Birmingham University’s chemical engineers in Canadian collaborationA team of researchers from Birmingham University’s School of Chemical Engineering - which is part of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences - has signed an agreement which will see them collaborating on hydrogen research with the Hydrogen Village in Toronto, Ontario. This collaboration will result in an exchange of researchers and academics, and it will facilitate commercial relationships with companies in the West Midlands and in Canada’s Province of Ontario. It’s the Fuel Cell Group at the university’s School of Chemical Engineering that is part of this exciting new agreement. The Fuel Cell Group focuses on research using hydrogen as an energy vector and the application of fuel cells. It currently houses one of the only two hydrogen fuelling stations in the UK, and has its own fleet of five hydrogen powered vehicles which are taking part in a research project to ascertain the feasibility of hydrogen in a transport application. Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Village in Toronto has a mandate to create early commercial markets for hydrogen and fuel cell applications, and to educate the public, government and media on the benefits of these technologies. Dr Bruno Pollet, from Birmingham University, says, ‘We hope that by pooling our knowledge and sharing information and experience, we will be able to grow our understanding of how hydrogen will play a major part in fuelling our future, both in transport and in a domestic setting.’ Rymal Smith, who leads the Hydrogen Village programme, says, ‘Developing international ties expands networks of innovators, industry and ultimately customers. This kind of agreement moves us in the right direction.’ For more information on the collaboration email Kate Chapple at k.h.chapple@bham.ac.uk Find out more about the Fuel Cell Group, the School of Chemical Engineering, and the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Or visit www.bham.ac.uk to find out what other exciting things are happening at Birmingham University. Content added 1st October 2009. |
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