Smart Separations - a novel microfiltration system for air purification and emissions control
Lead Participant:
SMART SEPARATIONS LTD
Abstract
Smart Separations is developing a proprietary microfilter technology that can be easily
tailored to suit many different needs by varying the pore size in a controlled manner. The
regularity of the pore size is a unique selling point in many different markets and applications.
New filters based on this technology are highly innovative and potentially highly
commercially disruptive.
The chemical industry is suffering from out-dated processes to clean, purify and filter their
exhaust fumes. These gas emissions are usually cleaned through scrubbing, which typically
relies on toxic organic solvents to dissolve particles and other gases and molecules resultant
from the chemical processes. The main hurdle is that thousands of tons of toxic organic
solvents and/or treated water are being used in this process, leading to higher environmental
risks and a huge increase in energy requirements to clean and recycle both the solvents and
the water.
Following a very successful TSB Proof of Market award, the company has identified an
application of the technology in cleaning air and heavily reducing carbon and other
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as in car exhaust fumes and industrial processes.
Smart separations now wishes to prove the filtration concept. This Proof of Concept grant will
thus allow the development of a series of initial, basic pre-prototype filtration products,
followed by specialist laboratory testing of air purification and emissions. The grant at this
stage would help leverage the positive results from the Proof of Market study and allow for
concept demonstration to provide basic proof of technical feasibility. The world market for
industrial scrubber, absorber, adsorber and biofilter systems will reach £4.3bn by this year
(2015). Incineration is the largest single market, which we plan to tackle first. Our technology
has the potential to disrupt and expand the market potential through retrofitting and by
simplifying and/or reducing implementation costs
tailored to suit many different needs by varying the pore size in a controlled manner. The
regularity of the pore size is a unique selling point in many different markets and applications.
New filters based on this technology are highly innovative and potentially highly
commercially disruptive.
The chemical industry is suffering from out-dated processes to clean, purify and filter their
exhaust fumes. These gas emissions are usually cleaned through scrubbing, which typically
relies on toxic organic solvents to dissolve particles and other gases and molecules resultant
from the chemical processes. The main hurdle is that thousands of tons of toxic organic
solvents and/or treated water are being used in this process, leading to higher environmental
risks and a huge increase in energy requirements to clean and recycle both the solvents and
the water.
Following a very successful TSB Proof of Market award, the company has identified an
application of the technology in cleaning air and heavily reducing carbon and other
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as in car exhaust fumes and industrial processes.
Smart separations now wishes to prove the filtration concept. This Proof of Concept grant will
thus allow the development of a series of initial, basic pre-prototype filtration products,
followed by specialist laboratory testing of air purification and emissions. The grant at this
stage would help leverage the positive results from the Proof of Market study and allow for
concept demonstration to provide basic proof of technical feasibility. The world market for
industrial scrubber, absorber, adsorber and biofilter systems will reach £4.3bn by this year
(2015). Incineration is the largest single market, which we plan to tackle first. Our technology
has the potential to disrupt and expand the market potential through retrofitting and by
simplifying and/or reducing implementation costs
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| SMART SEPARATIONS LTD | £162,159 | £ 97,295 |
Participant |
||
| WALKER SUBSEA ENGINEERING LTD |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Hugo Macedo (Project Manager) |