Building work has started on a £16.5m bioenergy research centre designed to showcase and develop renewable low-carbon technologies.
Aston University held a ground-breaking ceremony on Monday for the European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI), part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The centre will include pilot-scale photo-bioreactors producing electricity from algae, and a 0.4MW small-scale industrial power plant.
The plant will generate heat and power from biomass sources, including sewage sludge, wood, algae and agricultural waste.
Other research at the centre will focus on generating biomass by-products, including hydrogen power for low-carbon vehicles or fuel cells, and biochar for use as an agricultural fertiliser and a source for decentralised hydrogen production.
The institute’s director Prof Andreas Hornung said: ‘EBRI’s new £16.5m laboratories will showcase to industry how we can produce real-life solutions to tackling waste, with both environmental and financial benefits.
‘One of our long-term research aims is to create a “thermal ring” of small-scale industrial power plants around Birmingham. This could divert biodegradable waste away from landfill and incineration and feed energy back into the National Grid.’
Contractor John Sisk & Son will be constructing the building on Aston University’s campus in Birmingham.
The contract, worth £7.5m, will take approximately 54 weeks to complete and will involve fitting the extensive mechanical and electrical installations required for the biomass plant and the specialist equipment needed for its bioenergy research.
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