World-Class Research
Photo credit: Dr Tony Gutierrez
A unique collection of over 700 different strains of marine micro-organisms is the key resource being used to identify novel SAs
CREATING A CLEANER, GREENER WORLD
A major collaborative EU project to create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable world has provided €4.8 million in grant funding to Heriot-Watt’s Life Sciences researchers. Horizon 2020, the EU framework programme for research and innovation, is driving the project known as MARISUF.
The research will focus on surface active agents (SAs) or surfactants and emulsifiers, a class of compounds key to a vast range of global industries, and will aim to make them cleaner, greener and more sustainable. SAs are used in a huge range of industrial applications, including healthcare, agriculture, textiles, food and environmental pollution control. Global production is estimated at over 13 million tonnes per year. However, while having a tremendous industrial importance most SAs are synthetically manufactured using petrochemicals which are non- renewable and also have a potentially toxic effect on humans and the environment. The MARISURF project will address demand for natural and ‘environmentally-friendly’ alternatives.
The Heriot-Watt team involves Professor Mihalis Panagiotidis, working in Human Health, Dr Stephen Euston, working in Food and Nutrition and Dr Tony Gutierrez, whose unique collection of over 700 different strains of marine micro-organisms is the key resource being used to identify novel SAs. They have already demonstrated the potential for some of these organisms in converting natural feed stocks, including waste bio-products, into a range of sustainable and natural chemical compounds which could be used to replace traditional SAs and emulsifiers. Professor Panagiotidis commented: “This new funding has allowed us to build a consortium that brings together academic institutions, industrial companies and end-users, to address all the issues between identifying potential green, sustainable SAs, and actually bringing these products to market.”
Heriot-Watt Life Science researchers awarded €4.8 million in grant funding to create a cleaner, greener world
www.hw.ac.uk
25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36