Semiconductor photocatalysis (SPC) is a rapidly expanding subject that, combined with nanotechnology, has led to some striking new products on the market, such as self-cleaning glass (e.g. Activ from Pilkington Glass), tiles, fabrics, paint and concrete. In it light is used to excite an semiconductor material which is then able to carry out a wide range of reactions including: the mineralisation of organics, destruction of bacteria, viruses and moulds, clearing the 'fog' associated with misted windows, generation of fuels (such as hydrogen via water splitting) and driving novel organic reactions. The UK has many leading experts (academic and industrial) in this area, working in a wide range of different areas (e.g. new material synthesis, photoreactor design, radical-based sterilisation and mineralisation and ceramic film coating). With the ever-rising, global interest in SPC and its commercialisation it is important that the UK maintains its world-leading status via a more coherent effort. This Network will bring together the many, diverse, internationally-recognised experts to form an active, focussed community, to share information and collaborate on a range of innovative, multidiscipline projects, ranging from: solar hydrogen production to photosterilising surfaces. The Network will facilitate the exchange of information and expertise through meetings, visits and the training of research workers and postgraduate students. A dedicated Network website, designed to be of use to both experts and non-experts, will provide details of: membership and useful contacts, events, relevant useful links (e.g. with other Network sites, background literature), programmes of work, key background and promotional literature and a library archive of all presentations. The activities of the Network and its members will be promoted not only through website, but at conferences - in particular a dedicated international, UK-based conference - and via publications in journals and magazines. These activities, events and features will result in: a greater understanding and appreciation of the field of semiconductor photochemistry, significant synergistic collaborations between research groups and industry, enhanced academic support for the significant, photocatalyst-based UK-based industries and new and improved semiconductor photochemistry based, marketable devices/systems. The Network will allow the UK to maintain and advance its lead in both cutting-edge research and products, in this highly-competitive, rapidly growing field.

Developed countries, the major culprits of green house gas emission and climate change, have the means to develop sustainable advanced technologies to overcome environmental burdens, improve the quality of life for citizens and create new business opportunities. The future production of fuels, chemicals and plastics will have to depend on renewable raw materials such as agricultural products and agro-industrial by-products and wastes. The aim of this project is to develop a novel sustainable process that will transform low-cost wheat flour milling by-products (wheatfeed) into value-added chemicals. We intend to introduce a novel approach for the production of future chemicals, fuels and plastics by producing a platform intermediate, succinic acid (SA), through integrated physical, biological and chemical processing. SA will be subsequently used as the raw material for the production of esters, amides, succinimides and pyrrolidones. To achieve this, fundamental principles in chemical engineering and chemistry will be combined leading to simultaneous step-changes in traditional technologies, low environmental impact, low cost, low energy utilisation and low waste production.Research carried out in the Satake Centre for Grain Process Engineering (SCGPE) in the Chemical Engineering Department at UMIST will lead to the development of a process converting wheatfeed supplied by our industrial partner, W & H Marriage and Sons Ltd, into SA. Efficient and cost-effective production of this platform chemical will be achieved by improving or even replacing current processing practices. Waste minimisation will be achieved by introducing novel uses for the solids remaining after processing that will also generate valuable revenue. SA will be produced by a continuous biocatalytic process involving CO2 fixation leading to the development of a pioneering CO2 sequestration process. Computer-based optimisation and simulation will be employed to solve engineering problems encountered in unit operations. Low-cost separation and purification of SA will be achieved by introducing novel processing based on water-splitting electrodialysis using bipolar membranes (EDBM). In parallel to the efforts of the SCGPE, the Clean Technology Centre (CTC) in the Chemistry Department at the University of York will utilise SA (initially in the pure commercial form and later supplied by SCGPE) as the raw material for the production of various value-added chemicals (esters, amides, succinimides and pyrrolidones) using low environmental impact chemical transformations. In particular, the CTC will use modern green chemistry tools including selective and efficient heterogeneous catalysts (which are readily separated from products and reusable), energy efficient heating methods (such as microwave technology) and environmentally acceptable and recoverable solvents (where required) to produce the value-added succinic acid derivatives. We will fully examine the properties of each product synthesised using analytical techniques available in-house and determine potential end-uses in consultation with our industrial partners, Uniqema (ICI).The triple bottom line benefits (economic, social, environmental) incurred by this process will be assessed. Mathematical modelling of each unit operation will enable process optimisation and a process simulator will facilitate process design and economic evaluation. CO2 sequestration, dependence on non-renewable energy and demand for cooling water will be evaluated in order to assess the potential environmental and social benefits. Calculation of various green chemistry metrics for each of the successful SA reactions will provide in depth critical assessment. The social benefits (potential impact in rural communities and resource depletion) incurred by the commercialisation of this process will also be assessed.