Innovating for a stainable future
The KTP presented an opportunity for Conidia to diversify the types of fuels it works with, allowing them to support customers in mitigating environmental impact and reducing carbon emissions through the application of technologies such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs).
Myrsini Chronopoulou, Head of Research & Development at Conidia Biosciences, said: “The need for change in fuel characteristics to address environmental concerns made it clear that, to remain relevant for a key market, we would need to look into new types of fuels. At the time, doing so through our own capabilities was not the most appropriate route.”
The KTP provided a natural route to progress the work of a former University of Sheffield PhD student, Alex McFarlane, who had since joined Conidia Bioscience. The University of Sheffield’s Professor Stephen Rolfe, who had supervised the PhD student at Sheffield, was brought on board as KTP supervisor, as well as KTP Associate Ruth H Barnes who would be embedded in the company for the duration of the project.
“The timing of the KTP opportunity really helped in building from scratch our own R&D laboratory and expanding our overall R&D capabilities,” added Myrsini.
“Ruth was a really good colleague, keen to be involved in the wider technical activities of the company beyond their KTP project. We learned a lot about how to explore more deeply a product already on the market and better understand how to innovate and optimise it.”
Research finding and industry impact
The KTP investigated whether a shift to sustainable aviation fuels would alter contaminating microbial communities (microbiomes) typically found in fuel systems that can cause issues such as corrosion and fuel degradation. The team ultimately found that these microbiomes grow in all fuel types, including conventional kerosene, synthetic fuels and SAF blends. While the growth of these microbiomes was prevalent across the board, the team found that microbial growth was slightly reduced in two of the SAF blends.
The findings highlighted the need for the aviation industry to continue to monitor contamination closely to ensure the safety of systems and prevent equipment failure. The team’s findings have since been published in the Taylor and Francis Biofuels Journal.
Following the KTP, Conidia Bioscience used the project's findings and some of its raw material to initiate a new development phase, indirectly leading to the creation of their new product, FUELSTATⓇ One: a lateral flow test kit for microbe detection wherever fuel is manufactured, stored, sold or used. This product was built upon its predecessor FUELSTATⓇ Plus, the original focus of the KTP.
Overall, the KTP was a resounding success.
“The KTP was a very positive experience in every respect,” concluded Myrsini.
“Despite working through the COVID lockdown, the team was amazing.”
Stephen Rolfe, Professor of Plant and Microbial Science at the University of Sheffield, said: “The KTP project was an excellent experience, really bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application. The knowledge gained really helped to understand the nature of microbial contamination in aviation fuels, how these might be impacted by the shift to Sustainable Aviation Fuels, and the best strategies to reliably detect this contamination in a user-friendly manner.”