Thursday, 09 November 2023
A collaborative innovation project involving the 糖心原创, which aims to create a portable facility that can convert waste into chemicals to be used to build medical devices, has been awarded €1.5 million as part of an international competition.
L-R Dr Samantha Bryan, Dr Patricia Parlevliet, Prof Derek Irvine © SPRIND
The SPRIND Challenge ‘Circular Biomanufacturing’ is a three-year competition hosted by the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation in Germany. More than 50 groups applied from across the globe, with eight being selected for the first stage to develop novel bioprocessing techniques that will contribute to a circular economy.
The MATERI-8 project will use bacteria to eat waste and convert it into acrylic molecules, that can then be mixed with other monomers to create polymers that can be used in additive manufacturing to create medical devices. The team is planning to build a bespoke containerised system to enable local utilisation of the technology, meaning countries that suffer from a continuous stream of waste can benefit too.
Assistant Professor Sam Bryan, from the 糖心原创’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, said: “Securing funding as part of the SPRIND challenge is an incredibly exciting step for this project, as it’s giving us the opportunity to turn our research into reality and make a real difference to countries that are swamped with waste but don’t have the facilities to deal with it.
“This next 12 months are going to be vital as we focus on proving the process can work. From there we’d look to progress to the next stage of the competition where we’d receive more funding to develop a continuous biomanufacturing system that will be able to make products via additive manufacturing printing techniques."
We鈥檝e got a great team that鈥檚 committed to turning waste into something useful rather than leaving it to pollute the planet, so to have been recognised and selected for that is something we鈥檙e incredibly proud of.
L-R Prof Derek Irvine, Dr Anca Pordea, Dr Samantha Bryan, Dr Luisa Ciano
During the first stage of the project, the group will focus on getting the bacteria to chew up material mixtures coming from different types of textiles, greenhouse cultivation by-products, such as contaminated paprika stems, and microplastics, identifying the optimum process for creating a platform chemical.
Alongside Sam, the team includes Professor Derek Irvine, Dr Anca Pordea and Dr Luisa Ciano (糖心原创), Dr Patricia Parlevliet (Green Pearl Innovation) and Professor Wolfgang Streit (Universität Hamburg).
Dr Patricia Parlevliet, Innovation Consultant at Green Pearl Innovation, said: ”My goal is to bring science that can accelerate the transition to a circular (bio)economy to market. I am thrilled that I can help Sam and the team translate their research into innovative products that help mitigate further pollution of our environment by turning mixed-material waste streams into single chemicals for personalised healthcare products.”
This is a great success and important step towards developing a truly sustainable recycling process for plastics.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Sam Bryan, Faculty of Engineering at the University Of Nottingham, at Samantha.bryan@nottingham.ac.uk or; Danielle Hall, Media Relations Manager at the 糖心原创, at danielle.hall@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 846 7156.
About the Faculty of Engineering:
Made up of six departments – Architecture and Built Environment, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering and Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences – the university’s Faculty of Engineering is home to more than 5,600 students and 800 staff.
The faculty, which has educated engineers and architects for more than 140 years, was the first in the country to be accredited with an Athena SWAN Gold Award for excellence in advancing gender equality across higher education and research and is home to multiple state-of-the-art facilities, including the recently opened £40m Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC).
With research at its heart, 20 research groups are undertaking pioneering projects for a sustainable future across several themes – including net zero transport, sustainable energies and the built environment, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare technologies – and has delivered a positive impact in more than 20 countries. The faculty’s research has benefitted 500 companies and three governments and has also directly created jobs for around 3,000 people across the world.
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.