HARDING PRIZE COMPETITION 2025 | BTS
German form of ‘nachhaltend’, where Carlowitz explains about not harvesting more than you can replant. The consideration of sustainability in forestry expanded upon work by J.Evelyn, 50 years earlier, that outlined the reduction in forestry areas and how to reverse the effects (Evelyn, 1664). This was the main use of the term ‘sustainability’ until commencement of ‘Sustainable Development’ as a thematic focus when the 1970’s began.
2.5. Sustainable Development History Prior to work by the UN and the implementation of its SDG’s, ‘Sustainable Development’ was discussed and its definition is considered to be that shared by the Brundtland Report, as satisfying ‘the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland, 1987). This definition reflected upon the work of Malthus who proposed that population and its demand of resources grows faster than the resources can recover naturally (Malthus, 1798). As a term, ‘Sustainable Development’ was coined in 1969 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and then would inform the work by Brundtland.
2.6. Slurry Treatment in Construction The review is focused to the filter pressing aspect of STPs and the generic practices before the implementation of the STP by Align. It is well documented that filter presses can require
aids to assist water from being removed from the ‘mud cake’ contained within the press. Typically, a hydrated lime is used in this process to “chemically make the slurry material release water” (McLanahan, 2019), a point reiterated by other industry competitors (Filtration and Pumping Universal Solutions, n.d.).
Work has been implemented to improve best
practices by phasing out hydrated lime from this process due to the elevated pH and challenging reuse properties. In their work Yan Cui et al. list many benefits of using lime and explore some methods that have been identified to remove lime use, from gypsum to wood chips with varying effects (Yan Cui, 2021). However, there is little mention to either polymer tests or case studies where alternatives to lime have been used in large scale construction.
2.7. Water Treatment in Construction Typically, in the construction environment, wastewater treatment involves removal of fines from the water course preventing blockages and to ensure pH balance of the discharged material. These treatment steps are achieved by varying levels of intervention, from mechanical filtration in straw bales through to designed water treatment plants, as discussed in the sections below.
2.7.1. Construction Projects In conventional construction projects where the ground is disturbed and groundwater or run-off contains soil fines or dust there are small treatment solutions implemented. These treatment steps use settlement tanks or direct filtration to remove any particulate from the water course. Proprietary systems can be used to treat and
discharge the water or the steps might even involve placing straw bales in ditches to achieve the required filtration manually. Care and consideration should be taken when selecting such measures; for example, straw bales should only be considered in very short durations for, although cheap and quick to install, they have high
Above, figure 3: United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) SOURCE: UN, 2023 May 2025 | 17
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