NUI Galway opens biofuels research laboratory

Irish university NUI Galway has announced the official opening of a new research laboratory to generate biofuels from waste products.

A team of 25 PhD and post-doctoral researchers will work in the new laboratory under Professor Piet Lens in the Department of Microbiology.

The researchers are undertaking a major research project to transform waste and wastewater treatment into production processes as part of a circular economy, according to the release.

As part of the project, the team will develop new technologies to produce bio-based renewable fuels generate from waste products, including brewery grains and dairy effluent.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for NUI Galway to develop new technologies that transform wastewater and waste into energy and biocommodities,” said Lens. “The investment of Science Foundation Ireland in this area is a response to the nation’s Climate Action Plan and ambitions to become a self-sustainable island for energy, where renewable biofuels are generated out of our wastes.”

The Science Foundation Ireland Research Professorship Programme ‘Innovative Energy Technologies for Bioenergy, Biofuels and a Sustainable Irish Bioeconomy’ contributed €1 million in funding advanced analytical equipment for the new biofuels research laboratory.