Welcome to BEACON

Who are we?

The BEACON Biorefining Centre of Excellence is a partnership between Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea Universities and the University of South Wales working in the field of conversion of biomass and biowastes into biobased products with commercial applications. Led by Aberystwyth University, BEACON is backed with just over £12.2 million from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

What do we do?

BEACON primarily helps Welsh businesses explore biobased opportunities for growth by providing access to wide-ranging specialist equipment and scientific expertise at our three partner institutions.

We also collaborate with companies based outside Wales and undertake contract research on behalf of large organisations. Please contact us for further information if you are interested in working with BEACON: info@beaconwales.org

Click here for an indication of the companies and organisations in Wales across a range of different sectors with whom we have worked with since 2010.

How can we help you?

BEACON offers businesses and organisations with interests in the biorefining sector access to the research, expertise and knowledge base of universities in Wales in areas as diverse as: Agrochemicals, Biofuels, Bioplastics, Coatings and Adhesives, Cosmetics and Personal Care, Essential Oils, Lubricants, Nutraceuticals, Packaging,  Pharmaceuticals, Speciality Polymers, Surfactants, Water and Effluent Treatment.

We can help:

• Businesses valorise their waste streams, gaining added value from the by-products of their manufacturing processes
• The Construction, Packaging and Manufacturing industries by developing new biocomposite materials
• The Bioscience industry by developing new microbial or enzyme systems and technologies for the processing of biomass
• The Chemical industry by providing new sources of ‘green’ chemicals
• Fuel producers by offering ‘green’ fuels, impacting on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and reducing carbon emissions
• Energy producers by trialling different feedstocks and bioenergy crops
• Rural communities by applying biorefinery technology to the processing of non-food crops

The BEACON partners can undertake:

• Formulation of new biocomposites
• Extrusion / bioplastics
• Novel chemistries / applications
• Metabolic engineering of yeasts
• Protein modelling such as new enzymes, e.g. for food industry or bioprocessing

Click here for information on BEACON Plus RD&I Scheme

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