EPSRC Sustainable Chemical Feedstock

EPSRC funded “Sustainable Chemical feedstock” is collaborative research conducted by the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, SEI-Y and University of Liverpool. Dedicated to utilisation of a major agricultural residue in the UK, wheat straw, this study entails development of a process to isolate high quality organic compound from the residue and subsequently refine the same to high value product (Alkyl Polyglucoside (APG) - bio surfactant). SEI-Y focusses on quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating the environmental competence, economic feasibility, socio-economics and agronomic implications of the process, in addition to the impact of process scale up, on these factors.
The environmental analysis is approached through life cycle assessment and quantifies impact indicators including global warming potential, acidification/ eutrophication, land use change, biodiversity loss and energy footprint.
The economic module entails a simplified cost analysis to identify the expectable market price of the wheat straw- alkyl glycoside (WS-APG). This study is comparative in nature owing to the novel nature of the studied process. The WS-APG is compared with palm oil- wheat starch based APG (PW-APG) in terms of all the above mentioned parameters.
The agronomic module encompassing the feasibility of straw incorporation, relative to utilisation of the residue for surfactant production, from a farmer's perspective has been assessed.