Eco-innovation

SCFI has been awarded funding under the EU’s Eco-innovation Initiative to develop commercial opportunities for its world-first sustainable waste treatment technology, AquaCritox.

What is Eco-innovation?

The Eco-innovation initiative helps innovative, environmental products – that have been previously piloted – overcome obstacles to commercial success. It’s part of the EU’s commitment to not only boost economic growth, but ensure Europe leads the way in helping meet the world’s sustainability challenges.

With wet waste destruction and disposal a notable commercial and environmental problem globally, SCFI’s AquaCritox technology has been selected for grant funding – providing a safe, secure and sustainable solution that has not been realised before.

The aim

The grant will support SCFI in positioning AquaCritox technology at the forefront of the global waste treatment industry. The project will provide evidence of its significant environmental and financial benefits, and will also demonstrate the commercial feasibility of the technology, establishing a viable route to market for a range of applications.

The specifics

The project will first see the design, manufacture and installation of an AquaCritox demonstrator unit in Cork. This unit will carry out comprehensive testing of the technology’s treatment of municipal and industrial sludges, with an operating capacity of 15,000 tonnes per annum. It will then be shipped to a facility in the Middle East, where it will carry out further trials – including processing oil and gas waste.

The partners

As well as SCFI, other partners involved in the Eco-innovation project include: Air Products (to meet all oxygen supply and equipment needs); Eras Eco (Ormonde Organics) (for demonstrator testing support), Ecuity Consulting (to address regulatory and certification activity) and The EcoPRAgency at Richmond Towers (to coordinate all marketing and dissemination).