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University of York

Biorenewables Development Centre

Providing industry with new processes to convert plants and biowastes into products. The BDC bridges the gap between the world-class science base at the University of York and the needs of industry to develop and scale-up new greener processes and products.

The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC)  offer a broad variety of services in the fields of chemistry and biology to help businesses convert plants, microbes and biowastes into profitable green products. Take a look at our core areas of expertise below and do get in touch with any queries. In a nutshell, the BDC can help at any point in the biorenewables supply chain, whether you are looking for a use for waste tomato leaves, new fuels for your biomass boilers, or a plant-based source of chemicals for fertilisers or cosmetics.

Services

  • FUNDED SUPPORT FOR REGIONAL SMES
    Funded support for Yorkshire and Humber SMEs: Offering capital grants and business support
  • FAST-TRACK BREEDING
    Genetic analysis, heteroduplex mapping, plant breeding and all that goes with it
  • PRE-PROCESSING
    Preparing materials for further use, e.g. through milling, drying, macerating, pelletising
  • PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
    Exploring how to get the most out of the materials, eg. extractions, distillations, and reaction systems
  • NOVEL EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATION
    Applying new technologies, e.g. supercritical fluids and microwaves, to obtain high-value chemicals from biomass
  • ANALYTICAL SERVICES
    Finding out what is in your sample, from toxicity testing to determining metal levels
  • MICROBIOLOGY
    Identifying microbes in products and environments and characterising useful properties
  • DESK-BASED ASSESSMENTS
    Exploring opportunities for new products derived from biomass (including waste)

Find out more

The Biorenewables Development Centre web pages provide additional information about:

  • Services for the business community
  • Facilities for Feedstock development & molecular analysis; pre-processing; processing; microbiology & anaerobic digestion; analytial assessments
  • Glossary of biorenewables sector terms
  • Funding for regional SMEs