Case study: Biofuel Evolution Ltd
Bioprocess Intensification for Carbon Dioxide and Waste-derived Feedstock Conversion to Bio-based Products
Coventry-based start-up Biofuel Evolution has a mission: to fuel a circular bio-economy and support the bio-based industry’s growth, with the ultimate aim of reducing global environmental impacts.
It wants to achieve this through BEBlock®, a solution which will integrate bioprocess engineering and bioelectrochemical systems to develop novel biological pathways for waste conversion: rather than relying on food crops, the technology will instead transform organic waste streams into valuable products.
Biofuel Evolution is now partnering with the PINZ CDT to move this solution forward.
PhD student Louise Amor-Seabrooke, under supervision from Dr Sharon Velasquez-Orta and Professor Adam Harvey of Newcastle University’s Process Intensification Group, is investigating the biological conversion of captured carbon dioxide and waste-derived feedstocks into renewable products.
In this project, data analytics will be used to map the composition of waste-derived feedstocks across domestic and global geographic regions to examine how seasonality might affect their characteristics, and how waste streams differ geographically. Highly characterised biocatalysts, microorganisms, and microbial consortia will then be designed, evolved and optimised highly to convert waste-based feedstocks into new products.
Jaymish Patel, co-founder and CEO of Biofuel Evolution, explains how the PINZ CDT project is helping the company break new ground…
How did the initial relationship with the PINZ CDT come about?
We worked on an Innovate UK Transformative Technologies project with a research team led by Dr Sharon Velasquez-Orta, which enabled us undertake the initial feasibility assessment of the technology and its potential.
What does this project mean for the evolution of your technology?
Having support from a renowned institution such as Newcastle University has given us the opportunity to elevate the technology and reach the next milestones that that we need to hit.
Our vision is to make sustainable resources and energy accessible to the world, through innovation, inspiration and education – and his project really emphasizes that.
What are the advantages of partnering with the PINZ CDT?
The academics involved are highly specialized. They are some of the best not only in the country, but in the world. Dr Velasquez-Orta, for example, has a great breadth of knowledge in bioelectrochemical systems, waste remediation and valorization, and that was one of the reasons why we decided to pursue this project with the PINZ CDT.
The involvement of York University is also a major benefit. Its Biorenewables Research Centre will allow us to translate the research findings to pilot scale.
Overall, the PINZ CDT offers a great blend of technical expertise and industry knowledge.
How is the project supporting Louise Amor-Seabrooke’s development?
In our first few conversations with Louise, we could see that she had the passion and drive to really make a difference, and this project is providing a platform for her to enhance her knowledge.
PINZ CDT has not only given Louise the opportunity to develop more in-depth capabilities in areas such as data coding and biochemical engineering processes but has also helped her to develop soft skills – for instance in public speaking.
Why should a start-up company, at a similar stage to Biofuel Evolution, engage with the PINZ CDT?
If you don’t have relevant resources in house, it can be very difficult to acquire them in a short space of time. The PINZ CDT provides access to those capabilities.
But in particular, it’s a doorway to an established ecosystem of expertise, and wide-ranging knowledge of how to scale-up projects and bridge the gap between academia and industry. That has been a huge help to us and will be to other companies who are on a similar journey in developing their own technologies.
