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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/V054627/1
Title: Transforming the Foundation Industries Research and Innovation Hub (TransFIRE)
Principal Investigator: Jolly, Professor M
Other Investigators:
Ormondroyd, Professor GA Cullen, Professor JM Bide, Mr T
Drewniok, Dr M P Salonitis, Professor K Evans, Professor S
Ball, Professor PD Purnell, Professor P Cinderby, Professor S
Petavratzi, Dr E Mitchell, Mr CJ Unthank, Dr M G
Bingham, Professor PA Black, Professor S S Litos, Dr L
Yearley, Professor S Setchi, Professor R Perry, Professor J
Zhang, Professor S Haq, Dr GG
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Dr A Velenturf
Project Partners:
AKZO Nobel Almath Crucibles Ltd Alpek Polyester UK Ltd
Aluminium Federation Ltd AMETEK (UK) ANSYS
Beatson Clark Limited Breedon Cement Ltd British Ceramic Confederation
British Glass Bunting Magnetics Europe (UK) Capital Refractories Limited
Cast Metals Federation Catal International Ltd Celsa Steel UK
Chemical Industries Association Ltd CLT Carbon Limiting Technologies Confederation of Paper Industries
Constellium UK Limited Croda (Group) Diageo
Emerson Advanced Design Center Encirc Ltd EnergyNest AS
F.I.C (UK) Limited Fives Stein Limited Glass Futures Ltd
Glass Technology Services Ltd GTS Greenology (Teeside) Limited Guardian Industries (International)
Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group Heraeus Electro-Nite Imerys Minerals Ltd
Industry Wales International Synergies Ltd IoM3
IS-Instruments Ltd Jayplas (J&A Young (Leicester) Ltd) Kimberly-Clark Limited (UK)
Knowledge Transfer Network Limited LafargeHolcim Liberty House Group (UK)
Lucideon Ltd Luxfer MEL Technologies Materials Processing Institute (MPI)
Mineral Products Association Morgan Advanced Materials plc (UK) NETZSCH (UK)
North East Process Industry ClusterNEPIC Northumbrian Water Group plc Norton Aluminium Ltd
NSG Group (UK) Power Minerals Ltd Saica Paper UK Ltd
Saint Gobain Glass Industry Sheffield Refractories Ltd Siemens
Society of Glass Technology Texon (UK) Trent Refractories Ltd
URM (UK) Limited Vesuvius UK Zentia (Ceiling Solutions Limited) (UK)
Department: Sch of Aerospace, Transport & Manufact
Organisation: Cranfield University
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 01 July 2021 Ends: 30 June 2024 Value (£): 4,836,821
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Design of Process systems Manufact. Enterprise Ops& Mgmt
Materials Processing Operations Management
Reactor Engineering Separation Processes
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Manufacturing Chemicals
Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
27 Jan 2021 ISCF TFI Research and Innovation Hub- Full Proposal Panel Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
The Transforming the Foundation Industries Challenge has set out the background of the six foundation industries; cement, ceramics, chemicals, glass, metals and paper, which produce 28 Mt pa (75% of all materials in our economy) with a value of £52Bn but also create 10% of UK CO2 emissions. These materials industries are the root of all supply chains providing fundamental products into the industrial sector, often in vertically-integrated fashion. They have a number of common factors: they are water, resource and energy-intensive, often needing high temperature processing; they share processes such as grinding, heating and cooling; they produce high-volume, often pernicious waste streams, including heat; and they have low profit margins, making them vulnerable to energy cost changes and to foreign competition.

Our Vision is to build a proactive, multidisciplinary research and practice driven Research and Innovation Hub that optimises the flows of all resources within and between the FIs. The Hub will work with communities where the industries are located to assist the UK in achieving its Net Zero 2050 targets, and transform these industries into modern manufactories which are non-polluting, resource efficient and attractive places to be employed. TransFIRe is a consortium of 20 investigators from 12 institutions, 49 companies and 14 NGO and government organisations related to the sectors, with expertise across the FIs as well as energy mapping, life cycle and sustainability, industrial symbiosis, computer science, AI and digital manufacturing, management, social science and technology transfer. TransFIRe will initially focus on three major challenges:

1 Transferring best practice - applying "Gentani": Across the FIs there are many processes that are similar, e.g. comminution, granulation, drying, cooling, heat exchange, materials transportation and handling. Using the philosophy Gentani (minimum resource needed to carry out a process) this research would benchmark and identify best practices considering resource efficiencies (energy, water etc.) and environmental impacts (dust, emissions etc.) across sectors and share information horizontally.

2 Where there's muck there's brass - creating new materials and process opportunities. Key to the transformation of our Foundation Industries will be development of smart, new materials and processes that enable cheaper, lower-energy and lower-carbon products. Through supporting a combination of fundamental research and focused technology development, the Hub will directly address these needs. For example, all sectors have material waste streams that could be used as raw materials for other sectors in the industrial landscape with little or no further processing. There is great potential to add more value by "upcycling" waste by further processes to develop new materials and alternative by-products from innovative processing technologies with less environmental impact. This requires novel industrial symbioses and relationships, sustainable and circular business models and governance arrangements.

3 Working with communities - co-development of new business and social enterprises. Large volumes of warm air and water are produced across the sectors, providing opportunities for low grade energy capture. Collaboratively with communities around FIs, we will identify the potential for co-located initiatives (district heating, market gardening etc.). This research will highlight issues of equality, diversity and inclusiveness, investigating the potential from societal, environmental, technical, business and governance perspectives. Added value to the project comes from the £3.5 M in-kind support of materials and equipment and use of manufacturing sites for real-life testing as well as a number of linked and aligned PhDs/EngDs from HEIs and partners This in-kind support will offer even greater return on investment and strongly embed the findings and operationalise them within the sector.

Key Findings
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Organisation Website: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk