Eight new technologies, with the potential to save energy, maximize resource efficiency and cut carbon emissions, have won funding for UK industry trials. The winners include Luxus and TRC who have developed an odour-extracting technology for plastics.
These winners are the third phase of the BEIS Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA).
Energy and climate minister Graham Stuart said: "industrial decarbonisation is essential to delivering green growth and jobs. I am delighted today to award more than £3.6 million of government funding across eight pioneering projects who are developing the technologies of the future. As our Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) programme shows, the UK is home to world-class innovators who are finding vital solutions to cutting industrial emissions.”
Paul McKinney, Associate Director and manager of the IEEA for the Carbon Trust added; “innovation in technology to reduce emissions, energy and waste - especially in the industrial sector - is critical for the transition to Net Zero. Unfortunately, scaling new solutions for industrial use can be challenging as they can be viewed as risky. The IEEA provides an important bridge by providing evidence that they can work in operational environments, increasing confidence and accelerating the uptake of new efficient technologies. Many of the accelerator’s first projects are now being commercialised, promising to deliver significant efficiency savings in their industries. We look forward to seeing more of the same from this cohort of projects.”
During Phases one and two the IEEA supported the demonstration of 16 new energy efficiency process technologies at industrial scale.
The successful Phase 3 projects are:
- Colas is investigating in-situ cold road re-construction and recycling techniques for UK highways to further lower emissions. This technique is expected to allow 100% recycling of an existing highway surface.
- Futraheat is working with Hepworth Brewery, using a heat pump to recover heat normally wasted when brewing beer, and then return this to the process. This is expected to reduce energy consumption by up to 80%.
- Royal HaskoningDHV’s Ephyra anaerobic digestion technology optimises wastewater sludge treatment using a unique plant configuration and artificial intelligence. This technology is expected to improve the efficiency of conversion of waste materials into biogas by up to 20% whilst reducing GHG emissions. It is being demonstrated at a United Utilities Waste Water Treatment Works.
- Luxus and TRC have developed an odour-extracting technology with the aim of making plastics more recyclable into higher value products.
- Matrix Moulding Systems is attempting to develop an improved way to form extruded plastic products using ultrasonic technology at Polypipe.
- PyroGenesys is planning to install a biomass converter at Glasgow’s Tennent Caledonian Breweries. This is expected to convert waste grain and hops from brewing into heat, bio-oil and glucose.
- Stoli Chem is working with Robinson Brothers to end inefficient, batch processing of chemicals. To halve the costs and energy consumption with continuous manufacturing.
- 4T2 Sensors have developed a sensor to detect when pipes at drink factories need to be cleaned. This is being installed at a Diageo plc manufacturing plant to reduce the energy and water needed for cleaning.