Napier in Hong Kong biofuel centre partnership

A new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and City University Hong Kong (CityU) will see the opening of the first Biofuel Research Centre in the Chinese city.

The centre in Hong Kong will be a mirror of the existing facility at Edinburgh Napier, which launched as the UK's first Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC) in December 2007.

“City U is punching way above its weight in renewable energy,” said Professor Martin Tangney, Director of the BfRC.

China's economy is one of the few which grew last year, expanding by 8 percent. Given the global demand for renewable energy and Hong Kong's increasing volume of waste material, CityU was considered the ideal choice.

Prof Tangney, a microbiologist internationally renowned in the field of sustainable biofuel production, told The Journal: “We have to find some other way of fuelling and powering society. It's about oil security.”

The aims of the new union are to promote the idea of renewable energy in China, to exchange knowledge and teach, so that the ideas involved in sustainable power production filter through down to school level.

Prof Tangney cites the example of Brazil, whose biofuel production from sugar cane provides “50 percent of the country's power from just one percent of total arable land”.

They also achieve an energy output from this process that is sufficient to power the factories that produce the fuel.

According to Prof Tangney, “biobutanol is the next generation biofuel.”

This four-carbon alcohol can be used in conventional engines with no required modifications. It can also be made from a range of waste-material.

“Sustainability is a huge issue and one of Edinburgh Napier’s highest priorities. We have already had over twenty years of experience of working with partners in Hong Kong and this is another key collaboration.” said Professor Dame Joan Stringer, DBE, principal and vice-chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University.

Highlighting the success of Napier's BrFC, Prof Tangney said: “We have impacted across the sector, on industries and government. We are active in a number of areas and have an international representation.”

There are similar hopes for the sister site in Hong Kong. “We expect that it will become an important hub for scientific research in the area of biofuel and enhance our professional education to benefit various sectors of society, including the government, industries, academia and the general public,” said Professor Johnny Chan Chung-Leung, dean of the CityU School of Energy and Environment.

The partnership aims at establishing joint research projects and student and faculty exchange programmes. Additional joint partnerships with private industries in Hong Kong and mainland China are also planned.

“It is a matter of pulling it all together,” said Prof Tangney.

Evolution of the study is the key for Prof Tangney: "It is not about an instant fix, more about doing what we can today to aid the growth of efficient energy production."

Emphasising the natural progression of human auto-motion, he sees oil as “one tiny blip”.

“Man didn't come out of the stone age because he ran out of rocks,” Prof Tangney added.