National Edge AI Hub Webinar Series: Sustainable Conversion of CO₂ and Waste through Decentralised Bioprocesses

When

April 2, 2026

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Bookings

Bookings closed

Event Type

Please join us for the next webinar in our National Edge AI Hub webinar series. We are starting April with a talk from Dr. Sharon Velasquez Orta from Newcastle University School of Engineering, titled “Sustainable Conversion of CO₂ and Waste through Decentralised Bioprocesses,” on April 2nd, 1 PM BST.

When: April 2nd, 1 PM BST
Where: Zoom, register for the link

Abstract:

As time passes, waste production continues to grow, whilst we are also trying to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions to meet Net Zero targets. A truly holistic Net Zero strategy must address not only carbon dioxide emissions but also the broader carbon-rich material flows generated by human activities, most notably organic waste and wastewater. In the UK, an estimated 191 million tonnes of waste are produced each year, a substantial share of which consists of biodegradable materials such as food waste and sewage sludge. Rather than being treated solely as an environmental liability, these streams represent a valuable and underutilised carbon resource. Bioprocess engineering offers the means to convert these distributed carbon streams into fuels, chemicals, and materials, thereby contributing to a circular and low‑carbon economy. This presentation will showcase some technologies for applications that we have developed in our research group. I will then discuss how decentralised bioprocessing, in particular, has been shown to reduce energy consumption, generate fewer by‑products, and better align with local needs and conditions. This is already evident in the UK, where more than 700 decentralised anaerobic digesters are in operation to process food waste. To further enhance the performance and impact of these systems, improvements in efficiency must be driven by comprehensive process understanding. This includes integrating metabolic pathway optimisation, advanced process control, and robust yield‑prediction tools. Effective technology deployment will also require the adoption of safe, reliable bioprocess control frameworks and secure data‑sharing mechanisms, ensuring that decentralised facilities can operate consistently, optimally, and transparently.

Speaker Biography:

Before pursuing her academic career, Sharon Velasquez Orta acquired experience in environmental industrial processes working with companies such as Nestle, J&J, P&G, Kimberly Clark and Jumex. Since then, she has used a multidisciplinary approach to address current world challenges in areas related to sustainability, biomass valorisation and effective management of waste, with a specific focus on understanding biomass transformations. As part of her PhD and further academic studies, she has investigated how biomass can enable energy production, bacterial monitoring and wastewater treatment across multiple applications. Her research over the past 10 years has focused in enabling the development of novel technologies such as microbial fuel cells (MFC) across a broad range of applications. To this aim, she has partnered with different Universities (Tanzania, Mexico, US) and companies (Palintest, Northumbrian Water) to enable these novel applications to be tested in the field. As an example, her most recent research, sponsored by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has allowed her team to test an inexpensive MFC in Tanzania wells, aiming to provide early monitoring of faecal contamination to rural communities.

Bookings

Bookings are closed for this event.