Overview
Synergors® is the abbreviation for “A Systems Approach to Synergistic Utilisation of Secondary Organic Streams”. This is the fellowship project awarded to Dr Kok Siew Ng by NERC through the Industrial Innovation Fellowship programme, hosted at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, from 2018-2021. From 2022, Synergors® has become a flagship research programme at the Biorefinery and Resource Recovery group within the Department of Chemical Engineering, Brunel University of London. The programme aims to develop new systems approaches for resource recovery from organic waste streams including food waste, residual biomass and municipal solid waste.
Background
There are 10 million tonnes of food waste and 2.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste generated in the UK every year. The current technologies and practices in the UK in treating and disposing these organic wastes are not able to cope with the increase in waste generation due to rapid urbanisation. Conventional industrial practices take the resources from finite resources such as fossil fuels, turn them into products that we use for transport fuels, electricity, commodity chemicals, plastic bags, and dispose all the residues to landfill after processing. If these residues can be reused in the same manufacturing plant or sent it to another nearby processing plant, the imbalance in supply and demand of resources in the industry can easily be resolved. A holistic thinking of the needs and constraints in the urban area, industrial systems, waste management systems and ecosystems are crucial in addressing the complex problem effectively.
The objective of this research is to explore the interaction between urban, ecological and industrial supply and demand, and make use of the relationship to enhance the reuse and recycling of resources. This also calls for technological advancement in industrial and waste management systems to transform wastes into value-added products. This research will look into multiple product generation and using a combination of technologies to achieve higher performances and reduce the unfavourable features as in the existing technologies, with the consideration of the sustainability impacts on economy, environment and society. The approach will streamline the transition from fossil to bio-based economy and transformation of industrial strategies in the UK towards sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Synergors® Vision and Approach to Sustainable Resource Management
Synergors® focuses on improving resource efficiency and promoting the transition from a linear “take-make-dispose” model towards a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. Synergors® approach follows two key principles:
- Systems thinking
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
Synergors® approach to sustainable resource management.
Our research adopts an integrated and collaborative approach to sustainable resource management. Our studies take into consideration the interrelationship among various elements to understand multidimensional impact on technical, economic, environmental and social aspects of the whole system to ensure that the system is sustainable while avoiding any risk shifting and missed opportunity for resource recovery.
- systems engineering approach: design and analysis methods using computational modelling and optimisation approach;
- process integration technique: a holistic approach to process design which enables the maximisation of resource efficiency through considering interactions between processes;
- sustainability assessment: comprehensive evaluation of economic, environmental and social impact and performance of the systems to ensure that the systems are economically compelling, environmentally benign and socially acceptable.
Synergors® Research Themes
Theme 1: Strategic analysis for sustainable organic resources and waste management to achieve circular economy and net zero
Theme 2: Development of novel resource recovery and valorisation technology concept
Theme 3: Development of innovative biorefinery system design
Collaboration
Synergors® works closely with more than 10 representatives from academia and industry based in the UK, Malaysia, Mexico and Brazil.
Resources
1. SYNERGORS Final Report
2. Towards Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Malaysia
Full list of SYNERGORS publications can be found here.
Gallery
Biorefinery and Resource Recovery Research Group 