Challenges

A

• Arts Resource Management Scotland - online participation

  • Challenge number 4607

    Arts Resource Management Scotland is a proposal for a database and physical store, so organisations in the creative industries can easily store, locate, share and reuse equipment, assets, materials etc. How could this be managed, what technical/database solutions would be most appropriate and how would we mitigate against risk to damage etc?

    Arts Resource Management Scotland collaborative group includes representatives from across the theatre and visual arts sector, who have a collective goal of finding ways to share resources, materials and equipment effectively across the cultural sector in Scotland. Core values are of sustainability and cross-artform collaboration. Regularly represented within the group are: Creative Carbon Scotland, ReSet Scenery, Circular Arts Network, Citizens Theatre, Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, Grid Iron Theatre Company.

    Ambition:

    We are exploring the idea of a shared storage facility, managed by a third party, and supplemented by an asset management software so resources are listed and shared whilst being easily traceable and located. The ambition is that this will lead to more effective and easy to maintain storage conditions with practical and economic benefits, and crucially, make sharing these resources between partner organisations and the wider sectors more manageable, efficient and accessible to practitioners at different levels, with standardised procedures. The ambition is that this can be scaled up to be a pan-Scotland network of existing and/or new storage depots, all linked and managed via the software.This will assist with targets of carbon neutrality for the sector in 2045.

B

• Babcock Marine, Marine Engineering & Systems - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4612

    Help us to identify how we can implement a circular economy within Type 31 programme/ shipbuilding

    At Babcock we design and build complex platforms and marine system. The design and build of frigates, such as Type 31, requires great engineering and production efforts, taking 7/8 years in total. We are looking as to how we can develop a sustainability shipbuilding strategy and advice on how best to implement a circular economy in different areas.

C

• Cisco Systems

  • Challenge number 4616

    What can existing B2B circular economy approaches teach B2C circular economy programmes?

    B2B electronics have some of the most advanced circular processes in industry, in large part due to the WEEE Directive in the EU. The Consumer Electronics market does not have the same models. I suspect this is replicated across other industrial segments, where B2B has greater maturity than B2C. What can B2C learn from B2B, and what different approaches are needed for B2C than B2B?

H

• Highland Boundary Ltd. - online participation on 9 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4651

    How do we unlock private investment to restore ecosystems & capture carbon across Scotland whilst ensuring a Just Transition to Net Zero?

    The quest for carbon offset amongst multi-national companies has created a new kind of "green-laird" where the aggregated land-ownership profile of Scotland is perpetuated in the rush for land on which to sequester carbon. The challenge is to how to harness investment to create green jobs, resilient communities and regenerative businesses that support nature and people. In May 2020 the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) launched the £Billion Challenge which pioneers how to finance the restoration of the ecosystems that support us all - the most important challenge of our generation. The challenge is exacerbated by the fact that Nature Based Solutions (NBS) to climate change fall outside of the existing innovation paradigm and funding support systems. Our Highland Boundary business is part of the £Billion Challenge network and is working to fund an expansion of our regenerative, triple-bottom-line enterprise that will support re-generation of biodiversity, capture carbon and create green jobs. We would be grateful for help with creating new business models that enable the systems change to a liveable future.

I

• Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC)

  • Challenge number 4600

    How does research at UofEd quantify sustainability?

    We are interested in all aspects of bio-based sustainability for manufacturing. A common question from IBioIC member companies in recent months has been around quantification of impacts especially during development of a new product or process.

• Infinite Spring Ltd

  • Challenge number 4590

    How can my business become more circular through innovative use of my food waste?

    I grow microgreens indoors organically and have a lot of plant based waste at the end of each harvest day, I take my waste to local allotments, local farmers who have composting piles and I do my best to make sure my waste is used to benefit someone else after I no longer need it. The problem I have had with the circular economy is, I do not know what else is available for my waste to contribute to. The circular economy sounds great and I am all for it, my biggest hurdle has been trying to find ways of accessing it. I would love for my waste to be used in more ways, unfortunately I have found it difficult to find information on where and what it can be used for. I think the circular economy would be great for my waste, I just need help to get into it and find out more ways my waste can help in other areas of agriculture.

• IntelliDigest

  • Challenge number 4570

    How can consumers improve on advance meal planning with a focus to enhance food sustainability and their health?

    Globally, 1/3rd of food grown for human consumption is lost/wasted. The economic cost of food waste as estimated by UNFAO to be over $1trillion and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of over 8% of global GHG emission is attributed to food waste. .

    In the UK, we currently waste over 7 million tonnes of food per year Based on Hort Stats, 2018, 47.3% of vegetables and 84% of fruits are imported from outside of the UK, however, over 50% of them are wasted.

    On the other hand, over 1.9 billion people are overweight and over 2 billion people suffering from hidden hunger.

    There is need to make the food we produce work for us rather than creating a health, social, environment and economic challenge for us. Can advanced planning of meal help balance demand and supply of food, eliminate waste and improve our relationship with food?

J

• Johnson Matthey plc - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4610

    Can the academics discuss the suitability (from a technical, commercial and sustainability perspective) of fermentation as a unit operation in the upgrading of waste products (including CO2) into higher value products

    As a process licensing company, JM want to offer state-of-the-art routes to chemical products – the viability of fermentation in these processes remains open to question and we would like to discuss how to advance this with a multi disciplinary team, if possible.

R

• Roslin Technologies

  • Challenge number 4587

    What technology and practices are needed to make processes more circular in the cultivated meat industry?

    Consumable goods in the lab can create waste and cannot always be cleaned for reuse. Cells and media may also be used for a single experiment. Some companies are working on technology to clean media for reuse but the cost may be high and the technology is not widely available yet.

S

• Scotch Whisky Research Institute - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4599

    Taking into account that distilleries are visited by many tourists, what technology is available (with exception of Xanthella / Dry Ice Scotland) that can utilise fermentation CO2?

    The Scotch Whisky sector is looking to make use of its fermentation CO2 and currently there’s only a few companies that can utilise it – Xanthella and Dry Ice Scotland. I’m also aware of CO2 fixing in building materials/minerals.

• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4581

    What opportunities exist for exploiting academic expertise in Low Carbon material solutions for traditional Scottish buildings?

    A significant proportion of our Scottish public Estate & Buildings are traditional stone construction with carbon footprint challenges. Significant progress is being made in the adoption of sustainable building materials/practices in construction using re-cycled brick, timber, glass and emerging plastic based technologies but less so in the adaption and re-use of stone.

• ScottishPower - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4613

    What circular solutions could be deployed to reduce the impact of the displacement or removal of soils from infrastructure project sites?

    Infrastructure projects often lead to large amounts of soil being displaced or removed. We would like to explore the most circular options for the reuse or enhancement of excess or displaced soil. This would require strategies for assessing the quality and characteristics of the soils (including their current and future carbon sequestration ability), as well as ways of quantifying the potential ecosystems benefits of a new approach.

• Scottish Water - online participation on 10 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4646

    ‘What is the potential for resource recovery from wastewater waste streams, using thermal or thermochemical conversion to produce biochar and biochar-based composites, for carbon sequestration and other environmental applications?’

    Scottish Water is trying to progress its understanding of the potential of the value of biochar and its potential uses and benefits to SW. We are especially interested in biochar created from our own waste stream(s) - not just sludge - for carbon sequestration.

T

• The Future Forest Company [CLOSED SESSION] - online participation on 9 March 2022

  • Challenge number 4618

    [CLOSED SESSION] Question 1 online: Can we use biochar as a peat-replacement?

    Peatlands are significant carbon stores, and its harvest for use as a soil amendment leads to high CO2 emissions and the degeneration of important plants and animal habitats. How do we accelerate the necessary movement away from peat? Can we use biochar as a peat-replacement? Can biochar be used to replace peat in other applications than as a soil amendment? Can we use biomass waste to produce the biochar, then produce a soil media that can be used in controlled growing environments, which can then be spread back onto the fields?

  • Challenge number 4621

    online meeting preferred: Can biochar promote above- and below-ground carbon sequestration when used as a soil amendment during afforestation/reforestation

    Trees absorb CO2 during photosynthesis, which is stored as biomass – above ground in the trunk, roots and leaves – as well below ground as soil organic carbon. Trees are often planted at high densities when creating woodlands for afforestation/reforestation, to promote high survival rates. Extra trees are then ‘thinned’ out to prevent stagnation of growth. Can we use this biomass to produce biochar that is re-spread onto the forest floor to promote below ground as well as above ground carbon sequestration?

  • Challenge number 4624

    online meeting preferred: How can we better engineer and design biochar production units (BPU) to better utilise excess heat?

    Pyrolysis of biomass to produce biochar produces excess heat energy that can be used to heat water, generate steam, or be converted into electricity. How can we better engineer and design biochar production units (BPU) to better utilise this excess heat, and what is the greatest need in terms of different end users, i.e., is electricity more useful in the majority of countries rather than steam?? In order to scale up production of BPU’s, is it more favourable to convert this excess heat energy to one source over another? Is there any market research around this?

  • Challenge number 4627

    [CLOSED SESSION] Question 2 online: How can we use ‘contaminated’ feedstocks to produce biochar?

    To date, a majority of biochar is produced from ‘clean’ woody feedstocks and has an end use as a soil amendment. How can we use ‘contaminated’ feedstocks that are destined for landfill (e.g., municipal waste, plastics etc) to produce biochar? Can we use this material as an alternative feedstock, and use the biochar in end uses such as concrete, asphalt, or even put back into landfill. The pyrolysis process reduces the weight and volume of the waste feedstock material, and may have a potential co-benefit that adding biochar to landfill sites might suppress greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Challenge number 4630

    online meeting preferred: Can we use modelling ± field studies to investigate this to inform new methodology development to increase the value of biochar as a mid-to-long-term carbon sequestration approach?

    Current methodologies to certify carbon sequestration due to production of biochar do not reflect the true longevity of carbon storage from production of biochar. The current estimated permanence of removal is approximately 102 years, where the true value is more likely in the ~103 years. Much of the research around the permanence of carbon removal focuses on the end-use application as a soil amendment. Can we use modelling ± field studies to investigate this to inform new methodology development to increase the value of biochar as a mid-to-long-term carbon sequestration approach?

  • Challenge number 4633

    online meeting preferred: What are the techno-economics of a cascading use of biochar?

    What are the techno-economics of a cascading use of biochar? I.e., what is the best way to use biochar multiple times. For example: initially as a water filter, then as a growing media, then as a soil amendment.

  • Challenge number 4636

    online meeting preferred: Can we use biochar to help rapidly rehydrate desertifying landscapes by trapping water?

    Many regions of the world are experiencing drought conditions, and an increase in frequency and severity of drought is predicted due to climate warming. Biochar is highly porous and has a high water retaining capacity. Can we use biochar to help rapidly rehydrate desertifying landscapes by trapping water? For example in stormwater drains or ‘swales’, to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration?

  • Challenge number 4639

    [CLOSED SESSION] Question 3 online: Can biochar be used in co-deployment with enhanced weathering on agricultural or forest soils to promote sequestration of both inorganic and organic carbon, and act as a slow-release fertiliser?

    Biochar, due to its high cation exchange and water retention capacity, can enhance soil organic carbon sequestration. Likewise, spreading crushed silicate rock on soils can enhance CO2 removal from the atmosphere in the form of inorganic carbon via enhanced weathering, and release nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, silicon etc. Can biochar be used in co-deployment with enhanced weathering on agricultural soils to promote sequestration of both inorganic carbon (from enhanced weathering) and organic carbon, as well act as a slow release fertiliser?

  • Challenge number 4642

    online meeting preferred: Can biochar be used in co-deployment with enhanced weathering on agricultural soils as a slow-release fertiliser?

    The spreading of crushed silicate rock has the potential for use as a natural fertiliser through the release of nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, silicon etc. Can the high cation exchange and water retention capacity of biochar be used in co-deployment with enhanced weathering on agricultural soils as a slow-release fertiliser?

  • Challenge number 4645

    online meeting preferred: Can biochar be used in co-deployment with contaminated crushed silicates (e.g., mine waste, concrete) to sequester carbon and retain toxic metals?

    Due to its high cation exchange capacity, biochar has the potential to immobilise toxic heavy metals from soils. Can biochar be used in co-deployment with contaminated crushed silicates (e.g., mine waste, concrete) to both promote sequestration of inorganic carbon (from enhanced weathering) and retain toxic metals?