Previously, reactions and equipment were cooled by ‘single-pass cooling’, where water is continually run and drained down the sink. This method consumes vast volumes of water and incurs large water bills. The new recirculating chillers have a closed-loop water cooling system that is a more environmentally friendly and economical alternative. 

Some chemical reactions require cooling as does some equipment such as lasers and microscopes. An example is our helium liquefier in the School of Physics, where we are now providing a more water efficient and cost-effective way to recover helium from laboratory cryostats. Liquid helium is used to maintain cryogenic temperatures in laboratory equipment such as the NMR spectrophotometers at the School of Chemistry. Large quantities of helium are boiled off in the process which need to be re-condensed and recycled due to its expense and scarcity on earth. Our helium liquefier has been using tap water for cooling which has been using 3,500m3 of water per year, equivalent to 6 million pints of beer down the drain!  

The University of Bristol has a strong track record of sustainability action and became the first university to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ in April. These savings align with our water strategy that aims to reduce our reliance on water resources to play our part in climate change adaptation, in an increasingly water-stressed world.

September 2019