A group of alumni from the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering have received funding for a new device that could significantly reduce carbon emissions for the food and beverage industry.
The device is a biofuel cell (BFC) which addresses the emissions of electricity used in essential processes by harnessing liquid organic waste to generate electricity that is directly fed into on-site equipment, including bottling equipment or battery storage systems. The aim is to decarbonise the food and beverage industry.
The next generation fuel cell is possible due to the combination of advanced coating, design and manufacturing techniques, which results in high-efficiency electrodes. Pipeline Organics’ next-generation BFC will be able to produce more electricity per unit volume than traditional BFCs, and promises to be the world’s first BFC capable of generating clean energy at an industrial scale.
The primary target for the device, the Food and Beverage Industry, produces roughly 25-30% of the world’s annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In 2019 it was estimated at 158 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per year (Food and Drink Federation, 2021).
This novel technology will benefit the food and drink industry by delivering a:
- Reduction in energy bills, due to lower reliance on the National Grid for electrical power;
- Reduction in carbon emissions, because the Biofuel Cell produces direct electricity through a zero-carbon biological process;
- Resilient source of energy year-round independent of weather, because the Biofuel Cell relies on a customer waste, and not wind, sunlight or sludge shipments, to operate.
Pipeline Organics is comprised of University of Nottingham alumni with backgrounds across science and engineering. During a competition called YES20 hosted by the University of Nottingham, the team conceptualised an earlier version of the technology which led to a competition win in April 2021.
They also proceeded to win the Ingenuity Competition in 2023, hosted by the same Haydn Green Institute for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nottingham, and were strong advocates for the Institute, Ingenuity Lab and its competitions since.
The product Pipeline Organics are developing was inspired by the technical insights of two of the company’s founders, combining Keyvan’s expertise in fuel cell and coating chemistry with Eric’s knowledge of computational modelling and manufacturing design.
In 2024, after developing a benchtop prototype using prior funding from various competitions and an Innovate UK grant, Pipeline Organics raised a further £1.5m, including a £630,000 grant from Innovate UK. This will enable Pipeline Organics to create and study a feasibility prototype that functions in real industry wastewater, leading to a commercially-ready product in the next 18-24 months.
On the importance of Innovate UK funding, Andrew Raslan, co-Founder and COO, said: “The Innovate UK funding is a critical piece of the puzzle that will allow us to fund expensive research and development for hardware that is ‘part metal, part biological’. Co-funding by Innovate UK will allow us to access innovation and deeptech-focused investor networks.
“Following operational studies, the data we gather will show very objectively what the value of our product is to our customers in terms of electricity generation, cost savings and carbon savings. This should get us a few early adopters who will buy our ‘beta product’ and will champion us for further funding and early industry adoption of the Biofuel Cell.”
