Case Studies

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds an...

The 2008 Air Quality Directive and related legislation measurably improved Europe’s air quality. For example, a 2018 analysis noted a 54 % reduction in early deaths due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. Nonetheless, almost all Europeans remained exposed to polluted air, at the cost of 400,000 premature deaths a year in the E...

Europe’s health services face demands for breakthrough cancer therapies assured as safe, personalised, and able to cost-effectively treat patients. In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union received a cancer diagnosis. About half underwent radiotherapy, including during diagnosis. Image-guided radiation therapies becam...

Should cancer incidence rates rise as predicted, Europe’s health services will face escalating demands for investment in advanced therapies assured as safe, personalised, and cost-effective. In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union received a cancer diagnosis. About half underwent radiotherapy, including during diagno...

For optimal efficiency and product quality, high-value manufacturing processes are required to operate at very specific temperatures. Turbine blade heat-treatment, for example, is performed at temperatures above 1300 °C and held within narrow tolerances and temperature ranges, requiring furnaces to be controlled by several prec...

Electricity is transmitted at high voltages (HV) and reduced for domestic use by power transformers installed in HV substations. Many substations are located inside buildings in urban areas in reduced spaces. HV switchgear, such as circuit-breakers and disconnectors, are used to de-energise equipment to allow safe maintenance. ...