UK will be getting a world class biofuel center in Hull, according to latest news from Brittish Petrol. Lord Mendelson, during a recent visit to Hull, said the new cutting-edge technology development center will help the country's economy and "enhance" its reputation as the world class center for innovation and research.

BP and DuPont have joined to develop Kingston Research Ltd, focusing on biofuel technology. The GBP 25 million facility will be used as a development and demonstration facility at BP Saltend site, near Hull. Twenty seven jobs will be created as a result of this project. The facility will be producing biobutanol, which is a new low-carbon alternative to bioethanol, a commong biofuel product these days. Biobutanol can be made from various crops, the same ones used for bioethanol production. The produced biofuel can be blended into petrol at higher levels, making the introduction of biofuels quicker.

Saltend facility in Hull

The BP site will additionally be home to Vivergo Fuels, a joint venture project between BP, British Sugar and DuPont. Vivergo is in the process of building a world-scale bioethanol facility that will start producing this biofuel in 2010. Vivergo will employ some seventy people once fully operational.

[source: BP, image: Vivergo Fuels]