CPL Industries Limited is the UK’s market leader in the manufacture and supply of smokeless solid fuel used in domestic heating. CPL also produces a range of fuels that include renewable materials.
CPL is currently undergoing a big push to produce solid fuels produced purely from renewable precursors. This is due to number of reasons, one main reason being stricter legislation around carbon emissions being put in place with more expected in the near future to meet emission targets. Ever increasingly biomass is being sought for using as a fuel source. Biomass can be problematic in terms of storage and low energy density means much more needs to be burnt to produce the same energy as coal. Combustion of raw biomasses can also be bad for emissions targets especially in producing particulates lowering air quality. One way to limit the volume required to burn and therefore particulate emissions is to undergo pyrolysis which de-volatises the biomass and increases the fixed carbon content and in doing so, energy density. Pyrolysis is also a step required in activated carbon production that CPL are looking towards. During pyrolysis oil and gases are produced. The oils have potential to be used for other applications, one example of this is the use the bio oils as a binder in the production of renewable smokeless solid fuel briquettes.
This brings us to another technology Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) that CPL are working to commercialise. CPL have the first pilot scale plant in the UK at its site in Immingham. HTC is a wet biomass conversion technology. It mimics the natural process of coal formation in just a few hours. The benefits of hydrothermal carbonisation is that biomass with a high moisture content is considered ideal whereas in the majority of cases they aren’t favoured due to this moisture causing issues without undergoing pre drying steps. Low quality biomass that is considered a waste can undergo hydrothermal carbonisation which occurs in the liquid phase and produces a carbon with comparable energy density as seen in wood pellets. The by-product of this is HTC process liquor which can possibly be used as a fertiliser if it is found to contain valuable nutrients.
The project is geared towards the chosen student taking these pyrolysis oils and HTC effluent and seeing what value and uses can be extracted from them. This will include a large range of laboratory testing for composition analysis and also real-life application testing such as a potential renewable binder mention above. The student will be heavily interactive with the company working alongside the R&D team whom along with Nottingham University will give support and project direction.
Funding Notes:
The project will be part of the EPSRC-supported Centre for Doctoral Training in Resilient Decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems . The student who undertakes it will be one of a cohort of over 50 students in a broad range of disciplines across the Universities of Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff. In addition to the standard EPSRC stipend and payment of UK fees, there will be a stipend enhancement of £3750 per annum for 4 years, with £6000 per annum of funding for research costs and travel.
Enquiries email name and address:
Dr Robin Irons at the University of Nottingham ([Email Address Removed]) or Dr Andy Gill at CPL ([Email Address Removed])
Application Web Page:
Via email to Robin Irons [Email Address Removed]
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