Scientists and engineers take IChemE awards

An University of Greenwich product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 26, 2006

Scientists and engineers from the University of Greenwich at Medway scooped two top prizes at the international 2006 Institution of Chemical Engineers Awards.

Scientists and engineers from the University of Greenwich at Medway scooped two top prizes at the international 2006 Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Awards ceremony.

Dr Paula Carey and Dr Colin Hills, of the School of Science, collected the Green Chemical Technology Award for Carbon8 Systems - a leading spin-out company from the University of Greenwich.

The award is in recognition for their novel process using accelerated carbon technology to treat contaminated soils and waste and lock carbon emissions into an inert material, which can be used as a secondary aggregates in construction and engineering projects.

A pilot treatment plant is currently being constructed in partnership with Skipaway, of Medway, the leading waste management company in the South East.

Once operational, the plant is expected to be able to process between 250kg and 1t of contaminated material every hour.

Meanwhile, a team of engineers from the university's Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, took second place and were "Highly Commended" in the Award for Innovation in Applied Catalysis and Colloid - Particle Science fighting off strong competition from other universities and pharmaceutical giants Pfiser and AstraZeneca.

The engineers, based at the University of Greenwich campus at Chatham Maritime, have been working with the University of Surrey to develop techniques to preserve the quality of particulate materials, such as cornflakes, muesli and sugars, during manufacturing processes.

Their particulate handling technology, known as "QPM", has already helped one UK-based multi-national pharmaceutical company cut manufacturing losses by GBP 1 million at a new processing plant.

QPM reduces the many problems in handling particulate materials including particulate lumping, breakage and separation.

Dr Paula Carey of Carbon8 Systems said: "This award is an acknowledgement of our success in creating a green solution to handling hazardous waste materials".

"Our pilot project is currently being built and will be up and running early next year".

"The technique not only renders polluted waste and soils inert but traps significant quantities of waste carbon dioxide in materials which can be used in both engineering and building projects".

Carbon8 Systems is currently working closely with Medway Enterprise Hub, Business Link and Vertex Law, of Kings Hill, to develop business and marketing plans and secure intellectual property rights.

Professor Alan Reed, Director of the Wolfson Centre, said: "We were delighted that the Wolfson Centre was Highly Commended for its QPM work".

"It is recognition from our peers of how our business-facing research, has, through a well-planned programme of knowledge transfer, been used by a number of multinational companies for competitive advantage".

"We are convinced that the potential for further rollout of QPM technology to business is huge".

The IChemE Awards were presented by popular science broadcaster Adam Hart-Davies, at the Banqueting House, Whitehall, London.

Greg Lewin, IChemE President, said: "The diversity of entries in this year's programme serves only to illustrate that chemical engineering truly is a profession without boundaries".

"Chemical and process engineers are playing a major role in finding innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society".