Natural Synergies Ltd (NS) project "Commercialisation Development of Natural Synergies NS-SONEK Patented Dewatering/Sanitation Technology for UK & Developing Countries", is to enable pre-commercialisation support for NS-SONEK dewatering and sanitation technology which would eventually lead to establishing investor and licensor interest in the prototype demonstration unit, leading to commercialisation and technology roll-out. NS has been welcomed by a number of companies for field trials, with provisions for locating demonstrator NS-SONEK on site. The vision is to develop the business and financial model and marketing and sales strategy for the patented low-energy demand/containerised/dewatering-sanitation system named NS-SONEK, for the treatment and transport costs of wastewaters produced in rural UK, various food and manufacturing industries and as also as a pre-treatment solution, before transport to centralised wastewater treatment plants. NS-SONEK can also be used for enhancing the efficiency of biogas production (throughput/quality) of NS advanced thermophilic anaerobic digester (NS-ATAD) and other AD plants. NS-SONEK development is market/demand led to provide a solution to the stated needs of major water/AD companies and food manufacturers. Support/collaboration for NS-SONEK development has been provided by major wastewater and sustainable energy generation companies. The patented NS-SONEK technology was developed and validated at bench-scale through international and Innovate UK (Energy Catalyst Round 9) grant funding. Patent has been granted in a number of countries with applications pending in others. The project will generate the financial marketing and business model data for this advanced pre-treatment and processing system to treat faecal sludge and liquid organic waste, providing enhanced, efficient energy security and generation, utilising locally available resources and maximising greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings. The commercially available NS-SONEK will also act as a stand-alone enhanced dewatering, sanitation and pre-processing technology, for rural and peri-urban locations in developing countries (DC) and as an enhanced emergency response sanitation system for refugee camps. NS-SONEK combined with NS-ATAD or other AD systems, provides an enhanced zero-waste energy solution that also fulfils the aims of the energy trilemma. The commercially developed system will aim at reducing cost of water and wastewater treatment in UK and availability for use in DC encouraging creation of entrepreneurial partnership, women's empowerment and security in the overall faecal sludge management (FSM) supply chain leading to job creation in the UK and in DC.

Natural Synergies Ltd (NS) aims in this project is in developing a low-cost, low-energy, Carbon Capture (CC) solution to the removal of Carbon Dioxide and other gaseous impurities, e.g. Hydrogen Sulphide as well as water, for upgrading biogas from small to medium scale AD processes (100 Nm3/hr -- 2500 Nm3/hr) as well as potentially from Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide gas mixtures during Hydrogen production from gasification, gaseous fossil fuel CH4/C3H8 steam reforming, or from high CO2 emitting industries e.g. fertiliser(Urea)/steel/cement/ethanol production. The Tees Valley Cluster is one of the main zones within the UK that has been selected for realising the hydrogen economy. The global carbon capture and sequestration market is projected to grow from £1.6 Billion in 2021 to £5.7 Billion in 2028\. Last year the UK emitted around 326M tonnes of carbon. UK Government has announced it would need four CCS schemes by 2030 to capture 20 M--30 M tCO2/a across the economy. The use of advanced AD systems is among the main measures proposed for emissions reduction. There are currently 650 Anaerobic Digestion(AD) plants in the UK, excluding plants associated with wastewater treatment, with a further 269 AD plants in development. Tees Valley/Tees Valley Cluster (TVC) has 5 operational/planned AD plants. Two AD plants generate ~5MWe (~2500 Nm3biogas) with two plants in planning and development stage and could commercially benefit from biomethane upgrading, (improved engine electrical-efficiency/gas-to-grid injection). A further 70 plus AD facilities are located within a 100-mile radii of Middlesbrough. NS aims to develop a low-cost biogas upgrading technology through removal of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and water, to amplify production of biomethane, enhancing its commercial competitiveness and sales opportunity. Current project will develop Carbon Capture unit to TRL 4/5 with Technical, Financial, Bench-scale development and assessment. Future prototype will be developed at the NS laboratory to TRL 6/7 and the prototype CC unit will be tested at suitable facilities in the NE of England.

Natural Synergies Ltd (NS) Industrial Research project "Technical/Societal Innovation for Delivering Community Wide Affordable Cylindered CBG for Cooking and Sustainable Fertiliser" is to establish new data and knowledge, which would eventually lead to establishing an demonstration waste to energy process based around an advanced anaerobic digestion treatment process that has been developed by NS. This seminal development work will utilise a sectoral system of innovation which will eventually lead to nationwide joint partnerships, between NS the (technology provider) and poorer sectors of the local community. NS together with project partners, are involved in a project that concerns advanced pre-treatment and processing of faecal sludge and organic waste, providing enhanced, efficient energy security/generation, utilising locally available resource and GHG emission savings. NS aims in this Industrial Research project, to develop a stand-alone enhanced energy pre-processing technology, for rural and peri-urban locations in developing countries, increasing the efficiency of energy generation for the supply of affordable clean energy, for cooking and transport to the poor and marginalised local community and also with the production and supply of a sustainable source of fertiliser to local farmers. The decentralised and localised waste to energy plant, will also serve as a low cost faecal sludge management system and organic waste treatment facility, preventing the dumping of waste into waterways and land, providing benefits to both the environment and health to the local community. During the course of the project, the team will work in close co-operation with existing co-operatives and where necessary, expand and create further entrepreneurial partnerships, encouraging women's empowerment, social inclusion and security in the overall waste supply chain and product sales and marketing. This will lead to establishing a circular economy for waste treatment with close co-operation between the energy plant operator and the local community. Although specialised components will be sourced in the UK, NS will establish non-specialised component manufacture/build using local industries leading to job creation in DC, economies in plant build, short inbound/outbound feedstock and product supply logistics, marketing, sales and service supply chain.

Natural Synergies (NS) together with partners University of Strathclyde, Practical Action and Blue Vine Consultants are involved in a project that concerns faecal sludge dewatering/treatment leading to energy security/generation, sanitation utilising locally available resource and GHG emission savings. NS aims in this technical/financial feasibility study is to develop stand-alone dewatering process for rural UK/EU, increasing energy efficiency/generation, reducing transport costs/carbon footprint and in developing countries (DC) as a low cost faecal sludge management using for decentralised/localised sanitation and in both cases leading to an integrated AD based off-grid energy generation, localised sanitation with clean pathogen free water and sustainable fertiliser. The system once developed will aim at reducing cost of water treatment in UK/EU for savings to be passed on to the end-user; whilst in DC it will encourage creation of an entrepreneurial partnership, womens empowerment and security in the overall FSM supply chain and towards non-specialised component manufacture if possible using local industries leading to job creation in the UK/EU and in DC.