Leather-energy firm among DTI winners

The Department of Trade and Industry has awarded £3m worth of grants to boost UK technology projects, including a grant of up to £600,000 for a commercially viable gasification system to generate energy from leather and leather product waste.

The two-year leather-energy project will be led by the Northampton-based BLC Leather Technology Centre, which is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for the leather sector.

The BLC technical director, Victoria Addy, said: “It is a win-win situation. We are taking materials that would otherwise be going to landfill and instead using them to supply heat and power. Companies would reduce both the amount of waste they dispose of and the amount of energy they have to buy in.

“It is something that we have been working on for five years and this is the second DTI grant we have received. We are still negotiating the final details, but hopefully we will be fully on board by April.”

For more information, contact Vikki Addy by telephone on +44 (0) 1604 679953 or by e-mail at vikki@blcleathertech.com or visit www.blcleathertech.com.