Other statements in the series
PIONEERING A DIGITAL FUTURE Research Councils UK Digital Economy Programme
PIONEERING A LOW CARBON FUTURE
MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE Creating new industries and new jobs
TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
The Research Councils UK Energy Programme
tuNABLe stArCh for GreeN CheMistrY
10 years ago PhD research in the University of York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence led to the discovery of new high surface area forms of starch. These are useful in applications from chromatography to catalysis. These new materials have remarkable properties which can be ‘tuned’ from starch-like to carbon-like. Named “Starbons” (registered trade name), they are the subject of several patent applications and are sold commercially for laboratory use worldwide. Continued EPSRC support is allowing their use in a number of processes including effluent treatment in the pharmaceutical industry as well as studies on process optimisation, scale-up trials and further applications with the chemical industry. Brian Trenbirth, Technical Director of Contract Chemicals a user of the Starbon technology says that they “will be delighted to transfer Starbon technology from laboratory through pilot to full scale production. This innovative technology will enable us to diversify our business portfolio thus helping the company to expand”.
EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding high-quality basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training in engineering and the physical sciences, to help the nation exploit the next generation of technological change. It invests more than £800 million a year in a broad range of subjects – from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering. www.epsrc.ac.uk
August 2010
CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR A MORE SECURE BRITAIN
CYBERSECURITY
INFRASTRUCTURE
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTING THE FUTURE
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
PIONEERING SKILLS TO BUILD BRITAIN’S FUTURE
EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding high-quality basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training in engineering and the physical sciences, to help the nation exploit the next generation of technological change. It invests more than £850 million a year in a broad range of subjects – from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering. www.epsrc.ac.uk
MANUFACTURING
caSe Study 03
DIGITAL ECONOMY
Global production of cement is set to double to over five billion tonnes/year by 2050. But the type most commonly used today has a heavy environmental price accounting for five percent of manmade CO2 emissions. Novacem’s cement is carbon-negative absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere during manufacture. This is because it isn’t limestone based, requires low process temperatures and contains carbon-negative additives. The company has received additional venture funding through the Royal Society Enterprise Fund and is seeking further commercial sponsorship to take the process through to manufacture.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
SKILLS
Other statements in the series:
EPSRC funding has played a key role in developing both a new, carbon-negative cement and its manufacturing process. The development is spearheaded by Novacem, a spin-out company from Imperial College London and is also supported by the Technology Strategy Board and the London Development Agency.
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
engineering and Physical Sciences research council
ENERGY
caSe Study 04
CeMeNt set to reDuCe CArBoN eMissioNs