Public Funding for Jenton International Limited

A huge volume of powders are processed within the food industry in the UK. They are vulnerable to biological contamination and this proposed project will allow mitigation of that risk and therefore reduce outbreaks of food related illness and expensive recalls. Jenton International Ltd (Jenton) is a UK-based family-run SME that is pioneering the next non-thermal powder decontamination technology. Over the last 5 years, 7 major outbreaks of foodborne disease have affected the UK and EU, sadly, including some fatalities. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) for seeds and spice show that majority (26%) of border restrictions have been due to harmful bacteria such as _Salmonella_, Cronobacter and _E.coli_. Last year the US ran short of infant formulae due to a potential harmful organism causing shipment of baby food from Europe to the US. Jenton is a specialist in UV decontamination and will develop a powder decontamination system to keep consumers and infants safe from these harmful pathogens. Reduction in germs will also help to reduce food waste due to product recalls and extend product shelf-life. By using a non-thermal technology, this research will help the UK to reach its goal of net-zero carbon target by 2050\. The project will also help Jenton to expand their export sales and enable the development of a UK-based solution for which there are currently only international competitors. To enable this step change in technology Jenton has partnered with Campden BRI, a specialist in applied research in the food and drink industry.

**New combination cleaner air and warmer room units for new generation housing.** This proposed study evaluates the feasibility of a forward-looking concept to devise an air filtration, disinfection and treatment systems, which will be combined with an integral electric heating system to allow a controlled and environmentally comfortable interior living experience in an economically practical form. The project is a collaboration between industry (Jenton International -lead; AirGard Systems and Colt International), scientists (De Montfort University, DMU) and housing estate (Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council, Leicester SLNC) to ensure a community- and technology-informed design of an innovative and efficient indoor pollutant extraction system. We consider this as a sustainable and effective solution to transform the future of heating and air quality for vulnerable population, which are both victim of fuel poverty and poor air quality. This solution intertwines the UK government's clean air strategic priority with the needs for switching from fossil-free heating in the face of the climate crisis and recent increased concern regarding airborne bacteria and viruses. Our proposed technology adopts an integrated approach by coupling the pollution extraction with the air flow/heating system, capitalising on the convective nature of pollution dispersion in the indoor environment and the pollution extraction (both chemical and biological) using both filtration and UVc. To date, portable air purifiers have been the mostly only been used in residential settings for indoor air filtration (mainly dust PM2.5). Other germicidal techniques involving ozone generated by corona discharge in non-thermal plasma reactor have been less popular for domestic use owing to ground-level ozone generation and high electricity demands. UVC at different wavelengths can both break down VOCs and disinfect airborne pathogens. Further, to ensure long-term viability of the proposed solution for vulnerable population in UK domestic setting, the project team will adopt a comprehensive approach over the product development (phase 1) and its field evaluation (phase 2) to accommodate for the influence of climate change in influencing air exchanges, humidity in UK housing and the corresponding heating/cooling energy demand. The companies involved will jointly develop and propose a simple and single interior unit which will filter, treat, heat and circulate air at the individual room level -- with intelligent control. Reuse of heat and sharing of components will contribute to a far more sustainable heating and air quality solution than currently available, specifically catering to vulnerable population.

Many methods used for disinfection of water result in environmental / health issues e.g. chlorination or are expensive and energy demanding e.g. ozonation. UV treatment offers an acceptable environmental alternative, but the penetration of UV light in water is decreased by suspended particles or turbidity which reduces the efficiency and cost benefit. By integrating UV with static mixing and developing a CFD model which will evaluate configurations of static mixer elements and a novel UV light source plus predicted "bug kill "we will achieve log 1 -2 improvement by comparison with the existing technology. We will develop a real time system to control the UV transmittance relative to solids loading and flow, ensuring we operate as efficiently as possible. To offer significant advantages (40% energy saving) over all current equipment in the UV market worth 300m Euros in Europe and 1.2 bn Euros globally