Member Article

Green technology receives major funding

ENERGY and process firms in the region have received a £1.2m funding boost towards the development of revolutionary green technology that uses algae to help cut industrial carbon emissions, writes Lindsay Gill.

The funding from the Technology Strategy Board’s collaborative reseach and development award has been given to a group of companies in the region’s process industry who are working on the development of a system known as AlgaeCAT.

It was secured with the help of Enterprise Europe Network North East, an initiative managed by the project’s leaders, The Centre for Process Innovation.

AlgaeCAT aims to develop an innovative, low cost, algae-based carbon abatement system for the capture of industrial scale CO2 emissions.

It unites a host of major process industry and energy generators from the region, including Alcan Aluminium UK, Sembcorp Utilities UK, Cemex UK, Steetley Dolomite, Tata Steel and Ove Arup & Partners.

Together they will address the shortfalls of algae technologies currently used for carbon abatement, which are heavily reliant on large land area, intensive labour, and warm climates.

AlgaeCAT project manager, Chris Gilbert said: “This grant has united key players in North East industry, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

“The successful development of a novel, high performance photobioreactor system, that can overcome these challenges, will allow these industries to significantly reduce the amount of CO2 they release into the atmosphere.

“By pioneering commercially viable algae carbon abatement technologies, North East Industry is leading the way for a global reduction in industrial carbon emmissions.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .