Circular Refining

12/04/2025

Thrilled to share how incredibly proud I am of our two new college interns, Blayke and Hannah, who joined the Circular Refining Kay team just this week! 🎉

Their impact in their very first week has been nothing short of tremendous. Hannah, with just 90 minutes of direction, has already scheduled a full week's worth of clear and informative posts for our company LinkedIn page. Her proactiveness and understanding are truly impressive! ✍️

Meanwhile, Blayke has jumped headfirst into restyling our website to be even more forward-facing for future partners and investors. His dedication and vision for our online presence are fantastic. 💻

It's an absolute pleasure to mentor these talented Greater Manchester T-Level interns, and I'm genuinely excited to see their continued growth and contributions to Circular Refining Kay. The future is bright with individuals like Blayke and Hannah! 🚀

29/03/2025

📣 Calling all Insurance Brokers! 📣

Circular Refining, a UK-based company dedicated to sustainable refining solutions, is currently seeking comprehensive company insurance.

We're looking for a reliable and experienced broker to provide us with competitive quotes and tailored coverage to meet our specific needs.

If you're an insurance broker with expertise in commercial insurance and are interested in working with a forward-thinking company, we want to hear from you!

Please DM our Managing Director, , directly. He will be taking calls for quotes on Monday.

We look forward to connecting with you!

25/03/2025

We're thrilled to announce that this April, we'll be welcoming two talented T-Level interns to our team. This marks a significant step in our commitment to nurturing young talent and expanding our capacity.

One intern will be joining our dynamic business management and social media team, bringing fresh perspectives and contributing to our online presence. The other will be supporting our web and software development team, adding valuable skills to our technical projects.

This growth will directly support our ambitious internal productivity goals, allowing us to achieve even more. We believe in investing in the future, and these internships are a testament to that belief.

A huge thank you to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority T-Levels team, The Manchester College, and Bury College for their invaluable support in finding exceptional candidates and helping us gain accreditation as a T-Level supporting organisation. We couldn't have done it without you!

We're looking forward to seeing the positive impact our interns will have on our team and the company as a whole. Welcome aboard!

19/03/2025

Exciting news! Circular Refining is relaunching our article series, diving deep into the world of hydrogen and its potential to revolutionize your business's decarbonization efforts. 🚀

In this series, we'll be breaking down:
🤔 What exactly is hydrogen? Demystifying the basics of this versatile element.
🤔 Which types of hydrogen will become more rapidly available in the UK? Navigating the landscape of green, blue, and other hydrogen production methods.
🤔 How can each type of hydrogen be utilized? Exploring the diverse applications across industries.
🤔 How can your business make a cost-effective transition to hydrogen? Providing practical steps and considerations for a sustainable future.

We understand that transitioning to new energy sources can be complex. That's why we're committed to providing clear, accessible information to empower your decision-making.
Stay tuned for our first article, coming soon!

Let's embark on this journey towards a cleaner, more sustainable future together.

28/02/2025

A whirlwind week of impactful engagement for Circular Refining ! 🌪️ Our Managing Director, Mark, has been immersed in the heart of the energy and hydrogen sectors, driving collaboration and contributing to vital discussions.

Here's a snapshot:
🚀 Tuesday: Mark kicked off the week at the IGPP Energy Policymakers conference at Salford Community Stadium. It was a crucial platform for sharing Greater Manchester's and the region's progress towards net-zero targets and exploring how innovative companies like ours can support public sector infrastructure reform.

🚀 Wednesday: We joined the North West Hydrogen Alliance 's annual gathering in Liverpool, gaining valuable insights into regional hydrogen economy developments, including HyNet, industrial transitions, and transport advancements.

🚀 Thursday: Mark engaged in productive discussions with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Northern Valve & Fitting Company Limited, The University of Manchester , and The University of Salford's Centre for Sustainable Innovation, fostering partnerships for a sustainable future.

🚀 Friday: We concluded the week with exciting calls with Bury College, The Manchester College, and Tameside College's, solidifying our commitment to the T-Levels program by welcoming two T-Level interns to Circular Refining.

This week's activities underscore our dedication to driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and supporting the region's journey towards a sustainable and net-zero future. We're proud to be at the forefront of these critical conversations.

24/02/2025

We're thrilled to announce that Circular Refining has officially become a supporter of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter this week! 🎉

As a micro-SME, we're deeply committed to building a strong foundation for our future growth, and that includes ensuring the fairest and most equitable conditions for our future workforce.

The GM Good Employment Charter sets out to promote and celebrate employers who demonstrate a commitment to:
🚀 Secure work: Providing stable and predictable employment.
🚀 Fair pay: Offering a real living wage and transparent pay structures.
🚀 Flexible working: Supporting work-life balance and individual needs.
🚀 Positive employment relations: Fostering open communication and collaboration.
🚀 Employee engagement and voice: Valuing employee input and feedback.
🚀 Excellent people management: Investing in training and development.

At Circular Refining, we believe these values are fundamental to creating a thriving and successful business. Even as we grow, we pledge to uphold these principles, ensuring equity and fairness in our workplace. We look forward to building a team where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered.

We're proud to be part of a community that prioritizes good employment practices and contributes to a better working environment for all in Greater Manchester.

23/02/2025

Being a solo entrepreneur in the international energy sector is a wild ride. It's a landscape constantly shifting, a puzzle with moving pieces, and a relentless pursuit of innovation. As Managing Director of Circular Refining, I'm deeply immersed in this complexity, driven by a passion to simplify decision-making in this vital field.

We're tackling the challenge head-on by developing tools that streamline procurement across the energy sector. It's about empowering businesses with the clarity and efficiency they need to navigate this intricate space.

One of our most exciting projects, Hydrogen IQ, is nearing its alpha testing phase. This web platform, a collaborative effort between Circular Refining and Cloud Bridge, is designed to demystify hydrogen for non-technical businesses. Imagine enabling existing businesses to seamlessly integrate hydrogen into their operations, unlocking powerful decarbonization opportunities.

It's a huge undertaking, balancing the intricacies of international markets, the rapid pace of technological advancements, and the constant need to adapt. But the potential impact – a cleaner, more sustainable energy future – fuels our drive.

We'll soon be opening up invitations for alpha testing of Hydrogen IQ, and I'm incredibly excited to share this milestone with you. If you're passionate about driving change in the energy sector, stay tuned!



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aboutshaw_energytransition-hydrogen-innovation-activity-7299336796268560384-eeS2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAkIQE4BrOYwyHeWYNgPezXsh2-2ie0rwYM

21/02/2025

A Week of Progress and Partnerships

This week at Circular Refining has been a whirlwind of activity, focused on advancing our product development and securing funding to fuel our growth. We're excited to share some of the key milestones achieved:

💪 Funding Resilience: We kicked off the week meeting with BidX.Ai to explore how their grant writing expertise can help us leverage our open £324k pre-seed investment round. Securing this funding is crucial for scaling our operations and bringing Hydrogen IQ to market.

💪 Hydrogen IQ Development: We continued our collaborative work with Cloud Bridge, our development partner for Hydrogen IQ. Discussions centered around strategic steps needed to gain market traction, attract investment, and accelerate the development of this game-changing platform.

💪 Fair Tax Commitment: We're committed to ethical and transparent business practices. This week, we connected with the Fair Tax Foundation to explore accreditation opportunities, demonstrating our dedication to responsible tax conduct.

💪 Investment Partnerships: We welcomed Marquee Equity, an India-based investment support firm, to discuss how they can assist Circular Refining in closing our £324k pre-seed round. Their expertise and network will be invaluable in connecting us with potential investors.

💪 Digital Twin Opportunities: We participated in a webinar hosted by the Connected Places Catapult (Energy Systems), learning about an upcoming Digital Twin grant scheme. This technology aligns perfectly with our vision for HySim and could significantly enhance its capabilities.

💪 Greater Manchester Combined Authority GM Advance Fund Application: Thursday was dedicated to preparing and submitting our application for the GMCA GM Advance Fund, seeking £30-50k in equity investment to further support our growth.

💪 Hydrogen Storage Innovation: Friday brought a productive meeting with PhD researchers at The University of Manchester, to discuss innovative design concepts for Type 5 hydrogen storage cylinders. This collaboration underscores our commitment to cutting-edge technology.

💪 Rolls-Royce AMR Collaboration: We had a valuable discussion with the Roll

20/02/2025

We're thrilled to announce a period of exciting growth at Circular Refining! Our Managing Director, Mark Shaw, has been working hard forging valuable partnerships with key organisations across Greater Manchester to bring fresh talent into our team.

We've been collaborating with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, their T Level placement team, the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network, and the The University of Manchester's Engineering School to onboard a fantastic group of interns.

We're looking forward to welcoming:
🧙 One Social Media Intern (from the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network)
🧙 One Junior Software Developer (from the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network)
🧙 One Engineering Design Summer Intern (from the University of Manchester)

We believe in nurturing the next generation of talent and providing opportunities for students to gain real-world experience. Stay tuned to see the amazing contributions our interns will make to Circular Refining!

19/02/2025

Start of week progress at Circular Refining ! 🚀

Following a productive day yesterday discussing grant and investment funding with Marquee Equity and BidX.Ai, our design team has made significant strides in developing our 900 bar carbon fibre Type 5 hydrogen cylinder.

We're pushing the boundaries of innovation with two distinct designs: one utilizing a solid dissolving mandrel and the other incorporating a single helix composite braided carbon fibre insert for enhanced structural strength.

Our simulations are showing promising results, and we're eager to move forward with micro and full-size prototyping. These prototypes will undergo rigorous destructive stress testing to validate our simulated findings and ensure the highest levels of safety and performance. This project will be a future continued collaboration between Circular Refining, The University of Sheffield, AMRC and The University of Manchester.

Stay tuned for more updates on this groundbreaking project!

19/02/2025

Proof that quality trumps quantity! I'm loving my 3-day work week at Circular Refining, especially with the level of engagement and impactful work I've been delivering. Yesterday alone was a whirlwind of productive discussions:

🔥 Development Bank of Wales: Exploring regional development investment opportunities.

🔥 BidX.Ai: Strategizing on grant writing to maximize investment alongside Innovate UK funding.

🔥 Marquee Equity: Connecting with angel investors, private equity, and venture capital firms.

All three conversations centered around securing the right investment to drive our circular economy initiatives forward. Here's to another two days of focused work and exciting progress!

18/02/2025

Exciting news for industrial hydrogen adoption in the EU!

A leaked draft of the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal suggests that industrial users of hydrogen could receive subsidies covering up to 60% of their equipment costs. This is a significant step towards making hydrogen a competitive and accessible energy source for industries across Europe.

What does this mean for Circular Refining?
This potential policy shift aligns perfectly with our vision of a circular economy powered by clean hydrogen. By reducing the financial barrier to adopting hydrogen technologies, the EU is encouraging businesses to invest in sustainable solutions and accelerate the transition to a greener future.

We at Circular Refining are committed to developing innovative and efficient solutions for hydrogen production and utilization. This news further motivates us to continue our efforts in driving the hydrogen revolution and contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable industry.

Stay tuned for the official unveiling of the Clean Industrial Deal next week! We will be closely following the developments and sharing our insights on how this will impact the hydrogen landscape.

The final Clean Industrial Deal document is due to be unveiled next week