A new research initiative, bringing together the UK\’s main public funder of bioscience research with 10 companies, has been launched to accelerate development of technologies required for the sustainable production of chemicals through biorefining.

Biorefining could offer a sustainable approach to chemical production

The Integrated Biorefinery Technologies Initiative (IBTI) Club is being led by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). BBSRC will be working with the Bioscience for Business Knowledge Transfer Network and the founder company members of the IBTI Club: Biocaldol, BP Biofuels UK, British Sugar, Croda, Danisco A/S Genencor, Green Biologics, AHDB-HGCA, KWS UK, Syngenta and TMO Renewables.

Chris Tapsell, Technical Director of KWS UK, one of the company members of the Club, said: “The public-private Club to develop biorefining technologies will be more than a sum of its parts. By bringing together world-class UK academic researchers with industrial partners we can ensure that the work we are investing in will be relevant to the challenges of this important sector, from improved raw materials, improved process and increased added value of end products. Our ambition is for the projects funded by the initiative to produce innovative technologies and lead into new demonstration facilities.”

The research club forms one part of BBSRC’s wider bioenergy investment strategy. In the coming months the Council will announce funding in second generation bioenergy research that will bring its commitments in this area to around £25M.