CPI said that along with GLT, it had scaled-up the technology of the conversion plant to ton scale, which is a key pre-commercial step to the 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) plant of the latter’s licensed company Oleocycle’s site in Wilton.
CPI’s Matthew Abbott, who is the project manager of the collaboration with GLT, said: “The opportunity to work with companies like GLT and its partners in Wilton is one of the privileges of working for CPI.
“GLT and partners have a range of exciting processes they aim to commercialise that will provide sustainable routes to important chemicals. We look forward to working with and helping GLT scale up these processes to commercial levels.”
GLT, which was spun-out from Queen’s University Belfast, had developed the process of converting used, waste cooking oils into low sulfur bodies.
According to CPI, the process helps in displacing the fatty acids from an oil phase into a water phase. Thereby, it enables an easy separation while isolating the valuable fatty acids in high purity, ready for additional separation.
The separated oil phase is removed and processed into a suitable feedstock, suitable for commercial use in ultra-low sulfur biodiesel.
GLT CEO Martin Atkins said: “Waste oils are becoming an important resource for second use chemicals rather than burning directly in fuel. The patented technologies by GLT and Oleocycle are key to commercialising this problematic waste stream.
“It will enable users of cooking oils and large commercial fryers to dispose of their wastes effectively, and in the knowledge they will be used for other high value applications.”
