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A team of scientists has developed an air-lift loop bioreactor which, it says, will make the production of biofuels more energy efficient, has won the Moulton Medal from the Institution of Chemical Engineer. The team, from Sheffield University, has worked on developing a new more energy efficient bioreactor using microbubbles which, it says, has the potential to revolutionise the energy-efficient production of biofuels.
Professor Will Zimmerman, from the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: "I am delighted that our team's work in energy efficient microbubble generation is being recognized by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. The potential for large energy savings with our microbubble generation approach is huge. I hope the award draws more industry attention to our work, particularly in commodity chemicals production for gas dissolution and stripping, where energy savings could enhance profitability. There are many routes to becoming green, and reducing energy consumption with the same or better performance must be the most painless."
The approach is currently being tested with researchers from Suprafilt in Rochdale on industrial stack gases. The team are also currently testing the application of the device with local water company Yorkshire Water. They are using the components of the bioreactor that produce microbubbles to give a better performance in the treatment of wastewater. They are predicting to reduce the current electricity costs for this process by a third.
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