Projects supported by BBNet
Find out more about the projects supported by clicking the links below.
Proof of Concept funds
Enzymatic production of brown algae derived polyol diacids
- Project lead
- Leonardo Gomez
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Brown algal biomass (both wild and farmed) is exploited for food and food ingredients in parts of Asia and Europe, but remains largely unexploited in the UK despite its natural abundance and potential for farming. Research efforts are trying to develop value chains around brown algae in the UK, both through farming or collection. […]
Developing novel high-performance textile composites
- Project lead
- Simon McQueen-Mason
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: The fashion industry, globally worth $700bn, utilised 110 millions tons of fibre in 2018 and has ranked the second most polluting industry in the world. Growing awareness of the impact of human consumption on the environment has led producers and consumers to look for more sustainable feedstocks and processes for textile production. (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future). Bacterial […]
Improving the economics of poly-B-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production based on polymerisation of secreted monomers
- Project lead
- David Leak
- Institute
- University of Bath
Summary: Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate is a biodegradable plastic produced as an intracellular polymer by some bacteria. While it has many potential uses, it is too expensive to produce for general application and is currently only used in specialist applications (eg medical). Aims: Poly-β-hydroxybutryate (PHB) is a useful biopolymer with a limited current market due to the production […]
WasteWood2Paper: paper packaging from waste wood derived cellulose
- Project lead
- Jason Hallett
- Institute
- Imperial College London
Summary: Currently, UK packaging producers use imported, virgin cellulose pulp for manufacturing their paper-based packaging materials and solutions. Meanwhile, industrial waste wood, such as wood pallets, wood chips and wooden off-cuts from the construction industry, is disposed of at a substantial cost due to the presence of metal preservatives and other contaminants. Aims: We will […]
Seafibres: Production of sustainable fibres from UK sourced seaweed
- Project lead
- Leonardo Gomez
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Seafibres aimed to produce sustainable functional fibres derived from UK sourced brown algae and to harness the potential of seaweed farming for sourcing algae biomass that could be fractionated and used to produce environmentally friendly fibres for specialised applications. At present, seaweed and products derived from them are sourced overseas. Half of the global […]
Sounding out ultrasonic effects for lignin valorisation from organosolv and enzymatic processes (SULVOE)
- Project lead
- Madeleine Bussemaker
- Institute
- University of Surrey
Summary: Lignin constitutes 20-30% of lignocellulosic biomass, a non-edible biomass containing three intertwined biopolymers – cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. In the UK yearly production of lignocellulosic wastes from agricultural and forestry industries are ~1.3 million tons giving potential lignin availability of more than a quarter of a million tons. Hence lignin valorisation is imperative for […]
A chemo-enzymatic approach to the bio-production of a nylon precursor from lignin in engineered bacteria
- Project lead
- Stephen Wallace
- Institute
- University of Edinburgh
Summary: Adipic acid is an important industrial chemical that is used primarily for the manufacture of nylon fabric. Over three million tonnes of adipic acid are manufactured each year worldwide via an industrial process that currently relies on diminishing fossil fuels and also emits unacceptable volumes of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. In fact, in […]
SAFFS: Sustainable acrylic fabrics from seaweed
- Project lead
- Jonathan Todd
- Institute
- University of East Anglia
Summary: Acrylic acid is one of the most mass-produced chemicals in the world and it is used to manufacture a wide range of products including textiles, superabsorbents, paints and adhesives. Currently it can only be manufactured from fossil fuels. Global concern over greenhouse gas emissions has encouraged policy makers and industry to consider bio-based chemical […]
Development of enzyme-based coloration and coating for sustainable machine washable wool to support the wool industry transition to a circular system
- Project lead
- Jinsong Shen
- Institute
- De Montfort University
Summary: Wool fibres offer extensive natural benefits such as thermal insulation, breathability and biodegradability. However, wool currently only makes up 1% of global fibre production due to strong competition from cheaper synthetic fibres. With increasing demands for sustainable textile materials, closed-loop textile circularity, and a reduction of negative impacts caused by synthetic materials (microplastic) damage […]
CruSHH – Crustacean Shell Protein-derived Peptides for Heart Health
- Project lead
- Christine Bosch
- Institute
- University of Leeds
Summary: This project aims to explore the potential of waste material from the seafood processing industry to be converted into functional products that can benefit heart health. With increasing numbers of obesity and chronic metabolic disease in the population, posing a huge burden to the health system, there is clearly a scope for development of […]
Dark fermentation and homoacetogenesis to convert wheat straw into volatile fatty acids
- Project lead
- Matthew Reilly
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are a group of valuable chemicals with a wide variety of industrial applications across the pharmaceutical, biofuel, food, cosmetics and manufacturing sectors. The uses for VFAs range from the production of electronic cables insulation to providing fragrance in perfume. Carbonovia Ltd. is an industrial partner on this project and the […]
Bio-based catalyst for bioproduct oxidation
- Project lead
- Jonathan Wagner
- Institute
- Loughborough University
Summary: This project seeks to develop a cheap, nontoxic and fully renewable biorefinery catalyst to facilitate the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a critical intermediate for bioplastics (e.g., Bio-PET) synthesis. Despite high demand, displacement of PET with FDCA-based PEF is currently limited by the high cost of this intermediate due to a […]
Carpet beetle enzymes for sustainable valorisation of keratin
- Project lead
- Federico Sabbadin
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Keratin is an abundant structural protein that forms the bulk of hair, fur, feathers, hooves, horns and scales in animals. Over 65 million tons of keratin waste are generated each year from the food and textile industry, and they represent a cheap and plentiful source of building blocks (peptides and amino acids) for the […]
Mining natural and synthetic diversity towards sustainable methacrylate production
- Project lead
- Benjamin Blount
- Institute
- University of Nottingham
Summary: Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a chemical building block for plastics, building materials, surface coatings and medical/dental implant materials. Currently, ~4 million tonnes (valued at ~$7.5 bn) is produced annually from petrochemicals. This produces ~14 million tonnes of associated CO2 emissions, roughly equivalent to the total annual CO2 emissions of Slovenia. We are partnering with […]
MSAD: Methanosarcina detection and addition for optimised anaerobic digestion
- Project lead
- Caroline Hayley Orr
- Institute
- Teesside University
Summary: MSAD will demonstrate the potential of Methanosarcina as an inoculant for the AD industry and develop an optimised method for detection. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a complex biological process whereby organic waste is broken down to produce biogas. Previously we have worked with a range of AD facilities at different scales and observed the digester […]
Novel valorisation routes of red seaweeds for oligosaccharide and protein extraction
- Project lead
- Federico Sabbadin
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Red seaweeds (or red macroalgae) have been consumed for thousands of years as part of the human diet and are commonly found and harvested along Great Britain’s western coast. These organisms are rich in diverse biomolecules, including proteins, polysaccharides, pigments, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds, with wide-ranging medical and industrial uses. Red […]
De-centralised flower waste biorefinery: towards continuous supply of feedstock for the fine chemical industry
- Project lead
- Parimala Shivaprasad
- Institute
- University of Nottingham
Summary: The billion-dollar flavour and fragrance industry accounts for 20% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions and changing regulations have prompted this industry to identify climate-neutral routes for manufacturing flavour and fragrance ingredients. Flowers are an abundant source of terpenes, which are highly versatile molecules that can be tailored into a range of starting […]
From lignocellulosic biomass to chemical wealth
- Project lead
- Mauro Rinaldi
- Institute
- University of Hull
Summary: Our society desperately needs to transition away from petrochemicals in the manufacturing of high-value chemicals to meet global sustainability and carbon goals. These everyday chemicals include life-saving medicines, agrichemicals, and flavours and fragrances in our toothpaste and cleaning products. The challenge is that manufacturing of carbon-based chemicals cannot be decarbonised, and biomass is the […]
Biofilm-based immobilisation of strains for the production of succinic acid from lignocellulosic biomass sugars
- Project lead
- Yongqiang Liu
- Institute
- University of Southampton
Summary: Lignocellulosic biomass, which includes non-food plant materials such as wood, grass, agricultural residues and some biowaste, is the most abundant and renewable source of sugars. However, harnessing lignocellulosic biomass for industrial fermentation remains challenging. This project is dedicated to advancing sustainable succinic acid (SA) production from biomass through fermentation by developing an innovative biofilm-based […]
Enabling the paper sector’s decarbonisation via anaerobic digestion and industrial symbiosis. (PAPERdecarb)
- Project lead
- Silvia Tedesco
- Institute
- Salford University
Summary: According to national statistics by BEIS (2020 Annual report ‘UK Energy in Brief’), natural gas is still the major contributor to the UK’s primary energy consumption, which has risen considerably in the last 30 years, with a current inland import dependency marker at ~50%. The paper and pulp industry is one of the national […]
Bio-based solvent production from lignocellulose derived sugars and aromatics
- Project lead
- Neil Dixon
- Institute
- University of Manchester
Summary: Anisole is an important industrial chemical, regularly used as a precursor by the flavour and fragrance, pharmaceutical and food industries. Further, its favourable physical and chemical properties, low toxicity and biodegradability rank it well on solvent selection guides. With such versatility of application, the global market size for anisole was valued at ~90$ (USD) […]
Business Interaction Vouchers
Transplanting biomass utilisation machinery into an industrial yeast for an affordable bioproduction
- Project lead
- Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
- Institute
- Imperial College London
Summary: This project combines the expertise of the academic partner in engineering substrate utilisation in the industrial yeast Yarrowia lipolytica with previously engineered strains that produce high value products created by the technology of the industrial partner. Aims: This project aimed at producing high value terpenes in yeast using low-cost substrates. Outcomes: During this partnership, […]
Bio-loading impact study on downstream hydrolysis and fermentation of autoclaved fibre from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW)
- Project lead
- Jessica Adams
- Institute
- Aberystwyth University
Summary: Approximately half of the domestic waste produced in the UK is still not recycled and much is either, burnt to produce energy releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, or placed in landfill with the consequent release of methane; a gas over twenty times more potent than CO2 in terms of its potential for retaining heat […]
Can green seaweed provide a new bio-based route for the production of acrylic acid in the context of biorefineries?
- Project lead
- Thierry Tonon
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: Acrylic acid is a platform chemical used to produce esters which are polymerized for applications in paper treatment, plastic additives, textiles, sealants, adhesives and surface coatings. It is also an important starting material for superabsorbent polymers, which are widely used in diapers and other hygiene products. The market value of acrylate is expected to […]
Integrating digital modelling techniques to develop a sugarcane biowaste valorisation process
- Project lead
- Dongda Zhang
- Institute
- The University of Manchester
Summary: This project aims to improve the technology readiness level and manufacturability of a sustainable industrial biotechnology developed at Green Fuel Research Ltd. (GFR) which can effectively create valuable chemicals (butanol, succinic acid and lactic acid) from sugarcane biomass waste. The project strongly underpins a UK’s national research priority – Growing the Bioeconomy. The UK’s […]
Catalytic conversion of bio-derived feedstocks to bio-LPG component gases
- Project lead
- Jude Onwudili
- Institute
- Aston University
Summary: LPG is a clean burning lower-carbon fuel and due to the low emission of particulate matter and other pollutants during its combustion, promotes better air quality. There is an urgent need to develop bio-based low carbon pathways to C3 and C4 hydrocarbons to replace the existing use of liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). With a […]
Exploring a novel circular economy concept for the valorisation of crude glycerol from biodiesel production
- Project lead
- Alfred Fernandez-Castane
- Institute
- Aston University
Summary: The production of biodiesel uses for example, vegetable oils and fats and; yields crude glycerol as by-product. For every 100 kg of oil converted, 10 kg of crude glycerol are produced. The purification of glycerol is complex and pure glycerol is low-priced thus, not presenting economic incentive to the biodiesel industry. However, crude glycerol […]
Assessing varied food manufacturer’s waste for further valorisation as industrial biotechnology feedstock
- Project lead
- James Winterburn
- Institute
- The University of Manchester
Summary: Unavoidable byproducts/wastes from food manufacturing could provide an important source of nutrients for fermentation process. Substitution of purified substrates typically used in industrial biotechnology could provide the increased market competitiveness needed by a number of sustainable products such as biopolymers and biosurfactants. Existing research on the valorisation of food manufacturing byproducts/wastes typically focused on […]
Preteatment of cellulosic textiles by reaxtive species produces by gas plasma
- Project lead
- Hemaka Bandulasena
- Institute
- Loughborough University
Summary: As part of the Textile Circularity Centre, The University of York has developed an effective method for producing high quality cellulose from end-of-life textiles, which can be used to create new cellulosic textile fibres. The process uses environmentally benign digestion of cellulosic fibres with enzymes to convert them into sugars. This process also releases […]
Enabling unspecific peroxygenases for the valorisation of renewable compounds
- Project lead
- Gideon Grogan
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: A greener and more sustainable chemicals industry depends on identifying sources of renewable chemicals from Nature, but also on developing safer methods of synthesising more valuable chemicals from those renewables. Nature produces many abundant molecules, such as fatty acids, waxes, steroids, aromatics and terpenes in renewable plant material that can go to waste, but […]
Recycling of paper waste from plasterboard
- Project lead
- Jason Hallett
- Institute
- Imperial College London
Summary: Plasterboard is made from a layer of gypsum (calcium sulfate) pressed between layers of paper. The paper used in plasterboard is often recycled paper, limiting both the cost of materials and options for recycling. Recycling plasterboard requires the separation and subsequent recovery of both the gypsum and fibres, and conditions for gypsum dissolution (concentrated […]
Production of the first garment using textile waste derived microbial cellulose.
- Project lead
- Neil Bruce
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: The textile industry has been condemned for its wasteful supply chains and polluting practices that are responsible for more than 4% of the global carbon emissions. Worldwide, over 100 million tonnes of fibres are consumed and discarded annually, 97% of these are from virgin resources and only 1% are recycled into new fibres at […]
ENhancing Bio-nutrient Recovery of Organic Waste (ENBioROW)
- Project lead
- Jonathan Wagner
- Institute
- Loughborough University
Summary: IntelliDigest has developed a bio-upcycling robot, iDigest, that enables the recovery of nutrients from inedible food and agricultural waste into a circular bio-based fertilizer. The use of bio-nutrient produced locally through enzymatic bio-catalysis of food and Agri production waste will make the farmers resilient to price changes in oil and gas which influences the […]
Bioprocessing agricultural waste to recover natures most abundant protein
- Project lead
- Douglas Orr
- Institute
- Lancaster University
Summary: Agriculture uses plants to produce much of the food we eat, but also leaves behind waste leaves and stems that from many crops are inedible. All crops use photosynthesis to grow and generate biomass, capturing light energy and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to power growth of leaves and produce the edible parts of […]
Next generation glycosaminoglycans: Towards sustainably sourced, non-mammalian aquatic alternatives.
- Project lead
- Mark Skidmore
- Institute
- Keele University
Summary: Heparin, a natural carbohydrate product that is extracted and processed from pig and cow intestines, is extensively utilised as an injectable anticoagulant, and is classified as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. Heparin is also employed to create an anticoagulant surface within experimental and medical devices, such as specimen tubes and renal […]
Scale-up Funds
Process and Parameter Intensification for Pilot Scale Demonstration of 2,3-Butanediol (BDO) Biosynthesis (PILOT-DIOL)
- Project lead
- Vinod Kumar
- Institute
- Cranfield University
Summary: Currently, the global chemicals sector emits two gigatonnes of greenhouse gases every year. One reason for this is that the bulk of small molecules are produced from fossil fuels, but there is a strong drive to use bio-derived chemicals wherever possible, as this is an essential step forward in reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. […]
Scaling-up biobased textile recycling for sustainable fashion
- Project lead
- Neil Bruce
- Institute
- University of York
Summary: The University of York has pioneered an innovative recycling technology that will enable the manufacture of circular fashion. In the UK, 1 million tons of clothes are discarded every year, but less than 1% are recycled into actual clothes. Consumer concerns and the adoption of new regulations have led retailers and manufacturers to look […]
