# Presentation: 410168

## “New Developments in the QUESTOR Centre” 

Professor Jim Swindall OBE 

The Queen’s University of Belfast  

CCMS Vilnius, Lithuania 15th May 2002                                            

**Professor Jim Swindall**** ****OBE**** **
**  **
**The Queen’s University of Belfast****  **
**CCMS Vilnius, Lithuania 15****th**** May 2002****                                            **

## Unique Capability

**Unique Capability**

**Unique outside the US**
**Pure **_**and**_** applied Research**
**Research **_**and**_** delivery**
**Clean **_**and**_** clean-up technology**
**Technology **_**with**_** communication**
**Large **_**and**_** small companies**
**Technology demonstration**
**Implementation and consultancy**

## History of QUESTOR

**History of QUESTOR**

**1986    -  Discovered US concept**
**1987    -  Application to Int’national Fund for Ireland**
**1987/8 -  Visited industry – approx 110 companies**
**1988    -  Planning Mtng in Belfast – 27 companies**
**1988    -  Prepared research plan**
**1989    -  Founded Centre - £676,000 – 9 companies**
**1992    -  Received STRIDE grant - £708,000**
**1995    -  Received TDP grant - £2,738,000**
**1996    -  Received second IFI grant - £1,056,000**
**1999    -  Received 2 BioWise awards**
**2001    -  Received £2,400,000 SRIF award**
**2002    -  Received £2,100,000 Peace II award**
**Plus many Research Council Grants**

## Pump priming success

**Pump priming success**

**1987  -  Application to IFI for £69,000**
**1989  -  Founded Centre with 9 Founder Members     ****	****	****and £676,000 from IFI ****	****	****	**
**Today  -  18 Members including 8 Founder MembersTotal funding to date for industry relevant environmental research - £21.5m including          £4.5m in the past 6 months**

## International TIE Project: 

***Detection and Control of Microbiocontamination in Ultrapure Water Processes***

**NSF I/UCRC** *Center for*
*Microcontamination Control*

**NSF ERC** *Center for Environmentally*
*Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing*

**USA / NORTHERN IRELAND *****Technological Cooperation***
**U.S. Dept. of Commerce -- N.I. IRTU**

- University at Buffalo
*State University  of  New York*

**NSF I/UCRC**
*Center for Biosurfaces*

**I/UCRC** *The Queen’s University of Belfast*
*Environmental Science and Technology Research Centre*

**NSF I/UCRC** *Hazardous Substance*
*Management Research Center*

## 1989	 Founder Members	   1990	   DoE (NI) Environment Service      	 	 Bord na Mona	   1991	   Yorkshire Water
  	 Chem-Vite Ltd 		   Fruit of the Loom International Ltd
  	 Coca Cola Bottlers (Ulster) Ltd	   1992    Yamanouchi Ireland Co Ltd
	 Du Pont (UK) Ltd  <<<		   Eli Lilly (Ireland) Ltd
  	 Electricity Supply Board	   1993	   Fisons Instruments Ltd
  	 ICI Chemicals & Polymers Ltd		   British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
  	 Northern Ireland Electricity		   DoE (NI) Water Service
  	 Perkin Elmer / Foss Scientific	    1994  Unilever Research 		 	 Schering - Plough (Avondale) Ltd 	   Severn Trent Water Ltd
  		    1995  InterBio Ltd
			   Exxon Research & Engineering
			   Beckman Instruments
		   1996	   BP Chemicals Ltd
			   Welsh Water Plc
		    2001   Environment Agency, Eng & Wales
		    2001   Keller Ground Engineering

**1989****	**** Founder Members****	****   1990****	****   DoE (NI) Environment Service      ****	**** ****	**** *****Bord na Mona*****	****   1991****	****   Yorkshire Water**
**  ****	**** ****Chem-Vite Ltd ****	****	****   Fruit of the Loom International Ltd**
**  ****	**** ****Coca Cola Bottlers (Ulster) Ltd****	****   1992    Yamanouchi Ireland Co Ltd**
**	**** ****Du Pont (UK) Ltd  <<<****	****	****   *****Eli Lilly (Ireland) Ltd***
**  ****	**** ****Electricity Supply Board****	****   1993*****	******   Fisons Instruments Ltd***
**  ****	**** ****ICI Chemicals & Polymers Ltd****	****	****   British Nuclear Fuels Ltd**
**  ****	**** ****Northern Ireland Electricity****	****	****   DoE (NI) Water Service**
**  ****	**** ****Perkin Elmer / Foss Scientific****	****    1994  Unilever Research ****	****	**** ****	**** Schering - Plough (Avondale) Ltd ****	****   Severn Trent Water Ltd**
**  ****	****	****    ****1995  InterBio Ltd**
**	****	****	****   ****Exxon Research & Engineering**
**	****	****	****   ****Beckman Instruments**
**	****	****   ****1996****	****   ****BP Chemicals Ltd**
**	****	****	****   ****Welsh Water Plc**
**	****	****    ****2001   Environment Agency, Eng & Wales**
**	****	****    ****2001   Keller Ground Engineering**

**Questor Centre Members**

## The Name

**	****QUESTOR**
**  ****	****A****pplied                                ****	****T****echnology                  ****	****U****nit                    ****	**

## Applied Technology Unit – Formed Sept 1999
  Set up to apply knowledge and expertise developed in QUESTOR to assist local companies, particulary SMEs which cannot afford the £20,000 membership fees of QUESTOR

**QUESTOR ATU**

**Applied Technology Unit – Formed Sept 1999**
**  ****Set up to apply knowledge and expertise developed in QUESTOR to assist local companies, particulary SMEs which cannot afford the £20,000 membership fees of QUESTOR**

## QUESTOR ATU 

***ATU operations all involve a service to customers***
**Professional Consultancy Service**
**Collaborative Research and Development Projects**
**Training Workshops**
**Commercialisation/technology exploitation**

## (1) Research & Development

**Current collaborative research programme comprising 12 projects with a total value of £2.1m**
**Examples**
**Process integrated closed cycle water management system for dry docks (EU Framework V CRAFT Project  - £643K)**
**Pilot scale evaluation of bioadsorption for removal of colour from textile effluent (BIO-WISE - £320K)**
**Demonstration of a submerged aerated filter for BOD reduction (BIO-WISE - £300K)**
**IRTU Flagship TCS Waste Minimisation project with a consortium of 3 textile companies (£70K)**

##     (2) Consultancy

**No. Companies using Consultancy Service****	****56**
**No. Consultancy Projects****	****	****	****	****84**
**Typical Current Examples**
**Reduction in effluent strength and volume plus recommendations for treatment for a fish processing company (£3,750)**
**Tender for design and installation of a reactive barrier at a contaminated site at Dublin Docklands (£150,000)**
**Treatability trials for a series of WTP plants in NI -  (subcontractors to a Civil Engineering Co.- £9,000)****	****	****	****	**

##     (3) Training

**Over 85 companies/organisations (including 22 SMEs) have had delegates attend a workshop**
**We are offering 4 workshops for 2002:**
**Operation and control of water/wastewater plant **
**Assessing and managing environmental performance**
**Site investigation techniques for contaminated land**
**Environmental communication**

## QUESTOR
TECHNOLOGIES
Ltd

**TECHNOLOGIES**
**Ltd**
**                                              **

## The QUESTOR Centre has formed a spin-out company to deal with commercialisation
The Centre will benefit through agreed royalties
Initial investors are:

QUBIS/University Challenge Fund
Management (including two non-QUESTOR staff) 
British Textiles Technology Group 
Plus a block of shares reserved for      QUESTOR staff at start-up

**The Centre will benefit through agreed royalties**
**Initial investors are:**
**QUBIS/University Challenge Fund**
**Management (including two non-QUESTOR staff) **
**British Textiles Technology Group **
**Plus a block of shares reserved for      QUESTOR staff at start-up**

**The first phase of the company will involve a 12 month development period starting July 2001**
**This is funded by 2 University Challenge Pathfinder Awards (£20,000 each) plus a SMART Award (£45,000)**
**Initial products will be;**
**a sludge bulking diagnostic kit                                        **
**a bioadsorption plant for colour removal       from textile effluent**

## Links

**Programme**
**For Selected **
**Projects with **
**Commercial **
**Potential**

**Product**
**Support**
**Product**
**Development**

**Links**

## QUILL 

Research Centre                                              

**Research Centre                                              **

## Founded on 20 April 1999
Founding Co-Directors - Ken Seddon and Jim Swindall 
20 Members - £315,000 pa in subs
£500,000 refurbishment of laboratory suite completed 29th October 1999
Fourteen post docs, four technicians and nine PhD students in place

**History**

**Founded on 20 April 1999**
**Founding Co-Directors - Ken Seddon and Jim Swindall **
**20 Members - £315,000 pa in subs**
**£500,000 refurbishment of laboratory suite completed 29th October 1999**
**Fourteen post docs, four technicians and nine PhD students in place**

## Designated an EU Marie Curie Training site in Feb 2000
DTI/EPSRC LINK award of £595,000
EPSRC grants of £218,210; £241,248; £189,844; £197,822 and £10,000 awarded to date
14 Patents
Income to date £2.35m

**History**

**Designated an EU Marie Curie Training site in Feb 2000**
**DTI/EPSRC LINK award of £595,000**
**EPSRC grants of £218,210; £241,248; £189,844; £197,822 and £10,000 awarded to date**
**14 Patents**
**Income to date £2.35m**

## We have a contract with ACROS Organics in Belgium to supply them with ionic liquids, guaranteed £32,000 over two years
Aim to set up a company in Northern Ireland to commercialise ionic liquids
QUILL has the potential to be even more successful than QUESTOR

**Commercialisation**

**We have a contract with ACROS Organics in Belgium to supply them with ionic liquids, guaranteed £32,000 over two years**
**Aim to set up a company in Northern Ireland to commercialise ionic liquids**
**QUILL has the potential to be even more successful than QUESTOR**

##    QUESTOR 		18
   ATU				14
   QUILL			22
						54

**Staffing**
**(Research, technical and admin)**

**   ****QUESTOR ****	****	****18**
**   ****ATU****	****	****	****	****14**
**   ****QUILL****	****	****	**_**22**_
**	****	****	****	****	****	****54**

## Why Does This Concept Work?

**The Centres carry out generic research defined and prioritised by the MEMBERS**
**The Members are PARTNERS in the Centres with the academics**
**The Members have a sense of OWNERSHIP  of the Centres**
**The Centres DELIVER and are RESPONSIVE**
**The Centres attract the best students and research fellows and foster a unique team spirit**

## Slide 23

## UK Funding for 

**Clean Technology Research**
**Prof Jim Swindall OBE**
**CCMS Vilnius, Lithuania 15****th**** May 2002**

## Four Main Initiatives

**STI – Sustainable Technologies Initiative**
**MMI – Manufacturing Molecules Initiative**
**Faraday Centres**
**SRIF - ****Science Research Investment Fund**** **

## Sustainable Technologies Initiative

**Support for collaborative research and development aimed at improving the sustainability of UK business**** **
**£18 million available over 5 years **
**QUILL has a bid in for £400,000**

## Manufacturing Molecules Initiative 

**Environmentally sound manufacturing is one criterion for a successful grant application**
**£3 million available over the next year**
**QUILL has a bid in for £240,000**

## Faraday Partnerships 

**Named after Michael Faraday, who maintained strong links with industry while pursuing fundamental research**** **
**£2.2 million for each over three years**
**There are two new Faraday Centres in the area of clean technology**** **
**CRYSTAL and FIRST**

## CRYSTAL

**Green technology for the chemical and allied industry**** **
**Virtual centre of excellence in low cost, sustainable (“green”) manufacturing technologies and practices**** **
**Involves the UK’s three major chemical industry-oriented organisations, IChemE, CIA and the Royal Society of Chemistry**** **
**QUESTOR and QUILL are Partners**

## FIRST(Faraday Initiative for Research in Sustainable Technology)

**Remediation of the Polluted Environment**** **
**Facilitates research, training and technology transfer for the remediation of polluted land and water by biological as well as physical and chemical methods**
**QUESTOR is a Partner**** **

## Science Research Investment Fund 

**Funding for UK university infrastructure**
**£1 billion (thousand million) available   2002 – 2004**
**QUESTOR has received £2.4 million for   an Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology project**