Engineering and Physical SciencesResearch Council

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TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

“…in a world of six rising to nine billion people where resources are finite we have to produce and consume in far more efficient and less extractive ways where we reinvest in the productivity of the workforce, innovation and the natural assets that are the foundation of prosperity.”ACHIM STEINER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

Developing a sustainable economy is about creating a system that meets the needs of society whilst reducing pollution (including greenhouse gases), uses less resources, creates less waste and reduces social disparities.

EPSRC funds the crucial research in the engineering and physical sciences that are needed to achieve this goal. This support is pervasive across the portfolio. It is long-term and multidisciplinary, much of it collaborative with industry.

Renewable and cleaner energy are also part of our funding landscape, but they are not covered in this statement as our support (totalling a further £532 million) is described in a previous High-Level Position Statement: Pioneering a Low Carbon Future.

Key drivers

Many voices including the United Nations1 are highlighting the major challenges facing the world this century: climate change, loss of biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources. The only way out of these crises is for the world, developing and developed nations alike, to take the necessary steps to adopt a sustainable, low carbon economy and to reduce humanity’s environmental footprint.

The UK “will pursue this goal in an integrated way through a sustainable, innovative and productive economy that delivers high levels of employment, and a just society that promotes social inclusion, sustainable communities and personal well being. This will be done in ways that protect and enhance the physical and natural environment and use resources and energy as efficiently as possible2.” This includes investing in low carbon jobs growth3.

There are three key drivers for the UK in this area:

¤ to provide economic prosperity ¤ to ensure that all sectors of the economy

are playing their part in minimising their environmental impacts

¤ to develop sustainable modes of consumption

Challenges

We need research that enables us to achieve economic growth in the context of:

¤ globalisation and interlinked economies and industrial systems

¤ a growing world population¤ protecting the environment for the benefit of

future generations¤ diminishing resources (including water)¤ the rise of developing economies

We have to do this by revitalising existing industries, by developing new businesses and by providing jobs in a way that is sustainable and with minimal environmental impact

We need to achieve greater efficiency in the use of natural resources, particularly water and materials. We need to look at the functioning of our homes, the way we travel, the way we produce food, our systems of production and consumption, the way we work, and the way we use and protect the environment.

Research for our future

EPSRC is playing its part in addressing these issues. Over the last five years we have supported over 750 projects totalling £359 million. This represents 14% of our investment in research.

The research addresses all relevant areas including processing, ‘green’ chemistry, resource efficiency and sustainable urban environments. It embraces the development of products, equipment and systems that conserve the natural environment and resources, and minimise the negative impact of human activity, including reduction of emissions.

Examples include the Queen’s University Belfast Ionic Liquid Laboratories Research Centre which is investigating alternatives to the use of volatile organic solvents in industrial processes. The Centre exists to prevent pollution being created in the first place by developing and operating a sustainable strategy for the chemical industry.

£359minvested in 759 projects

1,750students (16%) working on green technology projects

“…the expansion of economic activity has been accompanied by growing global environmental concerns, such as climate change, energy security and increasing scarcity of resources. In response, manufacturing industries have recently shown more interest in sustainable production and have adopted certain corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Nevertheless, such efforts fall far short of meeting these pressing challenges. Moreover, improved efficiency in some regions has been offset by increases in consumption and growth in others.

What is needed now is a new vision and policies that will enable the creation of business and job opportunities that go hand in hand with a reduction in negative environmental impacts.”SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING AND ECO-INNOVATION, OECD, 2010

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CTS Green Partnerships for the economy

In 2008 the United Nations estimated the global market for environmental products and services would double from US$1370 billion to US $2740 billion by 20204. With the current UK current market estimated at £112 billion and accounting for 910,000 jobs5, and with a strong research foundation we are well placed to take a major share of the global market.

As well as supporting research that will lead to future industries, we work in partnership with companies to help them adapt, remain competitive and exploit new market opportunities. These range from multinational companies like Airbus, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Rolls-Royce, Shell, BP, Ove Arup, EON and EDF, small firms and government departments and agencies, such as the National Physical Laboratory. Over the last five years more than 3,000 organisations have worked in collaboration with the Universities we support and have contributed a further £460 million to the programme.

Examples of green partnerships include the Sustainable Urban Environment (SUE) programme which since 2003 has supported grants valued at £38 million. The UK Government recently concluded that

“To maintain our competitiveness and move to a green economy the UK may need as much as £40–£50 billion per annum of investment in key infrastructure such as better transport links… water and waste”6. SUE research covers these areas amongst others.

SUE’s 19 consortia have more than 200 collaborators drawn from relevant user groups including utility companies, city councils, charities, government agencies and companies such as Halcrow, Ove Arup, Veolia. A consortium involving London Metropolitan and Loughborough Universities, local authorities and transport authorities developed a journey planner which is now being used by Transport for London as part of their website to help travellers plan journeys using public transport.

Research partnerships we support are also international reflecting the fact that the problems we face are international in nature. The community has links with research institutes in Europe, the USA and the emerging economies of India and China.

Skills for the future

Moving to a low-carbon, green economy will require people with the right mix of skills. Around 1,750 of the 9,000 postgraduate students we support are involved in green technology. This includes the flagship Industrial Doctoral Centre in Sustainability for Engineering and Energy at the University of Surrey (See Case Study No 1) and others such as Technologies for a Low Carbon Future, Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering, and Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments.

“Sustainability and energy are growing topics in our industry and it is increasingly difficult to find high calibre technical and experienced individuals to help us shape the future of our research in this arena. The company has benefited from the expertise that our Research Engineers have developed and we have offered employment to the majority of Research Engineers on completion of their projects.”HELEN EVANS, INNOVATION STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, THAMES WATER UTILITIES LTD COMMENTING ON THE SURREY IDC

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1 See, for example, the UNEP Year Book 2010 (http://www.unep.org/yearbook/2010/PDF/UNEP_Year_Book_full_highRES.pdf)

2 One Future-Different Paths: the UK’s shared framework for sustainable development 20053 Beyond Copenhagen: the UK Government’s International Climate Change Action Plan, 20104 Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, low carbon world UNEP September 20085 Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an industry analysis update for 2008/09 Innovas, 20106 A Strategy for Sustainable Growth BIS July 2010

We will need to develop alternative, more resource efficient systems and processes including those which take a whole life cycle approach and are resilient and adaptable.

We also need to tackle the challenges that face us as a society including our ageing infrastructure. When well-designed, it can help people change their travel habits, power and water consumption and how they deal with waste.

We need new measurement techniques and standards – finding better ways to compare across sectors a product’s or process’ environmental impact. This will underpin the validation of international environmental targets.

EPSRC is playing its part in addressing the issues:

750+supported projects

£359mtotal spend

14%of our research investment

CASE STUDY 01SURREY INDUSTRIAL DOCTORATE CENTRE (IDC) “SUSTAINABILITY FOR ENGINEERING AND ENERGY SYSTEMS”The IDC at the University of Surrey prepares science and engineering graduates for careers in industry, combining collaborative industrial research with technical and professional training. The four-year Engineering Doctorate (EngD) provides a unique, multidisciplinary research environment which supports the needs of industry in the transition to a sustainable economy.

Graduates spend 75% of their time researching within industrial organisations only returning to the University to take part in a personal and professional development programmes. Since 1993, the Centre has worked with over 60 companies on its programmes, addressing their challenges in the sustainable delivery of goods and services including managing supply chains for more efficient use of energy and materials, reducing carbon footprints, reducing waste and emissions.

“Evidence of our success is the repeat business from sponsoring companies and the achievements of our alumni,” explains Dr Lucia Elghali, IDC Director. “A recent survey revealed that around 80% of our alumni remain employed in environmental technology and sustainability related roles. Almost 80% are in the managerial levels of the organisation and a quarter are senior managers.”

CASE STUDY 02BIRMINGHAM – EAST SIDE REGENERATIONIn 2007, for the first time in history, urban dwellers outnumbered those in rural communities and cities are predicted to keep growing in the future. Sustainable development in cities is more important than ever. Using Birmingham Eastside, a neglected industrial area undergoing transformation, as a case study, Professor Chris Rogers, from the University of Birmingham and his team have been investigating how the push towards urban sustainability might be accommodated in redevelopment plans. Dividing the project into four themes (utilities, wildlife, socio-economics and built environment), Professor Rogers and his team explored the ways in which Eastside could maximise sustainability, and the processes that hindered or prevented sustainable practices being adopted. The team are applying the knowledge they have gained to other EPSRC-funded projects, working with Islington in London and the Ebbsfleet Valley, part of the Thames Gateway in the boroughs of Gravesham and Dartford.

CASE STUDY 03CEMENT SET TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONSEPSRC funding has played a key role in developing both a new, carbon-negative cement and its manufacturing process. The development is spearheaded by Novacem, a spin-out company from Imperial College London and is also supported by the Technology Strategy Board and the London Development Agency.

Global production of cement is set to double to over five billion tonnes/year by 2050. But the type most commonly used today has a heavy environmental price accounting for five % of man made CO2 emissions. Novacem’s cement is carbon-negative absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere during manufacture. This is because it isn’t limestone based, requires low process temperatures and contains carbon-negative additives. The company has received additional venture funding through the Royal Society Enterprise Fund and is seeking further commercial sponsorship to take the process through to manufacture.

CASE STUDY 04TUNABLE STARCH FOR GREEN CHEMISTRY10 years ago PhD research in the University of York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence led to the discovery of new high surface area forms of starch. These are useful in applications from chromatography to catalysis. These new materials have remarkable properties which can be ‘tuned’ from starch-like to carbon-like. Named “Starbons” (registered trade name), they are the subject of several patent applications and are sold commercially for laboratory use worldwide. Continued EPSRC support is allowing their use in a number of processes including effluent treatment in the pharmaceutical industry as well as studies on process optimisation, scale-up trials and further applications with the chemical industry. Brian Trenbirth, Technical Director of Contract Chemicals a user of the Starbon technology says that they “will be delighted to transfer Starbon technology from laboratory through pilot to full scale production. This innovative technology will enable us to diversify our business portfolio thus helping the company to expand”.

August 2010

Other statements in the series:

EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding high-quality basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training in engineering and the physical sciences, to help the nation exploit the next generation of technological change. It invests more than £800 million a year in a broad range of subjects – from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering.www.epsrc.ac.uk