How can the chemical sector move to a more resource efficient future?

About this Session

Innovate UK KTN feature sessions at CHEMUK 2023
The transition to a Net Zero and more Circular Economy presents a number of challenges for our sector, but also a number of opportunities. Innovate UK KTN will explore both at CHEMUK23.

On Day 1 join us on Stage 2 to learn more about Innovate UKs strategy for innovation funding and opportunities for the chemical sector. Also to hear from organisations who are involved in cutting-edge projects that can help transition the sector to a more resource efficient future.

On Day 2, we will focus on opportunities in critical minerals and rare earth elements for a sustainable future. Join us to hear more about Government strategy and funding in this area. This will also be an excellent opportunity to hear from innovative projects and solutions being developed and supported by Innovate UK.

How can the chemical sector move to a more resource efficient future?

Part 1 of a 2-day feature ‘Resource Efficiency’ programme from Innovate UK KTN

Session Chair:
Dr Catherine J Mort, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Industrial Biotechnology – Innovate UK KTN

13.30:  Session Welcome (Dr Catherine J Mort– Innovate UK KTN)

13.35:  Vision for Materials & Manufacturing 2050  (Amy Peace – Innovate UK)

13.50:  Flue2Chem – converting valuable industrial carbon emissions into sustainable materials for consumer products.  (Dr Alastair Sanderson – Unilever)

Flue2Chem Summary : A consortium of businesses, universities and non-governmental organisations have come together to develop a project aimed at converting valuable industrial CO2 emissions into sustainable materials for use in consumer products.  As well as providing a more sustainable feedstock for products such as household cleaning materials, the project will also have a role in helping the UK reach its net zero targets by 2050 and develop the basis for a new business model involving partners across the supply chain.

14.00:  Biocatalytic hydrogenation: robust biotechnologies for sustainable chemical manufacturing  (Dr Holly A. Reeve, HydRegen)  

This talk will showcase opportunities to bring together the exquisite precision of enzymes and the efficiency of chemical processing, providing potential for more sustainable chemical manufacturing. The HydRegen technologies specifically address energy and resource efficiency for ‘biocatalytic hydrogenation’ reactions and have been demonstrated in scalable continuous flow reactors

14.05:  Re-imagining Recycled Material Supply Chains in a Conservative Industry – Challenges and Opportunities (Dr. Patrick Dodds, Hexigone)

Intelli-ion® is a new to market solution that prevents corrosion, which costs the world economy an estimated $2.5t.  The presentation will explore the recycle/reuse approach of raw materials in the conservative coatings industry, looking at the challenges but also opportunities a more sustainable product provides.

14.10: Waste gasification: KEW Technology solution to enable the production of circular molecules  (Stefano Cocchi, Kew Technology)

Introducing KEW Technology company -with specific focus on the patented process developed in the last 10 years to convert waste material such as RDF into a stable and clean syngas- , and the Sustainable Energy Centre, the KEW’s FOAK facility that demonstrate the reliability and robustness of the process at industrial scale. The possibility to convert various non-recyclable wasted materials into a clean and stable syngas with a circular approach, enables the production of low-carbon environmentally sustainable molecules such as hydrogen, DME, methanol and others.

14.15:  All speakers – Panel discussion/Q&A

15.00:  Catherine Mort, IUK KTN – Close