Sustainable Environment Accelerator

USW experts are working with TATA Steel to make its processes greener and cheaper. 

Spanning sustainability, decarbonisation, carbon capture and data science, a host of research and industrial projects are putting in place processes that will help to limit emissions and improve efficiencies.

TATA Steel is working as an industrial partner on a range of multi-million-pound research projects involving USW’s Sustainable Environment Resource Centre (SERC), including FLEXIS (Flexible Integrated Energy Systems) and RICE (Reduced Industrial Carbon Emissions). 

One such project has been investigating the decarbonisation of the steelmaking process, by replacing coke with hydrogen as the reducing agent for iron ore. The development of a far-reaching plan could help to reduce the company’s CO2 emissions over the next 25-30 years. 

SERC and TATA Steel have also formed the South Wales Industrial Cluster. Now made up of 46 industrial partners, it has secured government funding to develop a regional industrial decarbonisation roadmap and to initiate carbon reduction deployment projects at Tata Steel, Valero Refinery, Tarmac Cement works, and RWE’s Pembroke power station. 

"The support we receive from TATA is excellent. The funding and collaboration for PhD studentships and larger R&D projects has led to a close working relationship resulting in strong academic outputs and industrial demonstrators. Working together in this way has allowed us to identify how our research can help TATA with the important challenges of decarbonisation, and provide solutions for an Ultra-Low CO2 steel making future in Wales and the UK.” - Professor Alan Guwy, Director of the Sustainable Environment Resource Centre, USW 

“Over the last five years we have built up our work with the University of South Wales and have a number of active PhD and research projects underway. We were initially looking to work with experts in hydrogen, but that has now progressed to working together on a wider range of project areas within the Sustainable Environment Resource Centre at the University, as well as with experts in data science. 

“The University has also helped us to expand our network of contacts, which has already seen us work with new suppliers and use novel equipment for our industry that is helping us to improve our ways of working.” - Dr Gareth Lloyd, Process Engineering Manager, TATA Steel 

New hydrogen storage technology is a step-closer thanks to work between USW and Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage (CETEES).  

Patented hydrogen storage technology, arising from USW research, has been transferred to Hydro-Québec, to enable its commercialisation as part of ongoing efforts to decarbonise industry and provide alternative, cleaner sources of energy.   

This technology has several key advantages over existing hydrogen storage options, including:  

• Greater storage capacity  
• Less weight for the same storage capacity  
• Increased safety linked to a lower tank pressure  
• Lower manufacturing costs  
• Simplified infrastructure need  
• No need for liquefaction step, generating savings in large-scale transport  

The applications for this novel energy storage technology are numerous and include transporting large quantities of hydrogen safely, or being able to have reservoirs of hydrogen-powered vehicles that can hold larger quantities of hydrogen in a smaller space, making hydrogen more viable for a variety of vehicle types while bringing the cost down significantly.  

“Hydrogen is considered an important key to allow the decarbonization of several sectors of the economy which cannot easily be electrified. However, several challenges need to be overcome in order to bring it to mass market, with a major one being its storage. We are thus very excited to work with The University of South Wales to tackle one of these major challenges.”  - Jean Matte, Senior Director of Hydro-Québec’s research center (CRHQ)  

“The Sustainable Environment Research Centre at USW and colleagues working in Chemistry, have been working to develop hydrogen-based technology for many years. They have built-up considerable expertise in this area by working with our international partners, including Hydro-Québec. Supporting a sustainable environment is something that we are continually working towards as part of wider efforts to decarbonise sectors such as industry and transport, to improve air quality and limit long-term health impacts.”  - Professor Martin Steggall, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research 

USW is the academic lead for the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC), a consortium which is developing a plan for decarbonising industry in the South Wales region.  

SWIC is made up of some of Wales’ top industry, energy, infrastructure, legal, academic, and engineering organisations. Combined, these businesses employ more than 100,000 people and are committed to creating a net-zero-carbon economy in Wales which supports sustainable jobs and communities. SWIC’s aim is to become a world-leading, sustainable Industrial Cluster which can help meet the societal, economic, and energy needs of South Wales to 2050 and beyond. 

The Cluster will also explore the decarbonisation of heavy industry and identify how South Wales’ available resources and existing gas and electricity infrastructure can not only help heavy industry get to net-zero, but also decarbonise home heating.  “We are delighted to be a part of the project and to be able to offer our expertise in decarbonisation and hydrogen technology as a Consortium member.   

“Working closely with industry partners, we will help to develop the most efficient technical approaches and support this with relevant R&D, as well as co-ordinating the development of skills and training to support South Wales’ industries to achieve the net-zero goal.” - Jon Maddy, Director of the Hydrogen Centre, USW  

“The UK became the first country in the world to legislate that it will become NetZero carbon by 2050, and South Wales is the second largest industrial emitter of carbon dioxide in the UK.  

“The time to step up our efforts in actively tackling decarbonisation and identify the practicalities involved in creating, revitalising and sustaining industrial practices that will truly help safeguard our future is here.” - Dr Chris Williams, Head of Industrial Decarbonisation, Industry Wales 

Hydrogen is gaining prominence as a means of storing and transporting energy as its by-products, when burnt as a fuel or used within a fuel cell, are just pure water. Hydrogen cars can be refuelled in a similar time and have comparable range to petrol or diesel cars without the emission of greenhouse gases. This makes hydrogen a promising mass-use clean fuel. 

Our research into hydrogen includes Biohydrogen and Biomethane Production, Hydrogen Energy Storage and Hydrogen Systems, Hydrogen Vehicles and Refuelling Infrastructure and Hydrogen Storage and Materials Science. 

Anaerobic digestion utilises biological processes in the absence of oxygen to convert/recycle industrial gases and consumer waste into valuable organic compounds, and for waste water treatment. Our Centre of Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion works with industrial partners on developing processes and scale-up from laboratory, through pilot and onto industrial-scale facilities to generate bio-methane and other pre-cursors.  

National and world-leading research within our Sustainable Environment Research Centre (SERC) focuses on developing the technologies for the generation, storage, distribution and integration of hydrogen into our economy for heating and mobility of goods and people through road, rail and air transportation. Our Hydrogen Centre, near Port Talbot, includes the longest operational hydrogen refuelling station in Wales. We are integral partners in major regional networks such as FLEXIS and the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC), working with industry to advance green technologies for our future. 

Our Advanced Materials Testing Centre (AMTeC) is exploring new sustainable building materials which utilise recycled aggregates to replace cement or industrial waste activators for geopolymer binders for civil engineering infrastructure applications. AMTeC work with international partners to help them address global challenges in construction through using locally available materials and technologies.   

We investigate species, population and community relationships with anthropogenic drivers of change to biodiversity, ecosystems, and the provision of co-beneficial goods and services. Our outcomes inform conservation and restoration options, processes and policies that remediate impacts of anthropic activities. Our Wildlife Ecology team undertake and support field research across the World, whilst our Geography research team have interests in climate change and sustainable environment management.