Making a Difference Award
5 June 2023
The University of Manchester team, comprising Dr Muir Freer, Dr Clair Gough, Dr Andrew Welfle, and Dr Amanda Lea-Langton, has been recognised for their outstanding innovation in the field of social responsibility and environmental impact.
They have won the prestigious "Making a Difference Award" for their project that improves industrial processes through bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). Their achievement is centred around the creation of the Carbon Navigation System model that enables industries to calculate the full-chain carbon costs of operating BECCS (a process viewed as a viable and cost-effective large-scale energy generation and CO2 removal) or any other industrial supply chain at high spatial resolution.
This innovative tool not only aids industries in becoming more prosperous but also contributes significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions.
The team's work has already shown its potential in real-world applications. Collaborating with Glass Futures, they demonstrated how local glass producers could maximise profitability and sustainability by using biofuels to power their furnaces. They also helped Uniper Energy map a transition plan to convert a fossil-fuel facility into a BECCS facility. Furthermore, their ongoing engagement with BEIS and DESNZ is providing valuable influence on Net-Zero policy, reinforcing the benefits of BECCS and its alignment with the UK's strategy of cluster collaboration.