Two organisations in Belfast have secured a combined £1.7 million from Westminster for biomass projects.
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute was awarded £1.5 million for an app called ‘EnviroCrops’ aimed at helping farmers to make informed decisions about planting perennial energy crops to optimise biomass choices for land.
Private company CATAGEN Ltd, which is directed by Queen’s University professor Robert Douglas, got £239,098 to develop a cost-effective method of producing low-carbon biohydrogen from waste biomass.
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Biomass, a sustainable plant material, generated 12.6% of UK electricity in 2020.
It can be used to produce biofuels and sustainable aviation fuels or to create chemicals for household cleaning products and bio-plastics.
Energy Minister, Greg Hands, said: “Through innovative projects like these, Northern Ireland will be a vital part of our plans to accelerate renewables like biomass to end our dependency on fossil fuels and boost our energy independence.
“This £1.7 million UK government investment will support biomass innovation in Northern Ireland, boosting jobs and investment, and ensuring we have the homegrown supply we need to support our future green energy mix.”
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