Innovation centre invests in algae to tackle minewater contaminants

The grant will subsidise Northern Engineering Solutions company scientist Dr Pedro Fernandez to develop the industrial use of microalgal photobioreactors (PBRs) for the task.

Mine water accumulated by leaks and seepages into industrial premises represents an environmental threat to animal and plant life as well as humans, together with rivers and groundwater.

Current solutions rely heavily on chemicals-based methods which are not only cost-intensive but bring their own environmental and safety issues on account of the heavy metal waste these applications create.

Northern Engineering Solutions director Simon Taylor, whose North Shields-based process engineering firm specialises in solutions including the use of green algae for wastewater treatment, said the object was to achieve a system of testing scaled up for use on location.

“The grant funding from SynbiCITE will help us to quickly take huge strides in our internal research and development process, with the aim of ultimately getting a working solution in the field for testing in the near future. Pedro’s expertise in microbiology research enhances our internal capabilities to develop and deploy cutting-edge treatment technologies,” he commented.

In addition to removing pollutants, Fernandez’s work aims to develop a circular and more efficient use of resources, as heavy metals trapped by microalgae are frequently capable of being recovered for reuse.

Formed in 2013, SynbiCITE is the UK’s national Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for the industrial adoption and use of synthetic biology.

Based at Imperial College London, it is funded by Innovate UK, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) plus public and private supporters

Pic: (l to r) Mark Davey, Managing Director of Northern Engineering Solutions MD Mark Davey; Pedro Fernandez and Simon Taylor.