Activatec Ltd

19/11/2020

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with the University of Nottingham in a Sustainable Innovation Recovery-Funded project, working to develop sustainable methods for the production of Ectoine, a high-value bio-based ingredient used in the healthcare and cosmetics industries.

The project will develop innovative technologies for the production of Ectoine using a microbial consortium. We will validate the technology using a multi-litre fermentation system, producing small batches to facilitate large-scale production in the future - resulting in cost-saving manufacturing processes and contributing to the sustainable circular bioeconomy.

Following the successful application of this technology, further applications of Ectoine in skincare, pharmaceutical and healthcare markets will be explored, allowing more manufacturers to invest in this sustainable ingredient and move away from harmful synthetic substances currently used in the production of cosmetics.

We have already been named by Maddyness as a tech-startup to watch in Nottingham. This innovative project will boost our profile further, creating new sustainable job opportunities and growth in the Nottinghamshire areas during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Activatec and the University of Nottingham are collaborating in a project supported by the UK's Sustainable Innovation Fund, developing new technologies for the production of Ectoine.

23/10/2020

Valorising waste products and using them to create high-value bio-based products, Activatec are working within the INGREEN Project to contribute to the circular economy

As INGREEN notes, "the development of more economical and environmentally friendly downstream processes is critical" in the creation of products, such as PHAs - a type of biodegradable bioplastic. We are proud to be part of a project which aims toward sustainable PHA production as an alternative to conventional biodegradable plastic production.

The pulp and paper industry are ranked as the third world’s largest consumer of water and, consequently, produces high amounts of organic rich wastewater. It is, however, the sixth largest polluter in the world after the oil, cement, leather, textile, and steel industries. The environmental impact...

19/10/2020

At Activatec, we specialise in the purification of bio-based products and the upscaling of processes to commercialise and valorise by-products.

Before we can begin to purify materials and maximise product output, we must first analyse the compounds that we will use to later develop our bioproducts.

Chromatography is a technique that separates different molecules or compounds within a mixture, allowing us to study the individual components therein. A technique with a vast range of applications, chromatography has been used outside of the industrial biotechnology sector to look for pollution in a body of water and analyse blood from crime scenes or during drug tests.

At Activatec, chromatography is the first vital step we use to develop high-value bio-based products. Find out more about how we use the process to develop the bioeconomy in our first technical blog post.

Chromatography is a used in the purification of bioderived products, a vital step in the development of high value bio-based ingredients.

16/10/2020

We are proud to announce that Maddyness have included us on their list of 9 tech startups to watch in !

"Since 2018, Activatec has specialised in development, design and scale-up technologies to manufacture high-value and innovative biotech and planet-based ingredients and materials from currently unused and low-value organic sources."

Check out Audrey Langevin's post to find out about Nottingham's other innovative tech start-ups, including GenX, our neighbours in the UK's largest science incubator, BioCity Nottingham.

Nottingham is an attractive hub for startups in tech, healthtech and medtech, and Maddyness selected some inventive tech startups to watch in Nottingham.

15/10/2020

As part of the Deep Purple EU Project, we are working to produce Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a group of biodegradable plastics, from wastewater streams. These PHAs can curb reliance on conventional, non-biodegradable plastics, which are harmful to the environment and necessitate large landfill sites.

Furthermore, producing materials from wastewater streams requires significantly less energy than creating synthetic and artificial ingredients than through other means, lowering the emission of harmful greenhouse gases while valorising by-products that usually go to waste: helping contribute to the circular bioeconomy.

In charge of the optimisation of the conditions and techniques to extract and purify both PHAs and Ectoine, a bio-based product used in sun cream, our engineers will use scale-up technologies and develop strategies for PHA and Ectoine production, analysing the economic viability of the value chains proposed.

Recover energy & valuable resources from urban waste streams in photobiorefineries with the help of purple phototropic bacteria

12/10/2020

As part of the international INGREEN Project we are working to produce high-value biobased ingredients from agro-food side streams such as whey and paper mill watsewater, using biotechnology in the production of food, feed and cosmetics.

Approximately 180 million tonnes of whey, a waste product from cheese production, are produced each year. While this is usually discarded or used to develop low-value ingredients, Activatec aim to use whey to make high-value bio-based products.

Using whey to develop lactobionic acid, a product used in a variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical settings, we are commercialising low-value by-products while working to advance the circular bioeconomy in the UK and in Europe.

INGREEN is an EU-funded project that will produce functional innovative ingredients from paper and agro-food by-products through sustainable and efficient tailor-made biotechnological processes for food, feed, pharma and cosmetics.

09/10/2020

Are you aware of bio based products?
Let the Biobridges Project project know by participating in the survey »Assessing the consumers' awareness on bio-based products«, available in 9 languages!🗣
📌You can find it HERE: bit.ly/biobridgessurvey CORDIS_EU

09/10/2020

Optimising production processes, the INGREEN Project aims to maximise products while promoting a sustainable and more environmentally-friendly approach to industry.

We are proud to be working as part of this project, producing biobased ingredients and materials from whey and other side streams, creating food, feed and cosmetics whilst contributing to the circular bioeconomy.

Biobased products -- or bioproducts -- are materials and chemicals produced from biological feedstock rather than crude oil. Biological feedstocks come from several biological sources, including by-products produced by yeast, bacteria, and a range of plants.