Research project could make Wales a bio-refining hub
A new research and demonstration facility could establish Wales as a major centre for bio-refining.
The BEACON programme will turn locally grown crops into commercial products, including fuels, plastic composites, pharmaceuticals and textiles — in essence, any products that are traditionally made from oil.
A key part of the project will be to work with a variety of industrial partners, the target being 200 businesses over the course of the project, which runs until June 2015.
‘We’re trying to demonstrate the commercial potential here,’ said Dr Steven Fish of Aberystwyth University. ’Technically it can be done, but the finances have got to add up. If it’s not competitive, it doesn’t matter how good the science is, it won’t go any further.’
BEACON, which has a total budget of £20m, is headed by the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth, in collaboration with Bangor and Swansea universities.
It will bring together geneticists, microbiologists and agriculture experts to work on a variety of feedstocks, including crops such as rye grass, miscanthus, oats and artichokes.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Comment: The UK is closer to deindustrialisation than reindustrialisation
But is VAT to blame? Manufacturers are taxed on the value added to a product, lets say a billet of steel is purchased. They add value by shaping and...