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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/K011820/1
Title CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY USE IN FOOD CHAINS
Status Completed
Energy Categories Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial) 50%;
Not Energy Related 50%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields SOCIAL SCIENCES (Economics and Econometrics) 10%;
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Business and Management Studies) 25%;
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Psychology) 15%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (General Engineering and Mineral & Mining Engineering) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 50%;
Systems Analysis related to energy R&D 25%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 20%;
Other (Energy technology information dissemination) 5%;
Principal Investigator Professor SA Tassou
No email address given
Sch of Engineering and Design
Brunel University
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 April 2013
End Date 30 June 2019
Duration 75 months
Total Grant Value £5,699,187
Industrial Sectors Energy; Food and Drink
Region London
Programme Energy : Energy, Manufacturing : Manufacturing
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor SA Tassou , Sch of Engineering and Design, Brunel University (99.989%)
  Other Investigator Dr S Bakalis , Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham (0.001%)
Professor PJ Fryer , Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham (0.001%)
Professor IT Norton , Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham (0.001%)
Professor A Azapagic , Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Dr C Theodoropoulos , Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Dr M Kolokotroni , Sch of Engineering and Design, Brunel University (0.001%)
Professor J Song , Sch of Engineering and Design, Brunel University (0.001%)
Dr Y Ge , Sch of Engineering and Design, Brunel University (0.001%)
Professor GAA Wossink , Social Sciences, University of Manchester (0.001%)
Professor M Bourlakis , School of Management, Cranfield University (0.001%)
Dr AJ Stewart , Psychological Science, University of Manchester (0.001%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , Marks and Spencer (0.000%)
Project Contact , DEFRA (0.000%)
Project Contact , Buro Happold Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Centre for Process Innovation - CPI (0.000%)
Project Contact , Monodraught Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Tesco PLC (0.000%)
Project Contact , H J Heinz Company Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Doug Marriott Associates (0.000%)
Project Contact , Chemistry Innovation (0.000%)
Project Contact , Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network (0.000%)
Project Contact , WRAP (0.000%)
Project Contact , Food Storage and Distribution Federation (0.000%)
Project Contact , Food and Drink Federation (0.000%)
Project Contact , Heineken International B.V., The Netherlands (0.000%)
Project Contact , Hydropac Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Iceland Foods Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Institute of Food Science and Technology (0.000%)
Project Contact , Biosciences KTN (0.000%)
Project Contact , British Refrigeration Association (0.000%)
Project Contact , Campden BRI (0.000%)
Project Contact , Cargill Plc (UK) (0.000%)
Project Contact , The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) (0.000%)
Project Contact , Kellogg Europe Trading Limited (0.000%)
Project Contact , Kelvion Searle (0.000%)
Project Contact , Kraft Foods Group, Inc, USA (0.000%)
Project Contact , Maintenance Management Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , PepsiCo, USA (0.000%)
Project Contact , Premier Foods Group Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Process Integration Limited (0.000%)
Project Contact , The Sustainability Consortium, USA (0.000%)
Project Contact , Thorntons Budgens (0.000%)
Project Contact , WR Refrigeration (0.000%)
Project Contact , Waitrose (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The UK food chain, comprising agricultural production, manufacturing, distribution, retail and consumption, involves more than 300,000 enterprises and employs 3.6 million people. The food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector, employing 500,000 people and contributing 80 billion to the economy. It is also estimated that the food chain is responsible for 160 MtCO2e emissions and 15 Mt of food waste, causing significant environmental impacts. Energy is an important input in all stages of the food chain and is responsible for 18% of the UK's final energy demand.In recent years, progress has been made in the reduction of energy consumption and emissions from the food chain primarily through the application of well proven technologies that could lead to quick return on investment. To make further progress, however, significant innovations will have to be made in approaches and technologies at all stages of the food chain, taking a holistic view of the chain and the interactions both within the chain and the external environment.The EPSRC Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains will make significant contributions in this field. It will bring together multidisciplinary research groups of substantial complementary experience and internationally leading research track record from the Universities of Brunel, Manchester and Birmingham and a large number of key stakeholders to investigate and develop innovative approaches and technologies to effect substantial end use energy demand reductions.The Centre will engage both in cutting edge research into approaches and technologies that will have significant impacts in the future, leading towards the target of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, but also into research that will have demonstrable impacts within the initial five year lifetime of the Centre.Taking a whole systems approach, the research themes will involve:i) Simulation of energy and resource flows in the food chain, from farm-gte to plate to enable investigations of energy and resource flows between the stages of the chain and the external environment, and facilitate overall energy and resource use optimisation taking into consideration the impact of policy decisions, future food and energy prices and food consumption trends.ii) Investigation of approaches and technologies for the reduction of energy use at all stages of the chain through reduction of the energy intensity of individual processes and optimisation of resource use. It is expected that a number of new innovative and more efficient technologies and approaches for energy reduction will be developed in the lifetime of the Centre to address processing, distribution, retail and final consumption in the home and the service sector.iii) Identification of optimal ways of interaction between the food chain and the UK energy supply system to help manage varying demand and supply through distributed power generation and demand-response services to the grid.iv) Study of consumer behaviour and the impact of key influencing factors such as changing demographics, increased awareness of the needs and requirements of sustainable living, economic factors and consumption trends on the nature and structure of the food chain and energy use.Even though the focus will be on the food chain, many of the approaches and technologies developed will also be applicable to other sectors of the economy such as industry, commercial and industrial buildings and transportation of goods. The Centre will involve extensive collaboration with the user community, manufacturers of technology, Government Departments, Food Associations and other relevant research groups and networks. A key vehicle for dissemination and impact will be a Food Energy and Resource Network which will organise regular meetings and annual international conferences to disseminate the scientific outputs and engage the national and international research and user communitie
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 11/12/13