A BOURNEMOUTH professor has discovered a sustainable way to preserve historic tanks at a Dorset museum.

Bournemouth University (BU) has been working with The Tank Museum in Bovington for more than a decade to find ways to preserve the museum's massive tank collection so future generations can continue to enjoy them.

Zulfiqar Khan, professor of design engineering and computing at BU used technological and engineering research to develop new conservation facilities, install humidity and temperature sensors, live-corrosion condition monitoring and implemented a control environment.

The decade of research helped enable the Museum to secure £2.5m of funding to invest in the Vehicle Conservation Centre, which helps slow down deterioration in these vehicles.

Professor Khan said: "The research goes beyond just preserving tanks because it can be used in much wider industries to help create sustainable solutions. It has played an important role in helping people to better understand and explore British Heritage."

Tank Museum director Richard Smith added: "Before BU started working with us, we had no research to help us protect these historical works of engineering. Without data it was impossible to make evidence-based decisions about the best way to preserve the tanks.

"But now, we are looking forward to the future."