The European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI) has unveiled brand new facilities that will allow it to expand its bioenergy research and knowledge transfer activity.
The £16.5 million development at Aston University includes research suites, laboratories and technology demonstration facilities and is powered and heated by an onsite Pyroformer bioenergy plant.
The Pyroformer technology was developed by EBRI and uses multiple waste sources to generate heat and power.
Professor Andreas Hornung, Director of EBRI, said: "We are delighted that our new facilities are now up-and-running and that we have a functioning Pyroformer demonstration power plant installed on site.
"This new building development will significantly increase the capacity of our dedicated teams to produce world-class research and knowledge transfer in all aspects of bioenergy and technology development. We can also now provide even more collaboration opportunities for businesses to run trials and tests, evaluate waste sources and consider combinations of bioenergy processes prior to investment."
The Pyroformer's ability to use multiple waste streams means that agricultural land is not required for the production of fuel, said Professor Dame Julia King, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University. "We believe that we can take waste such as sludge, industrial cast offs, grass clippings from our parks and gardens, and even autumnal leaf fall, and turn it into a power source that by 2050 will have created a thermal ring of mini power plants around Birmingham.
"EBRI is therefore a critical component in enabling the UK to become more energy efficient, and to reduce our current reliance on fossil fuels, imports, and volatile energy markets."
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