Institute invests £3.1m to speed up industries moving to net-zero on carbon

THE Middlesbrough-based Materials Processing Institute has invested £3.1m into equipment and facilities as part of a new programme to support decarbonisation of the foundation industries.

The foundation industries contribute £50bn annually to the economy and produce 75 per cent of all materials globally.

Gerard Stephens, head of research and technology at the institute, said: “Our facilities are uniquely equipped to support the foundation industries in integrating new, greener technologies into their operations.

“This investment enables the institute to lead this critical research and it strengthens the UK in pioneering and commercialising industrial sustainability.

“All foundation industry stakeholders and partners can access and benefit from the advancements made possible by these significant investments that will foster growth and innovation through improved resource efficiency, the scaling up of sustainable products and decarbonisation of industrial processes.”

Work has included developing new materials and ways using steel industry slag in cement production, as well as researching materials to create alternative high-temperature, heavy-duty refractory linings.

EconoMISER, a UK Research and Innovation-funded programme, is the first project delivered by the Foundation Industry Sustainability Consortium, which comprises leading research and technology centres, Henry Royce Institute, Glass Futures, Centre for Process Innovation, Lucideon and the Materials Processing Institute.

These centres are working together in a bid to accelerate foundation industries towards sustainability and net-zero objectives.

They are working across five core areas – alternative fuels, recycling and reuse, digital control and sensors, process optimisation and sustainable materials development.