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16.11.10
Grant Funding for Advanced Biofuels Project
GBL is pleased to announce that together with Physiomics and North Energy Associates Limited the company has been awarded £268,000 from the Carbon Trust for a project to demonstrate an Advanced Fermentation Process for Butanol.
The aim is to improve the microbial fermentation process for producing renewable butanol (a ‘next generation’ biofuel) using solventogenic Clostridia. The project will focus on improvements in butanol productivity using a novel bioreactor design together with improved microbes and cheaper more sustainable feedstock found in the UK. Example feedstock includes sugar beet pulp, distillers dried grains and solubles (DDGS) and municipal solid waste. The advanced butanol fermentation process should reduce production costs below $500/ tonne making it cost competitive with first generation biofuels. In addition, the use of renewable and sustainable feedstock supports significant savings in net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK, which could total 1,230,000 t eq. CO2/ annum by 2020.
GBL will lead the project and deliver improved biocatalysts and demonstrate a novel fermentation process at laboratory and pilot scale. Physiomics will model microbial population and provide input into how best to optimise the fermentation process. North Energy will complete life cycle assessment (LCA) of the process on model biomass feedstock applicable to the UK.
The grant is from the Carbon Trust’s Entrepreneurs Fast Track scheme which provides a customised package of research and development funding, expert advice and enhanced networking opportunities to the leading UK clean tech ventures with the highest growth potential.
Dr Edward Green, CSO of Green Biologics Limited, said
‘The funding enables us to accelerate our work on non-edible feedstock prevalent in the UK. This not only helps drive down the cost of bio-butanol production making it cost competitive for the biofuel market but also improves the sustainability of the process and reduces GHG emissions compared with first generation biofuels. This technology breakthrough offers a tremendous opportunity to commercialise the butanol fermentation in the UK.