University News Last updated 03 October 2011
Birmingham City University is involved in a major €14 million (approx £12.3 million) initiative to bring experts from across North West Europe together to develop the potential of algae as a source of sustainable energy.
The four-year transnational Energetic Algae – or EnAlgae – project, led by Swansea University, is a strategic initiative funded by the INTERREG IVB North West Europe Programme and backed with £629,000 from the Targeted Match Fund through the Welsh Government, together with a range of co-sponsors.
It involves 19 Partners and 13 Observers across eight EU member states; France, Belgium, UK, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, and aims to reduce CO2 emissions and dependency on unsustainable energy sources, through the accelerated development and deployment of algal-based biomass and bioenergy technologies.
Greenhouse Gas emissions
In 2009, the EC Greenhouse Gas Inventory reported that North West Europe was responsible for more than 40 per cent of the EU’s total Greenhouse Gas emissions. This was due to the region’s high population density and its intensive level of industrial and rural development.
Given such considerable pressures on the environment and current energy sources, sustainable bioenergy innovations could help provide a solution to tackling CO2 emissions across the region, encouraging growth of a Low Carbon Economy.
Currently, algal bioenergy technologies are immature, but rapid advances are being made in the field.
The EnAlgae initiative will allow expert centres across North West Europe to form an integrated pilot network to support and accelerate the development of new algal-based technologies to the point of commercialisation.
The project is unique in developing best practices that will influence European policies on algal biomass production, bioenergy and bioremediation technologies, thereby de-risking and accelerating commercialisation of the sector.
Industry-focused research
The project’s manager Dr Robin Shields, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) at Swansea University’s College of Science, said: “Algal bioenergy has been identified as a strategic priority by the INTERREG IVB NWE Programme. The EnAlgae expert partnership has been formed to develop and implement technologies tailored to the unique socio-economic and environmental conditions of North West Europe.
“Thanks to close transnational cooperation, EnAlgae partners and stakeholders will gain access to those sustainable technologies most suited to their local operating conditions.
“As project lead partner, Swansea University is delighted to extend its industry-focused research on algal bioremediation and biorefinery technologies, in partnership with acknowledged experts from across North West Europe.”
As a partner in the project, Birmingham City University’s Centre for Low Carbon Research will be leading the development of a decision support system. Using expertise within its knowledge based engineering and bioenergy groups, this innovative and interactive tool will empower a range of stakeholders (from operators to policy makers) to make more accurate and informed decisions about bioenergy provision in the future.
Dr Lynsey Melville - Director of the Centre for Low Carbon Research Said “ Bioenergy from algae offers many advantages over traditional biofuel crops, however it is important that we ensure that cultivation and conversion processes are both environmentally sustainable and commercially viable. This collaborative project will capture expert knowledge and data from across the entire bioenergy delivery chain. Information will be used to produce a sophisticated and adaptive decision support systems which will help to communicate best practice, drive innovation and guide future policy towards more focused action in the region.”
Professor Craig Chapman – Head of the Knowledge Based Engineering Lab said “The creation of a semantically rich information model, built within a decisions support system will enable stakeholders and policy makers to make informed decisions based on captured best practice. The decision support system will assist in the future development of Bioenergy by the use of collaborative knowledge sharing and support throughout the process lifecycle”