£6 million awarded to 20 research projects to accelerate decarbonisation of industry

IDRIC, part of the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC), has awarded close to £6 million to support the reduction of carbon emissions in the UK’s largest industrial clusters. Decarbonising these clusters is a key step towards reaching the UK’s net zero emissions target, a priority that has recently been reinforced by the government-commissioned Net Zero Review.

Industry plays a vital role in society, contributing to 9% of the UK’s GDP. It produces the vital materials and products that are fundamental to our day-to-day lives but contributes around 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby, to climate change.

IDRIC recently launched a call for a second wave of new industrial decarbonisation research projects, offering stakeholders the opportunity to respond to emerging innovation and research needs and complementing its existing programme of projects.

The £6 million funding will go towards 20 projects covering a wide range of technological, environmental, economic, skills and social aspects of decarbonisation.

Pressing priorities that are addressed include: low carbon technologies (carbon capture, usage and storage; hydrogen; greenhouse gas removal); systems and scale up; policy frameworks; workforce skills development; and equality, diversity and inclusion.

The successful bids demonstrated how they would employ active dialogue and collaboration with key industrial stakeholders to ensure that outcomes and impact remain closely tied to industry needs. A full list of successful bids is listed below.

The funding extends IDRIC’s current research programme of 40 projects which is accelerating research and innovation through a whole system approach. IDRIC collaborates with over 200 partners and stakeholders including academic institutions, industry, community representatives and policy makers to address urgent innovation needs - realising goals with impact as well as sharing and integrating knowledge across disciplines and sectors.

Bryony Livesey, Challenge Director, Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, UKRI, said:  “The announcement of this funding continues to build upon IDRIC’s whole system approach to decarbonising industry, enabling the UK to remain at the forefront of a global low-carbon future. These successful Wave 2 projects will build evidence on a range of areas from economics and emissions to skilled jobs and wider net zero policy, supporting UK’s green growth and net zero ambitions.”

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Champion and Director IDRIC said:  “We were delighted by the quality and volume of applications received in response to our funding call and as a result we have awarded funding to projects that address a wide range of pressing research priorities.

"IDRIC’s programme has demonstrated that we have the tools to transform industry and make it an engine of green growth. Our Wave 2 funding accompanied by the continued support of industry and academia will further enhance innovative decarbonisation solutions at pace and scale in the industrial heartlands, where it matters most.

"We are excited about the imminent announcement of our call for Flexible Funding and Secondment programmes. These further exciting opportunities will offer the chance to stakeholders to respond to emerging research needs, as well as encouraging skills development and knowledge transfer in the industrial decarbonisation sector.”

The successful projects include universities and businesses from the South West, these are:

Professor Alan Guwy - University of South Wales

• “VFA to PHA: Decarbonisation - A Route to Sustainable Plastics” with research in South Wales
• Project partners: University of Bath and a range of industry partners

Dr Jonathan Wagner - Loughborough University

• “Algae-based carbon capture and utilisation for UK cluster decarbonisation” with research across all clusters
• Project partners: Loughborough University, University of Manchester, Heriot-Watt University, Xanthella Ltd, Zest Associates, Severn Trent Water, Biffa Waste Services, Berkeley-based Green Fuels Research, Algreen Ltd

Dr Lin Ma - University of Manchester

• “Enabling hydrogen storage near industrial clusters (Phase 2): enhancing confidence in porous rock storage” with research in the Humber, Northwest, South Wales and Teesside
• Collaborators:  BGS, Heriot-Watt University, Centrica. Project partners: Stonehouse-based Progressive Energy, ENI

Dr Xinyuan Ke - University of Bath

• “Up-scaling on-site CO₂ utilisation for decarbonisation of dispersed cement sector: a novel route to reliable net-zero concretes” with research in the Humber and South Wales
• Project partners: Lafarge Cauldon Limited/ Aggregate Industries Ltd, CEMEX UK

Dr Paula H. Blanco Sanchez & EBRI collaborators – Aston University/Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI)

• “Good plant design for measurement of CO₂‚ in carbon capture and storage applications” with research across all clusters.
• Project partners: Energy Institute, Progressive Energy

Professor Marcelle McManus - University of Bath

• “Creating a Carbon Framework for a decarbonised circular economy” with research in the Black Country and South Wales
• Project Partners: University of Warwick, University of Birmingham, Energy Systems Catapult, TATA Steel, South Wales Industrial Cluster

Dr Abby Samson - The University of Sheffield and collaborators: Prof Mathieu Lucquiaud, Prof Jon Gibbins and Dr Muhammad Akram

• “AMICUS: Analysis Methods for Improved Capture Using Solvents” with research across all clusters
• Project partners: Bechtel, Uniper, Total Energies, Endress Hauser, International Test Centre, UK-China (Guangdong) CCUS Centre, Phillips 66, Tata Chemicals Europe, Progress Energy, VPI Immingham