MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP and Johnson Matthey partnered with Cardiff University and the University of Manchester in a ?9m project that aims to convert CO2, waste and sustainable biomass into clean and sustainable fuels and products, said the company.
A partnership featuring two leading British universities, Cardiff University and The University of Manchester, together with bp and Johnson Matthey, has been launched to explore transforming carbon dioxide, waste products and sustainable biomass into fuels and products that can be used across the energy and transportation sectors. The project is one of eight business-led Prosperity Partnerships announced today in support of the government’s ambitious new Innovation Strategy.
Cardiff University, an internationally leading center for catalysis research, is leading the project, and The University of Manchester will provide expertise in materials science, characterization methods and catalysis. They are joined by bp, which is transitioning from an international oil company to an integrated energy company, and Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. The partnership will devote the next five years to exploring new catalyst technology to help the world get to net zero.
Catalysts are involved in helping to manufacture an estimated 80% of materials required in modern life, so are integral in manufacturing processes. As a result, up to 35% of the world’s GDP relies on catalysis1. To reach net zero, it will be critical to develop new sustainable catalysts and processes, which will be the main objective for the partnership to explore.
Professor Duncan Wass, Director of the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, said: “The catalysts we use today have been honed over decades to work with specific, fossil fuel resources. As we move to a low carbon, more sustainable, net zero future, we need catalysts that will convert biomass, waste and carbon dioxide into valuable products such as fuels and lubricants. Working in this partnership, we will bring together a wide range of catalysis expertise to uncover new science and contribute towards achieving net zero - perhaps the most pressing objective for us all."
Dr. Kirsty Salmon, bp vice-president for advanced bio and physical sciences for low carbon energy, said: “We are excited to be working with our longstanding partners Johnson Matthey, Cardiff Catalysis Institute and The University of Manchester in this Prosperity Partnership. It is a great team, which builds on our successful bp International Center of Advanced Materials (bp-ICAM) partnership, and I am looking forward to seeing them work across scientific disciplines to innovate new low carbon technologies to help the world get to net zero."
Dr. Elizabeth Rowsell, Corporate R&D Director, Johnson Matthey, added: “We are delighted to be part of the EPSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership which will help to deliver sustainable materials leading to increased circularity in industrial processes. This project will be critical in developing the next generation of enabling catalyst technologies that will be needed in a Net Zero world, so it is entirely aligned with the net zero commitments of both industrial partners."
As per MRC, BP acquired US shale assets from BHP Billiton for USD10.5 billion in the largest deal since the 1999 acquisition of Atlantic Richfield oil company. British oil and gas company BP bought US shale assets owned by mining company BHP Billiton.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.
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