Loughborough leads Zero Carbon Loss biomanufacturing project

Funded through an EPSRC Sustainable Manufacturing grant, the project is pushing to lower emissions within UK manufacturing and help the UK reach its 2050 Net Zero targets.

Leading the research is principal investigator Dr Jin Xuan, professor and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University, and director of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Chemical Economy. 

Professor Xuan told The Engineer that the UK chemical manufacturing sector has an annual turnover of £32bn, but is also one of the top emitting sectors of CO2.

“If we can develop a net zero emission manufacturing system, that will contribute a lot to the UK’s economic success,” Xuan said. “Also, the biomanufacturing sector itself represents a huge opportunity for clean growth.”

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Biomanufacturing involves using biological substances as feedstock within the manufacturing process to make value-added chemicals and materials for sustainable bioproducts, Xuan explained, such as medicines, polymers and detergents.