Sustainable Drainage Applied Research Group

The Sustainable Drainage Applied Research Group (SUDS ARG) draws on broad cross-faculty expertise to develop interdisciplinary aspects of sustainable drainage. The group includes professionals with expertise in porous paving, environmental geochemistry, the microbiology of geotextile, geographical information systems (GIS), constructed wetlands and urban hydrology.

Key Areas of Activity

• Monitoring the efficiency of porous surfaces to treat contaminants including oils and heavy metals
• Modelling for the design of constructed wetlands and monitoring of performance
• The use of GIS in flood risk assessment pre and post-SUDS emplacement
• Contaminant distribution and tracing, using mineral magnetism and radioactive nuclides to determine sources and sinks of fine particulate material in SUDS
• Assessment of grass species for use in vegetated devices such as swales and planted car park surfaces and their efficiency in contaminant treatment
• Distribution and physico-chemical properties of silt in kerbside channels and techniques of water harvesting
• Validating manufacturers claims of the scientific properties of materials

Expertise

• Experimental design and research project management
• Testing novel SUDS devices
• Evaluating contaminant retention in SUDS devices
• GIS for flood risk assessment
• Testing the effectiveness of biocidal products
• Testing the biodegradation of materials
• Chemical analysis

The Coventry University Microbiology Consultancy

The Coventry University Microbiology Consultancy (CUMC) is a branch of SUDS ARG which provides a wide range of services to businesses, such as routine chemical analysis and testing the biodegradation of materials.