Objective Present day biological treatment systems have been developed primarily through empirical, incremental refinements of previously designed systems. This approach has delivered relatively effective biological treatment systems but the law of diminishing retur ns now governs the rate of process development. ECOSERV aims to free biological treatment design from the limitations of empiricism and provide fundamental principles founded in ecological theory to enable development of more reliable and predictable biolo gical treatments systems. We aim to implement this vision by integrating skills in mathematical modelling, state-of-the-art measurement technologies and principles from theoretical ecology in the context of environmental engineering. New models for biologi cal treatment systems based on a range of ecological theories will be developed and the predictive power of the models will be tested experimentally at laboratory, pilot and field scales. This will be achieved by assembling an excellence team comprising ma thematicians, modellers, microbial ecologists and environmental engineers in an environment where they will work as an integrated unit with the best available facilities. If the principles uncovered are truly general, they will be applicable to understandi ng, manipulating and managing any biological system (not only biological waste treatment), anywhere, and thus the implications of ECOSERV are potentially very broad ranging indeed. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesthermodynamicsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbotanynatural sciencesmathematicsapplied mathematicsmathematical model Programme(s) FP6-MOBILITY - Human resources and Mobility in the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration "Structuring the European Research Area" under the Sixth Framework Programme 2002-2006 Topic(s) MOBILITY-3.1 - Marie Curie Excellence Grants (EXT) Call for proposal FP6-2004-MOBILITY-8 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme SCF - Marie Curie actions-Series of events Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE EU contribution No data Address 6 Kensington Terrace NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
