.scienceinparliament.org.uk
Stephen Tate, President of ICorr, introduced Institute activities; training and informing corrosion engineers at all levels is a key objective. Courses are run, qualifications awarded, specialised meetings held, and financial support given, including for their Young Engineer Programme (YEP), currently running in London.
The APPG then heard four specialist presentations: Gareth Hinds, Senior Fellow and Science Area Leader, Electrochemistry Group at the National Physical Laboratory, gave us his thoughts on ‘Raising Awareness of Corrosion’; David Parker, Environmental Consultant, spoke on ‘The Potential of Value Retention Processes (VRPs)’; Izabela Gajewska, Intertek CAPCIS Consultancy Services, gave us her ideas on ‘Mentoring the Next Generation towards Corrosion Prevention’; and finally Christian Stone of Loughborough University and Concrete Preservation Technologies Ltd, described ‘Advanced Corrosion Management Techniques to Reduce Cost and Risk in Our Built Environment’.
Corrosion costs the UK £80 billion per year. Professor Hinds stressed we must raise awareness of this; we have expert knowledge of corrosion control practices, which could save up to 35% of this total. All countries pay the price of corrosion, and the World Corrosion Organisation (WCO), of which he is currently President, promotes global education and best practices in corrosion control; tackling corrosion also fits well with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Ideally, corrosion control should be incorporated in designs for new projects; unfortunately, undergraduate courses tend not to specialise in the subject, with knowledge generally learnt on the job.
David Parker focused on re-use, explaining the concept of Value Retention Processes (VRPs), Refurbishment and repair, re-use, and remanufacturing were reviewed. Benefits from re-use include reduced emissions, saving raw materials, and more skill orientated jobs. Industry and services are aware of benefits but hampered by regulatory and trade barriers and cost pressures.
Izabela Gajewska, Intertek CAPCIS Consultancy Services, and an ICorr Young Engineer, gave us her views on developing the new generation of corrosion engineers.
Optimised corrosion prevention practices can improve safety, protect the environment, and save money. She listed the varied work of corrosion professionals, reiterated the shortage of new engineers, and suggested suitable courses; experienced specialists retiring impacts the transfer of knowledge. Better communication on education, training, and mentoring would enable and encourage more homegrown students. Christian Stone described advanced corrosion management techniques. Much of our built environment uses reinforced concrete, but mid-20th century public infrastructure can now require intervention; current repair strategies are often lacking and work delayed due to budget constraints. Refurbishment of existing structures is better than rebuilding. Britain is a world leader in corrosion surveying and management; electrochemical surveys pinpoint issues and tailor them to specific locations. Hybrid Galvanic techniques are UK inventions, used worldwide. Recent Reinforced Aerated Autoclave Concrete (RAAC) concerns have been tackled using specific survey methods and anodes, now protecting many public buildings.
A varied Q and A session discussed RAAC safety, reluctance to use new technology, and shortage of specialist engineers. Reactive attitudes persist; only when a collapse occurs do organisations have to rethink. Better communication and design are needed; short-termism is a false economy.
A national register of structures at risk in all areas is considered desirable. Corrosion engineers can play an important role in sustainability and climate change; there should be more awareness of the value of their skills.
The Institute of Corrosion expresses its special thanks for assistance provided to ICorr by Karen Smith, Leigh Jeffes, Roger Brown and Sue Wharton of the Science in Parliament (SIP) Group.
Photo: P and SC Portcullis House, London. Image Courtesy of Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG.
Photo: L-R Yunnan Gao (ICorr Vice President), George Freeman MP (Past Minister of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), Gareth Hinds (Past ICorr President/Speaker), Christian Stone (ICorr Speaker), Stephen Tate (ICorr President/Speaker), Stephen Benn (3rd Viscount Stansgate), Izabela Gajewska (ICorr Speaker), David Parker (ICorr Speaker), David Mobbs (Coatings Specialist) and Douglas Mills (Past ICorr Technical Secretary). Image Courtesy of Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG.
Photo: ICorr President Stephen Tate with ICorr MIC Tutor Tony Rizk. Image Courtesy of Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG.
World Environment Day, organised by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is the biggest worldwide environmental event, having been established by the UN General Assembly in 1973. Every year, millions of individuals from governmental bodies, corporations, civil society organisations, and academic institutions take part in environmental awareness campaigns and action plans with the goal of safeguarding the planet’s future.
The theme for 2024, “Our Land, Our Future. We are #Generation Restoration,” emphasises the importance of restoring land, combating desertification, and enhancing resilience to drought. Due to desertification, up to 40% of the world’s land is currently damaged, affecting about 3.2 billion people worldwide. Furthermore, estimates indicate that drought will affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
Corrosion and CO2 Emissions: Corrosion of metals, particularly steel, leads to significant CO2 emissions due to the need for replacement and maintenance of corroded structures. Maintenance due to corrosion accounts for an estimated 3.2% of global CO2 emissions (C. Hoffmann, 2020).
Synergy Between Land Restoration and Corrosion Technology
Reducing Environmental Footprint: Use of advanced sustainable ecofriendly corrosion protection solutions helps reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities by:
Lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Decreasing the need for raw material extraction and processing.
Reducing toxic waste and contamination from traditional corrosion prevention methods.
Supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): By minimising the environmental impact of industrial maintenance and extending the lifecycle of infrastructure, corrosion technology contributes to:
SDG 9: Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation.
SDG 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and more sustainable.
SDG 12 : Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
SDG 13 : Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Promoting Circular Economy: Utilising recycled materials in production of corrosion protective products (coating/corrosion inhibitors) aligning with circular economy principles, enhancing resource efficiency and reducing waste.
Enhancing Land Restoration Efforts: Reducing industrial emissions and waste, supports broader environmental restoration initiatives by:
Improving soil and water quality.
Mitigating climate change impacts.
Reducing air pollution.
Call to Action
Adoption of Sustainable Technologies: Industries should integrate advanced, sustainable corrosion technologies to reduce their environmental footprint and support global restoration efforts.
Alignment: By aligning the goals of World Environment Day with advancements in corrosion technology, we can make significant strides towards a sustainable and resilient future. This integrated approach not only addresses immediate environmental challenges but also sets a foundation for lasting positive impacts on our planet.
Invest in Research and Development: Continued investment in R&D for innovative corrosion prevention solutions is crucial for achieving long-term environmental and economic benefits.
Promote Awareness and Collaboration: On World Environment Day and beyond, stakeholders should raise awareness about the importance of corrosion technology in environmental sustainability and collaborate to implement best practices.
Sources
https://impact.nace.org/economic-impact.aspx NACE International. (2016, March 1st). Economic Impact.
https://sdgs.un.org.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/metals-and-mining/our-insights/decarbonization-challenge-for-steel C. Hoffmann, M. V. (2020, June 3rd). Decarbonisation challenge for steel. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ . The carbon footprint of steel corrosion.
Sustainability in Action in the Built Environment The landscape for the construction industry is evolving rapidly, and sustainable innovation is now taking centre stage in many discussions. As we face the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental...
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