Eco-friendly fuel supplier invests in UK-first tech at Lincolnshire site

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CPL Industries, a manufacturer and supplier of eco-friendly fuel products, will install new technology that’s the first of its kind in the UK.

The Commercial‐Scale Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) Unit will be installed at the company’s Immingham site.

This facility, scheduled to begin production in mid‐2018, will be the first commercial‐scale example of this technology, developed by CPL’s Spanish partner Ingelia, anywhere in the UK.

It is being constructed in partnership with the University of Nottingham (UoN) and The Energy Research Accelerator (ERA), an initiative funded by Innovate UK that works with universities and industry to support research and innovation in energy.

CPL Industries manufactures and supplies smokeless fuels and other carbon‐based products.

Hydothermal carbonisation (HTC) is a technology for converting high‐moisture biomass into solid fuels using moderate temperatures and high pressures.

The HTC process effectively mimics long‐term natural process of coal formation, with the process taking a matter of hours rather than millennia.

The process is able to process waste streams such as green / organic waste into value‐added fuel products that could be used in both domestic and industrial applications.

CPL and the UoN are looking for partners to supply waste material to the plant and collaborate on future commercial projects.

The company’s intention for the HTC facility, which will form part of its ‘Ecofuels & Carbon Technology Park’, is to investigate suitable replacements for fossil fuels in its home heating products, with possible future developments being the possible replacement+ of coking coals in industrial applications such as foundries and smelters.