Public Funding for Nitech Solutions Limited

Decarbonisation of the world economy is driving an increasing demand for Li-ion batteries, particularly for electric vehicles. The performance of this type of battery technology is heavily dependent on the cathode, of which the layered NMC-type is increasingly popular for delivering high energy densities. Manufacture of NMC precursor materials is typically carried out using conventional batch processes, which bring deficiencies in both production efficiency and quality, impacting battery cost and performance. NiTech Continuous Oscillating Baffled Reactors/Crystallisers (COBR/C) offer an innovative route for the production such materials. COBR/C technology has proven application in the speciality chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors, where significant benefits from a continuous processing approach have been demonstrated: substantial reduction in the scale of production units, improved quantity and process control, and access to new processing regimes. In turn this allows manipulation of the chemical reaction and solid-state formation processes that can lead to improved final product performance. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of manufacturing NMC precursor materials using COBR/C technology, provide required process data for future scale-up to commercial scale, define the process parameters that allow advantageous manipulation of the NMC properties (specifically in the generation of longer-lifetime single-crystal cathode morphologies), and allow a definition of the benefits of continuous processing over current technologies. Successful execution of the project would lead to an innovative, efficient, and flexible manufacturing approach being available for industrial scale production, plus the potential of improved performance of the materials produced, a reduction in energy demand for manufacture and a lower capital cost to implement. The project brings together existing proven technologies -- NMC single crystal precursor synthesis processes and continuous manufacturing, in a synergistic project that could make a significant impact on the target sector. The project involves NiTech Solutions Ltd as COBR/C process technology provider. Know-how on the chemical & and solid-state processes and cell production and testing is led by the University of Sheffield. CPI will provide facilities and resources for the COBR/C experimental program. Input on raw materials specification, cell KPIs, customer requirements and consumer needs will be provided by Britishvolt. A successful outcome for the project has the potential to make a significant impact on the UK battery supply chain and strengthen the nations position in battery materials production and battery materials technology.

Pharmaceutical industry supply chains have been seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with active ingredients and much formulation work currently off-shored. This is resulting in an urgent re-thinking of future supply-chain strategy both in Europe and in the USA, which will inevitably result in efforts to re-shore processes previously off-shored. Whilst a part of this expected change can be absorbed by excess capacity, industry will not want to build new batch capacity that is already obsolete, but rather move towards cutting edge, continuous manufacturing technologies as soon as possible. Reshoring of generic drugs in particular will require the use of Advanced Manufacturing technologies (including continuous process technology) to compete with existing low-cost, but high risk, supply chains. NiTech Solutions has developed patented, state-of-the-art continuous reactor technology (COBC/R) which is gaining commercial traction in both pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries. However, the reactor also has the capability to operate continuous crystallizations, and whilst continuous crystallizations have been demonstrated for a large range of compounds at small-scale in the laboratory, it has not yet been commercially adopted, despite the fact that crystallization is very common in the purification operations of the pharmaceutical industry. This project has been developed to demonstrate continuous crystallization in an emerging segment of the healthcare industry where there is an immediate need: the extraction of pure cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp-derived distillate, a process for which we have recently received a large number of commercial enquiries. Production of high purity CBD Isolate in large volumes, low cost, and with minimal environmental impact will facilitate it's use in an increasingly broad range of products from healthcare to food & beverage. A 2018 report from the WHO outlined the health benefits of CBD in treatment of epilepsy and other medical conditions: in 2019 the US CBD market grew over 700% and the global CBD market is already worth \>$3 billion. However, the technology for crystallization of CBD remains at an elementary, batch stage, severely limiting the scale-up of production and the speed to market of CBD Isolate and therefore CBD Isolate containing products. Accordingly, the key objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of employing NiTech's COBC technology in the crystallization of CBD isolate from an industry-supplied distillate, and to quantify the benefits of this process in terms of throughput, quality, safety, overall cost, and environmental impact versus traditional batch production processes. The operating boundaries of the process will be explored and optimised during the work program and output data used to inform design of our industrial scale CBD crystallization units. NiTech will work, in this project, with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) group within the University of Aberystwyth (UA). IBERS have extensive experience in processing bio-based materials and are able to handle hemp and hemp derived CBD. NiTech and IBERS combined capabilities and competence will provide the full range of knowhow required to develop material and process parameters to deliver the desired product attributes and process performance using NiTech's COBC technology platform.

The production of green methane and carboxylic acids, by converting H2 using renewable electricity with surplus CO2 from a number of processes, has the potential to integrate gas, electricity and refueling infrastructures, decarbonise energy supply, contribute towards energy security, as well as providing economic benefits through expansion of market potential. Combining H2 and CO2 has recently been achieved using a microbial process, however, productivity is limited by the rate at which gases can be solubilised into the liquid phase. This project will investigate the feasibility of using innovative oscillatory baffled reactor (OBR) technology to optimise the solubilisation of input gases, therefore optimising the rate of green gas or carboxylic acids production and improving the technical and economic viability of the biotech processes.

A collaborative R&D project to design, build & trial a modular unit for the continuous production of a range of market leading surfactants, currently manufactured in the UK by Croda Europe Ltd. Based on patented Continuous Oscillating Baffle Reactor technology, the project will deliver a new process for the manufacture of existing products, with significant improvements in operational & capital costs & process sustainability without impacting product quality. Processes are specifically designed for integration with existing batch manufacturing assets to provide increased capacity without the need for new supporting infrastructure & extended footprint. The consortium believes that the 30% targeted reduction in operational costs, combined with reduced capital requirements will make investment in UK manufacturing a competitive option in a global market. This industry led, four partner consortium (Croda, CPI, UoC IfM & NiTech) will establish technical & commercial viability of the concept; de-risking future commercial investment in the proposed technology. The impact of this strategy to create flexible manufacturing capacity on existing business models will be explored.

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